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• "I want to encourage the courses because they
raise the profile of the industry but they may be
more useful for the process than the content"
[Developer]
One tension is the balance of art and programming
on a design course. One games course, run by ID
DC John Moores, aims to produce designers by
covering art, design, history and project management
but does not specifically teach programming. This
reflects the changing emphasis in design teams -
particularly evident in Japan. However this is not
necessarily the accepted pattern in the UK where
programming skill has traditionally been more
prevalent. Through TIGA and ELSPA and individual
companies in some cases, the industry is attempting
to build links with academic institutions in order to
define the necessary skills and inform the
development of the courses to suit its needs.
Exhibit 39: Example of split of talent on typical
Japanese development team
Admin (10%)
Music (10%)
Artist (60%)
Programming (20%)
Source: Spectrum games industry interviews
Lack of business and management skills
Most developers and publishers interviewed agreed
that business and management skills are lacking at
all levels throughout the industry. Of particular
concern are small, inexperienced developers who
are often directed by technically proficient
programmers or artists but who may not have the
experience to run the business. Areas for focus are:
• Sales and communication skills: Developers
need sales skills to explain and communicate titles
to publishers. Publishers need sales skills to
communicate portfolios to retailers. Both need
sales skills to communicate with financial
communities
UK COMPETITIVENESS SUMMARY
• Business skills: Both retailers and publishers
interviewed were concerned about the lack of
solid business skills within publishing and
development. Both publishers and developers
need to know what to present - such as business
plans, projections, marketing plans, technical
plans, project plans etc - and how to create these.
"They (developers) can be terribly enthusiastic
about their products, but they find it hard to
explain the benefits to me according to my
priorities" [Publisher]
• Project management: There is a growing
emphasis on the importance of project
management, in both development and publishing,
as budgets and team sizes increase. Publishers
claim that very few projects are delivered on time
and to budget. Much of this is attributed to poor
project management on the part of the developer
and the publisher's producer. Both project
managers and producers are rarely given specific
training. They are often successful programmers,
designers or QA testers who are moved into
project management. Training in basic tools and
skills is therefore urgently needed - from using MS
Project, to keeping budgets, and the development
of interpersonal skills. As project budgets grow,
project managers are finding themselves
responsible for budgets of £2m or more.
Producers have been known to be responsible for
producing up to five projects at a time (although
it's more likely they will only produce two projects
simultaneously as their scale rises), can therefore
have a responsibility for total development costs
of c. £5m or more. Project management skills are
therefore essential.
In-house training
In-house training has always taken place informally
within games companies. Most companies are too
small to consider more formal training options,
although a few of the larger companies have HR staff
and are beginning to develop training plans. This is
a stark contrast with the Japanese approach, where
development companies are large and often have inhouse
training schools. However, there are higher
expectations for training in Japan, due to the longer
term (job-for-life) approach to employment. The UK
is unlikely to be able to follow this model, as staff are
much more mobile within the industry.
Competitiveness analysis of the UK games software sector Main report 29