Refining Your Game's Vision from the Conceptual Stage

A significant hurdle in game development is defining what the project aims to achieve. Organizational psychologist Graham McAllister has explored this issue, inspired by the troubled development of Anthem. The problem persists across the industry, as seen in the now-cancelled Hyenas, which had a budget of around $100 million but struggled with a unclear vision during its seven-year development. McAllister explains that aligning on a vision is immensely challenging due to incomplete information and the subjective interpretation of ideas. Every team member may have a slightly different mental model of the game vision, making it unlikely that everyone shares the same understanding. The language used to communicate ideas can exacerbate this problem, with conceptual language being ambiguous and hard to interpret. Describing the feeling of a game or the intended player experience is particularly difficult for developers. McAllister stresses that teams must establish a clear vision from the outset, as decisions made during the concept stage impact 70% of the total project cost. He warns against the trap of working hard on an imperfect vision, as it will likely lead to redoing work later on. McAllister has developed the 'Vision Alignment Check' to ensure everyone is on the same page and created a list of signs that a team might be misaligned, including taking longer than expected to find the vision and repeating discussions with minimal progress. He emphasizes the importance of a culture where team members feel comfortable challenging leadership if they are unsure about the vision. Playing the game together can help clarify the vision, as seen in the development of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where staff would frequently play the game to share knowledge and ensure everyone was working towards the same goal.