"Explain Silently" – the Main Combo Skill of a Game Developer

What the talk is about

Oleksandr Protasyenya argues that the main combo skill of a game developer is explaining an idea without piling on words, and that the best tool for it is a prototype. Words trigger different associations in everyone, so even a concept document doesn't guarantee that a team pictures the same game. A mechanics prototype helps within the team, when pitching to management or investors, and the designer too, who understands their own game better. He names four skills: game design, programming, animation and sound design, needed not at a specialist's level but enough to show the mechanic and its character. In a live Unity demo he builds a character from white sprites and adds controls, a camera, animation and sounds. In the Q&A he advises splitting a big prototype into parts and being ready to throw it away. Useful for game designers and small teams.