COMMUNICATION

​Having grown up with seven siblings, it wasn't always easy to get a word in. Perhaps that's why I've been sensitive to the matter early in my studies?

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Almost every job offer for a game designer lists "excellent communication" as a required skill.

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Well, they're right to do so! Game designers need to communicate daily with a wide variety of people and vastly different skills and priorities. Other game designers of course, but also artists, developpers, sound designers, producers, data analysts, QA testers, players, and so on. In some cases at Labsterium, I've even had to work directly with electricians.​

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Game designers need to understand the problems and solutions they and their collegues encounter. They need to be able to share just as much as they listen.

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However, what exactly is expected of "excellent communication skills" isn't always obvious, and can be difficult to display on a resume. So I came up with my own ideas on the matter, for you to see.

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In my opinion, communication in a game designer's work can be summed up as follows:

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Presenting ideas!

This one is pretty obvious. Your knowledge as a game designer is useless if you can't share it with others. This involves a clear and efficient documentation, presenting to an audience, organizing your thoughts and adapting your speech to your interlocutor.

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Listening to others!

We lose more people here than I would like. Satoru Iwata, former president of Nintendo, understood very well the importance of giving others an opportunity to speak, and taking the time to listen.

This is also making sure your interlocutor correctly grasps what you're trying to say, and making sure you understand what your interlocutor is trying to say (that goes both ways!). That's why I like to adress my coworkers directly when presenting ideas, as opposed to through documentation alone; it's much easier to catch a misunderstading early on, and it gives them an opportunity to bring their expertise to the table.

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Being oragnized!

And proactive, and available. You needn't just know how to communicate when faced with the opportunity, creating those opportunities is part of communication. Here, I'm talking about knowing when to call for a meeting, when to talk or keep to yourself, who to talk to, all while being respectful of others' time and priorities. It's also being transparent about your work and using the communication tools available to the team, so others know what you are doing on the project.​