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About mentoring, roles, and team work in game development - Polina Malysheva DevGAMM Interview
Wargaming.net Mobile Division's head of products gave us some keys to better-working full-circle teams within the gaming industry, discussing roles, responsibilities, prototyping, training, and more. Besides, we discuss their new game, Cozy Island,for a brief while.
Audio transcription
"All right, I'm in Lisbon for DevGAMM. This is day two for me, and I'm here joined by Polina Thank you so much for joining us, who had a panel yesterday about, you know, mentoring for game dev And I think this is very interesting for the attendees here, for developers, for other people attending your talk Because it is something that we are not used to learning about, right?
So what would you say is the main takeaway that you shared with the audience about, you know, mentoring and training people within the studio?
Actually Yesterday, it was really interesting because it was like a little bit research Because I opened for myself mentoring not a long time ago. Of course, in Wargaming, in the game industry I worked more than 20 years and I I Have had many roles and Of course, I want to be effective on all that roles and I have to learn very quickly of course, I use some books, I use some lectures, some courses and some other stuff and Not long time ago, I opened mentoring for myself and Yesterday we talked with guys. It's really good tool for game dev or not. And actually our Decision was that mentoring is good tool because our game dev industry changed very fast and we haven't some special rules which never changed and If you can find some guy who have experience in your professional area And ask them to help He could not give you some directional advice what you have to do, but he Could not give you his experience in and that experience can be really helpful for you to have new point of view to understand Your area more deeply and use that experience and do your own next steps How do you work with with aspiring Managers in order to train them to be ready to be managers. So, how do you do that? Do you sort of Examine their skills and then you say this person could be upgraded to a manager Managerial role right and then you train them. So, how do you do that at World Gaming?
Actually lucky I I have absolutely Super team and I think my approach which I use that people work Really better if they have freedom and responsibility together and when I find some guys or Help them To go in his career. I ask them what you really want to do what you really what area which you be responsible what your main idea and if his idea connect with my strategic idea we can go together, but not like boss and employer but like Partners it's a really deep relationship when we can be together not like boss and employee Because I think if you my boss You like support actually, we Try to create some products together. It's not my personal product not producer's personal product it's common common products and really important things that every every employee every Guy in my team Understand it that it's our own product So now that you mentioned that is that what you guys call a full circle team. How does a full circle team work?
Yes, I it In all my career level It was really important part of my life and of my team we try Do everything in in the team?
marketing Analytics it's all the part of the team because you know that In give death. It's really Often story is that you have part which publishing part and development part and Which its success publishing or development if the success it's my success at my success say publisher part or Development my success. Of course, it's we create that game. But if something wrong Marketing do something wrong. Oh, no, it's development do something wrong And it's really important that that guys work like one unit It's a really cool that They work like synergy analytics guys marketing guys developer guys together and Another thing that I've seen is that you guys managed to to prototype without Assigning additional budgeting. I think that's very interesting in terms of you know teams coming with coming up with new ideas Trying new game ideas without having to you know fund them separately. So, how do you do that at Wargaming?
Actually, I could not say about all Wargaming because Wargaming is very big but I can describe about my Concrete case and my how it work in my little team Of course really important test idea as soon as possible When you understand that it's good or not You have to do it as cheap as possible too because we create business And of course, we collect all idea which our team can create and after that some special group marketing guy analytics guy producers Choose some ideas and We create marketing test We understand it's good for the market or not right now And if some idea to have a good metrics on marketing test, of course, we do the next stage little prototype not With big team two or three people create first prototype very fast And we understand in our team it's playable or not, it's looks good for us or not and actually I Use one more Formula for that it's not my Unfortunately, it's really wisdom guy. Maybe you know, Alexander Astelwalder. It's a really good guy who Have a book About how to check business idea, okay, and it's really simple formula And right now I want to share it with you and with guys who sell us three main point first of all We can do it or not Actually, I have a really small team. I could not do triple a title right now Maybe I really want but unfortunately right now Haven't enough resource for that. It's first point second point, which we test like marketing test It's somebody wants that product or not. Maybe maybe we can do it we really want to do that game, but nobody wants that product nobody waits that type of products and Last not least point. Of course, it can be alive We can earn some money on that product or not because maybe we can do it and Somebody really wants that product, but maybe it's some guys who could not pay at all unfortunately, we work in real life and we have to earn some money for the team and for develop our product and it If you have opportunity check that Last point as fast as possible. You can do it. I know that many many guys On the first stage check only retention at all Yes, but if you create first Offer in the game you understand somebody love your game so much for the pay first 15 cent or not you can check pairs in your game Number of players it's enough or not. I Of course it's our opportunity. It's our Idea and my team, but I think Everyone can do the same. It's you understand more faster. It's your product It's okay or not if it's not okay, you can start to do one more product Why not Did Bowling crew Was it was it born from from a prototyping sort of round that you guys were prototyping Prototyping concepts and then you came up with this bowling game because of course wargaming is more known for the you know war of tanks world warships Etc. So, how did that come up? Actually, it's a really long story, but I tries to be sure describe it Actually When were gaming started Develop world of warship studio, which the world of warship was born To have several departments and one of them work with the big picture big picture game and contract Not stopped in that time. It was really several amazing guy who Could not work with world of warship because it was some kind game about something very Yes, and they try to create some mobile title unfortunately that title Was not success launched and Wargaming have to decide what to do with that team and we have last attempt to do something very fast and That game have to earn money and we have really one goal That that team be alive and they we really want work together It was our main idea. We Want to do something which looks like normal product good on the market actually we check the market and Understand that, you know golf cash game. Yes, we we were really Inspired of that example because golf niche looks like many many many people without money golf crash come Become a leader earn money and Become very success We think okay What niche looks like?
Golf niche Bowling, why not?
only one leader Bowling king on that type. It's really amazing game We understand. Okay, maybe we will try to do game about bowling, but more modern more With more modern meta mechanics more modern art and so on Okay, it's only ball not some strong 3d graphic Let's try Actually, we have a team on the eight people who?
prepare Bowling for the global launch. It looks like miracle and it actually it was miracle. I think and We achieved our main goal team approved of our gaming that they can create some good product and I really proved my guys because last four years bowling crew The best mobile bowling in the world. I think my guys absolutely amazing Okay final question what else can we expect from you guys in the near future both on mobile or on PC What else can we spread from wargaming?
That is coming up next actually, I Shared that secret with you and with you guys, too right now we prepare one more product and It's really ambitious product. It's about Kindful about relationship If you do something very very kind you feel something good something good happened in that moment with you that game about that one you It's called cozy island. You come to the island and help some guys who live on that Island right now first stage. It will be mobile game, but we think about Steam we think about switch. I hope it will be our next steps Approximately the release window for this new project. Do you have any I hope it happened in the spring of Yes, I hope all right. Let's hope for that. Thank you so much for your time Polina. Enjoy the rest of the show. Thank you"
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