Category: News

Not too long ago, it was common wisdom in some game-making circles that the strongest known correlation between player retention and game design is whether the game provides Autonomy (player choice) Competence (players feel capable) and Relatedness (players receive recognition).

At GDC 2012, Naughty Dog’s Kaitlyn Burnell took to the stage to question that wisdom and asks: when game designers learn to follow such rules, when is it right to break them?

She went on to explore games that break autonomy, competence and relatedness in powerful ways, from Valve’s Portal to Brenda Romero’s Mechanic is the Message board games, and analyze the value these games gain by breaking rules. These examples were then distilled into a design technique that lives at the intersection of ludology (game mechanics) and narrative, along with analysis of when to use and when not to use such techniques.

It was a great watch, so if you missed it back then don’t miss out on your opportunity to now watch Burnell’s talk for free over on the GDC YouTube channel! 

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent company Informa

The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Costa Mesa, California

As Product Marketing Manager you will be responsible for the inbound and outbound marketing activities for our published games. Your master craftsmanship of messaging and positioning will drive innovative campaigns and business plans that grow these new games as a service and their brands. Your leadership and communication skills will allow you to seamlessly work with dev teams miles (and sometimes countries) away, creating developer driven marketing collateral that amplify their creations and delight their players.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with the Director of Marketing to conceive, plan and execute marketing campaigns that establish strong and unique brands for our published games
• Collaborate with external development teams to properly reflect their vision of their games in its marketing; learn these products inside-out technically and gameplay-wise to maximize promotional opportunities
• Oversee the day-to-day project management and execution of marketing initiatives, tracking team tasks, resources, deliverables and deadlines
• Manage, train, mentor a team of talented marketing coordinators to work with development, multimedia, PR, web development, and agencies to create marketing collateral that delights and engages each game’s unique audience
• Develop, implement and manage marketing strategies that focus on user acquisition and retention; work closing with each developer’s internal Community Management team to ensure accuracy and alignment of marketing materials with the current state of the game
• Assist with creative production of advertising and branding to develop communication and brand consistency across all user touch points; assist with copywriting/editing/positioning
• Ensure marketing assets, web content, and community materials meet the caliber of brand expectations and strategic brand goals and are delivered on-time
• Gather market data to measure effectiveness of marketing activities and report marketing progress and ROI to other departments/teams
• Monitor key trends in the industry space and provide analysis as needed, i.e. analyze consumer research and business data to intelligently guide strategies and marketing investment
• Estimate marketing budgets and accurately track, manage and report on costs
• Work closely with 1st and 3rd party partners to encourage and maximize cooperative promotional opportunities

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 2-4 years’ experience in a comparable Product Management role (marketing management, brand management or product management) in the games industry; 1-2 years in the Free-to-Play market required
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing or related field required, MBA preferred
• Beyond compare organization and project management skills. Must have the ability to work on numerous tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced deadline-driven environment
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• Proven leadership skills of a marketing team of 3 or more staff
• Strong understanding of marketing, promotions and pricing strategies, analysis and trends, product positioning, creative and media strategies, PR and promotional activity, all in the online realm
• Quantitative, analytical and problem solving skills. Must be very comfortable with data analysis
• Ability to leverage metrics and stats to make well-informed decisions, and reinforce marketing instincts with meticulous analysis and research;  ability to use  data to build business cases with a focus on ROI
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

Michael Gallagher is leaving his post as the CEO and president of the Entertainment Software Association after over a decade with the organization.

The ESA itself is a trade body that counts many of the major players in the United States game industry among its members, and host of the yearly E3 industry conference.

Gallagher has served as the CEO and president of the ESA for 11 years and will officially vacate the post at the end of October. Following that, current ESA senior vice president Stanley Pierre-Louis will serve as interim CEO while the organization begins its search for Gallagher’s official replacement. 

“Under Mike’s leadership, ESA has developed a strong reputation with policymakers for vigorously defending the industry during watershed moments, including the industry’s victory on First Amendment principles before the U.S. Supreme Court,” said ZeniMax CEO and ESA board of directors chairman Robert Altman in a press release. ”Mike was also instrumental in revitalizing E3 into the most prominent and important industry show produced today. We want to thank Mike for his many contributions and wish him well as he pursues new opportunities.”

Gallagher, whose prior roles include chief technology advisor for former US President George W. Bush and assistant secretary for commerce and information in the US Department of Commerce, has not publicly commented on what he has planned following his departure from the ESA.