GAME
PRODUCTION

We’ll kick off with a review of current Game Production. You’ll go past the hype to look at how the role has evolved, review soft and hard skills and understand what they mean when mapped against Producer job descriptions.

• Game production tracks
• Differences between the Game Producer role at different companies

Assignment #1: What kind of producer are you?

Production isn’t a one-player game. In this lesson, we’ll learn the architecture of a development team. Then we’ll map out what goes into creating a game proposal that studios can’t wait to develop.

• Team composition
• Understand touch-points at each stage of development
• Working with a development team

Assignment #2: Create team plan for a game proposal

Mapping your course well is an essential part of the game producer’s role. In this lesson, we’ll investigate how to build a roadmap to hit your release date.

• What is a project roadmap
• Gathering project requirements
• Assessing needs and timelines

Will your game idea be a hit? A lot of that depends on how well you keep it on track. In this lesson, we’ll talk about what should go into your budget, how to manage adaptive challenges and schedule requirements, and when to iterate.

• Budget and the cost of game development
• Developing against a roadmap in a Scrum environment
• Balancing iteration against schedule and budget

Assignment #3: Build a project roadmap for your game

This week, we’ll get up close and personal with Agile and Scrum development. In the first lesson of the week, we’ll set the stage and map out the core elements of Agile game development.

• Understanding the essence of Agile development
• Scrum distilled
• Why Agile and Scrum were adopted for game development

Today, we’ll uncover real-world secrets of Agile and Scrum usage, and understand what’s useful and what isn’t in current game development.

• Scrum in real-world development
• What is Scrum-but?
• The game producer and real-world Scrum implementation

Assignment #4: Build out backlog items for your project

Gaming is a business and, like any other, it comes with risk. Today, we’ll learn about the common risks and red flags to look out for in your planning and get a pragmatic framework for identifying them.

• Understanding the most common areas of risk
• Understanding the Cone of Uncertainty
• Requirements gathering

When curve balls hit your project, how can you pivot a team to stay on track? In this lesson, we’ll learn how to assess and mitigate risk throughout a project.

• Risk assessment
• What is mitigation planning?

Assignment #5: Secret assignment

Throughout your project you’ll need to consume and translate data from multiple sources to keep your project on track - enter Data and Reporting! In this lesson, you’ll learn how to consume data and translate that into actionable next steps. We’ll also learn about setting KPIs, knowing when to pivot, and how to relay your findings to the top decision makers.

• Digesting information and understanding the state of the game
• Reporting Project Status
• Understanding the need for KPIs

A producer is only as good as their last game, and a successful (or not) game release leaves an impression that lasts. In our last lesson, we’ll talk about finishing. You’ll learn how to work with QA and external groups, and how to do this as sustainably as possible. We’ll talk about the real reasons that lead to “crunch” and burn out and how to avoid these where possible. Then, you’ll assemble your own release and promotion plan, and get Andy’s direct feedback after the course finish.

• Working with QA and the importance of bug triage
• Managing communication channels
• Working with external teams to launch your game
• Crunch and burn-out

Assignment #6: Create materials for your project release and a post release plan