Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Climate
CLIMATE is the day-to-day emotions that people feel about work.
In productive climates, people feel energized and safe. They're secure
enough to take risks and ask questions, and their brains are focused on
the work. In bad climates, they're angry and afraid. Fear neurologically
neuters their ability to be creative, and they spend all their energy dodging
blame.
Climate grows from people's expectations of how they'll be treated.
If they take a risk and it fails, do they expect to be blamed or consoled? If
they question a leader, do they expect a thoughtful response or a verbal
slap? If developers feel danger all around them, they will work in fear, and
far below their capacity. If they feel opportunity and support everywhere,
they'll push advantages and take risks.
Consider a developer with an exciting but risky idea. He is trying to
decide whether to bring it up or forget about it. He wants to make the
game good, but he is also concerned with his own social status and emo-
tional well-being. So he thinks through the choice and instinctively comes
up with a mental ledger of pros and cons. In a good creative climate, the
ledger looks like this:
Pro
Con
If idea is successful, I will be
credited with its success and
the game will benefit.
I'll spend at least a minute
describing and talking about the
idea, and it might go nowhere.
I'll get to express myself.
I'll learn more about my
idea from others' intelligent
responses, and thus more about
how I think and how my ideas
relate to others.
I'll have some fun talking
about a new idea with my
designer friends.
