Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
|
14
Authority
Foreman John was tired of workers screwing up every little thing. So he
bought the Puppetron—the newest wave in management technology.
No longer would he have to give orders and hope to see them carried
out properly. Now, he could put the Puppetron helmet on his head and
control the workers' every action directly using his mind. He became like
a puppeteer pulling a thousand strings, personally coordinating every
action of every worker. It was miraculous.
Foreman John and his crew took a job building a bridge. Halfway
through construction, the bridge collapsed and killed everyone.
Investigators discovered that the bridge was riddled with hundreds
of botched weld jobs, twisted cables, misaligned spars, and missing bolts.
It was as though none of the work had been done with the worker's full
attention.
MAKING GREAT GAMES TAKES
commitment. We have to explore culture
and fiction, solve hard intellectual puzzles, and take scary risks. We have
to push every advantage and deploy every resource. We have to care about
what we're doing beyond the paycheck. We have to invest our hearts in
the work.
But investing heart is a delicate process. It requires a special combina-
tion of work practices, culture, intrinsic motivation, and organizational
structure. People must have the right authority in the right places, knowl-
edge must flow smoothly to where it's needed, and we must trust one
another. This chapter is about creating these conditions so that a team can
run at its full creative capacity.
337
