FAQ
Q: Why don’t you post here more often?
A: While there was a time when the Blog reigned supreme, these days it’s much easier (for writers AND readers) to use tools like Twitter and Facebook on a day to day basis – especially when you’re the sort of person who travels a fair amount.
I’ll still post here from time to time when I have detailed things to discuss, but for more regular updates, follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook via the sidebar links.
Q: What’s with the “Rev. Dr.” thing?
A: I’m an ordained minister with an honorary doctorate in Metaphysics from the Universal Life Church. Why? Because I needed to preside over my best friend’s wedding a while back and I had to be ordained to do it legally in the state where the wedding took place. It only cost $25 and for an extra $5, they threw in the “doctorate”. I figured one arbitrary credential granted in a useless field is as good as any other, right?
Q: I have a game idea or proposal. Can you help me with it?
A: For legal reasons, I do not look at game proposals unless the people providing them have taken me on as an employee (full time or contract) with a proper, binding NDA and non-compete agreement. This is to protect you as much as me – you don’t want your idea getting stolen and I don’t want to be wrongly accused of stealing it.
Beyond that, I’ll just offer a few words of general advice for people with “Big Idea” proposals:
When it comes to game development, the easiest part of the process is usually “The Big Idea”. The setting, the story, the characters, the basic premise of the game and the overall gameplay ideas are never the areas that make the process of making a game difficult. As a result, they’re almost never something game studios are interested in accepting from outside sources.
Everyone who is a fan of games is likely to have a pretty well-formed game design idea rattling around in their head somewhere and that goes double for folks who make games for a living. For this – as well as a variety of legal reasons – most developers won’t even LOOK at unsolicited game proposals from outside sources.
This doesn’t mean you can’t “go indy” and build something great on your own. Lots of people do and their work is sometimes extraordinary. Just bear in mind that – if you can’t do most of the work alone – that usual means finding volunteers among the people you already know to do the work.
Q: I have no industry experience or specific applicable skills, but I want to make video games! What should I do?
A: Get your foot in the door any way you can, then work hard and learn the necessary skills to improve yourself and advance. There really isn’t any other way. Getting a job in tech support or quality assurance is a good first step.
Q: Why don’t you post on [insert name of forum]?
A: While I’d love to post actively on every major fan site, I have limited time and can’t maintain a strong presence everywhere. I tend to post in places that I feel will reach a lot of the fans at once, more than anything else. As a hint, I almost NEVER post in very specifically-focused forums because I’m bad with minutia. I almost always post in “General Discussion” forums on fan sites.
