Oftentimes the term of “developer” or “dev”, as people like to refer to the folks behind games, takes on a kind of mythical tone to it. When you’ve seen the kinds of games that a developer studio can put out – from AAA MMOs, to awesome action games, to adventures that become iconic – this isn’t surprising. Because of this inherent magical quality, players tend to take the concept of a game developer and assign all kinds of labels to it, whether positive or negative. I do have to say, you’ve probably not lived the gamer’s geek’s life until you’ve seen someone creatively compare a developer with something as complex as the United Nations or as simple as a bowel movement.
Regardless of the comparisons, the one constant is that developers sort of take on this aura of legend, a kind of entity moreso than a person. The Wizard of Oz is a commonly used, and apt, example. Here you have what amounts to either text on a page or in some cases, a common face of the company, speaking to gamers and interested parties about what they are doing, why it’s cool, and why players will enjoy it. While you do get to see a face every so often, or attribute an actual person to what’s being said, most of the time the subtle nuances of their philosophies are obscured behind what might as well be an impenetrable curtain.
This is why I kind of appreciate developer blogs, the subject of today’s sunshine. Whether they are contained on an official site, or in a developer’s personal page, the blogs serve as a way to let people peek behind the curtain, see not just just concepts but the people behind those concepts, and understand what developers are thinking. The humanistic quality of developers is something that more recently, some studios have taken advantage of, and even though the impression of the game is still mostly dependent on the game itself, having faces to names, and having thoughts to concepts, is very valuable.
There is, obviously, a little bit of a dark side to all of this, of course. I’m typically very optimistic about the kinds of thoughts that developers share online, personal or otherwise. That being said, there’s always a risk that putting yourself out there as a developer has all kinds of consequences, some of them potentially not so nice. It’s not a surprise that some developers or members of development teams who have blogs update only very sporadically. They are, of course, busy with the work of making games, but they’re also conscious of how their words can easily lead to problems later. All it takes is a misunderstood quote, an offhand comment, or a simple answer to a question to be a snowball that turns into an avalanche.
Still, the developer blogs we do see on the internet are filled with plenty of insight, ideas, and thoughts about making games. Finding out the wizard behind the curtain is a person just like you or me is a valuable idea to keep in mind. Like Oz, they are capable of the same things we are, both good and bad – and reading about what they’re thinking is ultimately valuable no matter how you slice it. Go find some out there – you won’t be disappointed.
