The Expert- The Madness Of Corporate Interaction

Following 5 years in the game industry at some notable companies, I chose to go indie this year. Partially thanks to the fact that over the years AwesomeRobo and getting the chance to talk to small devs allowed me to realize just how uninhibited they are creatively, able to act on their own ideas (What a novel concept) without the need for committee input, pointless meetings and the opinions of people who honestly had no clue what they were talking about.

That's the thing about this rather young game industry, it's still in an awkward phase in which business folk are trying to incorporate corporate thinking into a highly creative field, and the results are more miss than hit (Companies like Valve avoided this altogether with a flat structure). While as gamers, we'd all like to think that companies are simply trying to put out an awesome looking, fun game you have to realize that there is a subset of dark figures lurking at these companies. People who scoff at playing videogames, insist on playing it safe at every turn to save money and suck up to their corporate overlords while contributing nothing of value. Completely out of touch.

My eyes smile, but my soul screams.

The Expert perfectly sums up some of the experiences I had as a concept artist at a few of the larger companies, although this scenario probably applies to any corporate environment (Insert your field here). When you're asked to do the impossible and offer an opinion, there always seems to be someone who questions your ability to do your job if you don't blindly comply. And if anything this is the type of system that has been allowing the indie scene to flourish, while most AAA devs have been stumbling to muster up the courage to tackle new IP's over infinite sequels.

In retrospect, choosing to leave the world of red lines is one of the best things I've ever done. However, I do not regret having these mind numbing experiences to put me on the current path we're on.