Uncovering Human Issues Behind Lack of Clear Direction in Game Development

At the GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, Graham McAllister, an organizational psychologist, presented a talk on 'Game Vision Alignment: Its Role in Team Effectiveness.' He discussed how studios can enhance their games by maintaining a clear vision of their project. McAllister, who previously founded Player Research and later TeamSync, emphasized that a creatively aligned team is the most significant indicator of success. His talk highlighted the importance of game vision alignment and provided insights into determining whether a studio is aligned and how to address misalignment. McAllister referenced the Games Outcomes Project, a large-scale survey of game developers conducted in 2014, which listed 'having a well and clear-communicated vision' as the top factor contributing to a team's success. The top five findings from the project include having a clear, shared vision, being cautious about making changes, having team members who buy into decisions, avoiding crunch and extended overtime, and building an environment where it's safe to take risks. During his time at Player Research, McAllister often asked studios what game they were making, only to receive varying answers from staff, including the creative director, CEO, and lead designer. He noted that this lack of vision is a major issue in the games industry, citing the example of BioWare's Anthem, which suffered from internal issues and launched in a largely unfinished state. McAllister emphasized that the root cause of these problems was the lack of vision, leading to conflict, crunch culture, and failed launches. He stated that there isn't a simple answer for fixing misalignment but suggested that investigating human error and looking into the cause of mistakes can help studios determine what went wrong. McAllister also highlighted the importance of language and communication, as people often think they're communicating effectively when they're not. He noted that words are ambiguous and can be interpreted differently due to individual identities, cultures, and experiences. While there's no way to check vision alignment, acknowledging team members' thoughts and how they affect the shared vision of a game is a good starting point. McAllister recommended using a shared mental model to structure thoughts and organize what's going on inside team members' heads. He emphasized that solving misalignment isn't the only priority; it's also about acknowledging it and communicating with each other to get everyone on the same page before the game is even in development.