We’re not just building up our game. We’re also building up a reputation for our studio. But, if you’re working alone, you may just be thinking about one aspect of this process — the actual creation of the game itself. But, there is more to it and each one represents a different at in an organization.
The Hats In An Organization
Engineer, Entrepreneur, and Manager; each one has a different role to play in the company. The one you’re most familiar with is probably the engineer, so let’s start there.
The Engineer
As an engineer, you create the actual game. You are the person on the ground building the value that will eventually be released to the world as a full-fledged game. In this role, you’re trading time for money to create a product to the specifications of the entrepreneur. You’re essentially an employee and that’s okay since it’s your studio, but this isn’t the only position you should be working in; you have to release control and take on the role of the entrepreneur.
The Entrepreneur
The entrepreneur is the visionary for the studio; they should be expanding the territory of the company/studio or coming up with ideas. The most important thing is that they communicate those ideas and promote them in order to continuously generate value that the studio can actively work on. This leads them to put a heavier focus on communication skills and leadership. When you’re in this role, this is what you’ll find yourself doing. Coming from a technical background it may be hard to adjust, but there is value here because it helps you communicate your ideas and get more people invested in your game and the studio’s future.
Now, being a visionary is awesome and all, but that doesn’t help get things done if there are no concrete processes in place. That’s where the manager fits into the equation.
Manager
Your big dreams for your company and the millions of people playing your game are important, but they need concrete details to succeed. Managers put the processes in place to properly manage your company and give the engineer real requirements to follow while keeping the ship that is your studio on the right path. This work isn’t sexy, but it’s necessary otherwise the concrete details fall to the wayside.
Building The Following
So I told you about each hat and based on where you’re at, you may have to wear all of them. That’s okay and it’s something to consider for your new game and as an entrepreneur in general.
The entrepreneur is the aspect that you will see appear the most here because they are the ones that are going to be creating that network. This is the hat you’ll be wearing when you’re out there promoting your game and talking to people about your idea; communication is key here, so have that entrepreneurial mindset when creating your network.
By creating this network around your brand, it can only improve the long tail and create long-lasting success and brand followers. Similar to how some people still are Nintendo fans to this day. It’s all based on Metcalfe’s law.
A network’s power grows geometrically. To simplify, V = N^2. For every person in the network around your brand, it’s power is squared. By leveraging this advantage, and getting people to promote content around your game, you can literally explode.
Now understand, this is all based on good business practices, so love your followers, because they are the ones you’re selling to and they’re the ones carrying the good name of your game/studio.
With that said, have a good one and start building that network for your game!
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