you're not special, neither am i
DESCRIPTION
Around three years ago I took my first steps into the games industry. Now I'm reasonably well known, recognised as an expert in my area and get to present at conferences around the world. The things that have helped me achieve that though aren't all that hard, and in this talk I discuss some of the tools I've used to become who I am, as well as talking a lot about my own insecurities and those that many other developers were able to share with me.TRANSCRIPT
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Luke Dicken @LukeD
You’re Not Special, Neither am I
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Who am I?
Game Developer
Writer Lecturer
Community Advocate
Research
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I’m Not Special
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How Did I Get Here?
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Choices
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Commitment
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Tools to Help
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Social Networks
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Blogs
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Events
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Community
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Play Games!
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Make Games!
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I Haven’t Got it All Figured Out
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I’m Terrified !
Anyone saying they aren’t is lying …or a sociopath
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I’m Not Alone
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“I'm afraid of not being smart or savvy enough to keep up with
the geniuses that I adore in the industry!”
Linn Søvig Spillmakerlauget
(Norwegian Game Developers Guild)
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“I’m most afraid of becoming obsolete if I don’t keep my skills
up to date. It’s a struggle to keep moving forward when you have to run just to stand still.”
Kaye Elling Lecturer, University of Bradford
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“I’ll show up at work and the doors are closed, the locks have been changed and the project I
am working on has been cancelled.”
Andy Schmoll Games System Designer
Arkane Studios
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“I’m scared that if I didn’t do what I do every day, no one would notice and the world
would be no better off.”
Thomas Welsh Editor, CalmDownTom
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“Realizing my skills were just luck and mediocrity all along.”
Jurie Horneman Freelance Designer/Producer
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“I'm most scared of people hating my work.”
Andrew Smith MD, Spilt Milk Studios
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“Even though I've been doing what I do since 2001, I still fear that I am just talking out of my
ass.”
Tristin Hightower Operations Manager, IGDA
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Are You Scared?
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You Are Not Special
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You Are Not Alone
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It’s OK to be scared It’s OK to not know what you are
doing !
It’s not OK to let it stop you.
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Useful Resources
•Darius Kazemi’s “Effective Networking in the Game Industry” • http://tinysubversions.com/effective-networking/
•Find a mentor • http://gamementoronline.org
•Watch free lectures • http://gdcvault.com
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Useful Resources
•IGDA Scotland • http://igdascotland.org • [email protected]
•Global Game Jam • http://globalgamejam.org
•IGDA Scholarships • http://igda.org/scholars/