2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Science Risk Management in Video Game Development Projects Marc Schmalz Aimee Finn Hazel Taylor University of Washington University of Washington University of Washington Information School Information School Information School [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract of video games – may not have been the focus of The video game software industry has a academic research, but there is an abundance of work reputation for volatile, chaotic projects yet, in spite on project management in general, and on of dramatic growth in global revenues, surprisingly information technology (IT) projects in particular. little academic work has examined these projects. While IT project failures are not uncommon [16, 18], This study reports a preliminary investigation into we do have a lot of guidance on how to minimize the this under-researched area. We interviewed eight risks that threaten these projects, both in the video game producers from a range of companies, practitioner and academic literatures [see, for using a critical incident method to explore risk example, 13, 17, 21]. However, little work has management practices and risk perceptions. Our examined how risk management is used on projects results revealed that in lieu of formal risk in the entertainment software industry. Thus the management practices, these managers relied on purpose of this research was to investigate the prototyping, pre-production decision points, and practices of entertainment software project managers, agile approaches to contain risk on their projects. and particularly to describe their approach to risk Among the risk factors mentioned, two are specific to management on their projects. We were interested to the unique context of video game development. The understand more about what risk management risk of failing to match the development strategy to techniques they use and the challenges they face in the project was identified as a major cause of anticipating and mitigating threats to their projects. problems during the development process, and a new risk – the ‘fun factor’ – was a key element threatening the success of the final game release. 2. Literature review The role of project manager has been known for millennia, though the term was first popularized in 1. Introduction the 1950s. In the ancient world, a project may have been the creation of a public structure, managed by a In May 2012, entertainment company 38 Studios master builder. Today, project management is often experienced a high-profile collapse, laying off nearly performed by certified professionals, but any 400 employees when the company was unable to individual charged with the success of a project can make payments on a government-backed loan [6]. be considered a project manager, regardless of title While the failure of 38 Studios is exceptional in scale [2]. While project management is rooted in older and public visibility, this kind of problem is not concepts of engineering, the processes and best uncommon in the video game industry, which has a practices for software development project reputation for volatile, chaotic projects. Many management have been studied for decades and are become “vaporware,” never seeing the light of day, still constantly evolving. Very little work, however, while others eschew the traditional success measures has addressed management of projects in the specific of schedule, budget, and performance [11]. context of entertainment software studios. Surprisingly little academic attention has been paid to At entertainment software studios, project management of entertainment software projects management means bringing a game from concept to despite reported global revenues for this industry of market. A game’s project manager – usually called $65 billion [5]. the producer – must bring together the art, technical, Projects in the entertainment software industry – and management aspects of the process to typically involving the development and production successfully create a game. In addition to the 978-1-4799-2504-9/14 $31.00 © 2014 IEEE 4325 DOI 10.1109/HICSS.2014.534 Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on May 08,2020 at 04:36:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. employees and management directly involved in Game Designer: the individual(s) responsible for producing the game, the producer must also designing the game’s rules – or mechanics – and coordinate with external stakeholders such as a general flavor licensor and financier, and external play-testers. Software Engineer: the individual(s) responsible Thus, while entertainment software projects face for producing the code assets for the project many of the same risk factors that threaten traditional Audio Engineer: the individual(s) responsible for IT projects, new risks are introduced by the creative producing the audio assets for the project aspects of game development, relationships with Graphic Artist: the individual(s) responsible for additional external stakeholders, and the external producing the user interface (UI) and graphical environment in which these firms operate. elements for the project. While publishers have been historically important 2.1. Entertainment software development to the industry, serving as financiers and distributors of entertainment software, their role may be Creators of entertainment software often view diminishing. Platform owners have implemented their occupation as a merging of art and technology. electronic marketplaces (Microsoft’s Xbox Live In their articles of incorporation, the International Marketplace, Apple’s iOS App Store, Nintendo’s Wii Game Developers Association (IGDA) states that one Shop Channel, Sony’s PlayStation Store), Facebook of their goals is to “increase the recognition and emerged as a major online game platform [14], and respect of digital game developers and the art form of crowd-funding has grown in popularity and digital games” (emphasis added) [4]. The focus on effectiveness [12], reducing the need for third-party the ‘art form’ suggests that management of finance and physical distribution. entertainment projects may share more in common with research projects than with standard 2.2. Game project management: The development projects, in that the creativity required producer role and context for entertainment projects is similar to the requirements for originality and innovation that are In the entertainment software industry, the job hallmarks of research projects [8]. Entertainment title of producer is often assigned to an individual software has many creative components, often with project management responsibilities for a game involving the creation of graphics, audio, and user creation project. Sometimes working on a team with interface elements, and management of these creative other producers, the producer coordinates the components is an important aspect of the game and activities of game designers, artists, audio engineers, entertainment development endeavor [22]. and software engineers working on a game project The creative context and external environment of [9]. In addition to his or her own employer, a entertainment software development projects producer is often responsible to a publisher and, introduces a number of specialized project team when working on a game based on another roles. While these roles exist for practically every company’s intellectual property, a licensor. A game creation project, a single individual or producer may also coordinate the process of earning organization can play several of these roles, a platform owner’s approval (such as Nintendo Co., depending on the specific project. Key roles include Ltd. approving a title for the Wii home video game the following: console) and the game’s rating from the Financier: the entity providing capital for the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), project depending on how the final title will be marketed and Licensor: the entity owning the intellectual distributed. property used in the project Producers often wear multiple hats, especially Publisher: the entity responsible for distribution when working on smaller projects. For one of the of the game in electronic and/or physical form game titles included in this research, a single Platform Owner: the entity owning the platform individual was company co-owner, publisher, on which the game will be released (e.g., designer, and artist as well as executing the role of Facebook for the Facebook Web site, Apple for producer. Producers typically have a broad and iOS devices, and Microsoft for the Xbox game poorly defined skill set. “Historically, many console) programmers and artists got promoted into producer Producer: the individual(s) with project and project management roles which they were ill- management responsibilities on the project equipped to fulfill” [9, p. 91]. 4326 Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on May 08,2020 at 04:36:56 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. 2.3. The current study more than 10 years’ experience in the industry. Interestingly, none of the producers had a As discussed above, while there is a strong body background in computers or technology: one had an of knowledge about the management of risk on IT MBA and the others were humanities graduates. The projects in general, little attention has been paid to trend noted above towards reduced publisher projects in the specific context of the entertainment involvement was reflected in the current study,