Games, Lames, and Dames: Producers Be Cool

Last week, I began to reflect on my experience at FIEA. So, my original blog went out the door. For an entry more meaningful for future designers.

FIEA's Rapid Prototyping curriculum is very aggressive and fast-paced. If you blink, then you would have missed a pooh load of information. We actually gain knowledge about rapid prototyping through instruction, a plethora of resources, freedom to design anything, and a nonstop stream of prototyping opportunities. Feeling slight pressure to produce the best product, I learned sacrifice is a virtue worth developing and cultivating. My first sacrifice was sleep. I've never been to fond of sleep, so it was a simple decision to make. I'll sleep when I'm dead.

At 3:AM, I am up reading as much information as possible to strengthen my ability to obliterate production obstacles. As a producer, I need to be able to create an efficient system to design the best game possible within specified time parameters. Moreover, my first obligation is to make sure my team is completely satisfied and comfortable with the game idea. The only way to establish that comfort is to constantly ask for feedback about the idea and incorporate the ideas of the team into the game.

I've learned that open over-communication is necessary in making your team feel comfortable. I have to make sure that my programmer and artist are capable and able to deliver their pieces of the game design puzzle on time. I have to make sure that the artist understands the programmer's capabilities and the programmer understands the artist's capabilities. Then, I convince them to work in tandem on constructing the best game possible. Furthermore, I have to make sure neither the programmer nor the artist gets burned-out or broken in the game making process.

Many people think being a producer is a hack job. But, it is quite stressful when you realize that your team must be satisfied and comfortable. A producer must be concerned with the personal lives of his team because personal issues do spill into the workplace, and can adversely affect the team's morale. A producer has to create and maintain a stable working environment. In a nutshell, the producer's job overall is to make sure that the other team members do not worry about anything, except their task at hand. Any distractions or disruptions can halt momentum and destroy morale. Once morale is lost, then the battle to complete a game is uphill.

On our last rapid prototyping assignment, I watched some teams lose momentum and their morale plummet into chaos and desperation. Many of us, noob producers, are stuck in our ideas and never get around to actually designing the game until it is too late. A producer needs to be ten steps ahead of her or his team in order to be victorious in their game design. The worst situations snowball when a team loses momentum due to a producers inability to solve a problem in a timely manner. All producers should learn how to foresee any and all possible problems. In reality, I know it is impossible to foresee all possible problems that rise up in rapid prototyping, but a producer should be prepared for any problem- personal or professional. This ability to problem manage is called "cool." I've seen producers lose their "cool" with their team. It isn't a pretty sight. The team usually loses respect for him or her, thus causing the game to suffer. Believe me, that loss of confidence and loss of trust shows in the final product.

Note to all producers: Producers maintain your cool. It is not the job of the programmers and artists to worry about the overall design. That worry falls on you. I watched as producers get so caught up in their own tasks that they did not answer their team members' problems. Programmers and artists do not appreciate a self-absorbed producer. Your programmers and artists' gaming issues always outweigh your own, unless your issues have a negative effect on their work. A producer needs to show his team how much he cares about them before he or she unleashes unreasonable demands on them. Your teams efforts must be appreciated and respected. Producers are the coach and the cheerleaders for their teams. If you subscribe to keeping high morale and maintaining your cool, you will produce a good product.

As I step off my soapbox and face the calm before the storm, I wish all aspiring producers the best of luck in their productions endeavors. Remember, don't get hung up on your production hardships, we all feel your pain. Be cool and overcome.

Games, Dames, and Lames: Games and Dames

I know this blog is somewhat tardy. But, it is better late than never. I've been celebrating the completion of my first video game. Yes, I broke my video game production hymen, and look forward to continue to supply the world with great interactive entertainment. The first round opened us up to a world filled with interactivity. Some developers really pulled through on their creations. "I Herd Ya," an awesome game, felt like a great classic arcade game with smooth animation. It would be the equivalent of watching Billy Dee Williams sponsor Cristal. "Air Assault" left droppings on everyone's head with its cartoony animation and feel. Now, we are back to the grind for some round deux action. With the bar slightly raised, all the artists, programmers, and producers are diligently focused on making emergent games better than the next team and the previous cohort. You could hear a pin drop in FIEA's work zones due to all the intense silence and concentration. Occasionally, we hear an outburst of uncontrollable laughter and the whispers from team huddles. It is like every team is down by four points, 4^th and goal with nine seconds left on the clock and no time outs. Everyone is working hard to succeed, especially the programmers. I do not envy their job. The programmers are here when I leave at the end of the day. They are here when I arrive in the morning. I leave pretty late, and arrive fairly early to school every day. So, I can only imagine their hours! They take the vision of us whacked out producers and make it a reality. Even the artists have the blues when they translate the producer's dreams into reality. It is funny watching things go crazy in the teams. Things go crazy when you mix an overzealous producer with no guidance skills with an overworked programmer and an anal retentive artist. Thank the heavens that I have great team players that don't suffer from these ills. Matter of fact, my development teams has been completely solid in communication, interpretation, and execution. Enough about "my" teams, you are reading this to find out the inside scoop on FIEA and the industry as a whole.

Well, in this edition of Games, Lames, and Dames, I really don't have much to report on. Yeah, I remember I am supposed to talk about dames this time around. The only good news on that is my apartment complex is filled with professional dancers. No, not the kind that stare into mirrors and slide down gold poles, but the kind that stares into mirrors and dance on their toes. Yes, it is filled with a Ballet Troupe. I discovered this at a pool party at my apartment complex last weekend. Now, nothing is better than Italian Ice mixed with tequila, rum, and vodka, two kegs of beer, free food, and a good reggae band. Yes, the Park Place is a sweet place to live. As I was talking with one of the ballet dancers (we shall call her "Ms. Ballerina"). Our conversation started with cordial introductions, then it slipped into the "what do you do" realm. I said, "Grad student." Then, Ms. Ballerina asked the only follow-up question possible. "What are you studying?" in a very interested and amused voice. With my chest poked out, I replied, "Video Game Production." She grinned and said, "I love video games. I own a Nintendo DS." What I have gathered from careful and thorough observation (past and present) is that more and more young ladies are appreciating the Dark Arts of Video Gaming. Not only that, gaming girls are hot! Yes, I said it. They are smoking hot. I know many young ladies that enjoy playing with my Wii. You know the Nintendo Wii. They own a DS, PS2, or Xbox 360. They play Halo, Madden, and Katamari Damacy. They play games like Okami and Grand Theft Auto. What makes them even hotter is that they talk junk as they beat you down in your favorite game. Let me pause for the cause--- I like to give a shout out to Aktrez and the Girls Gaming Network for gathering hot girls that love games just as much as I do! If you are a girl that loves video games, then join this network of like-minded beauties: http://www.myspace.com/girlgamingnetwork. Furthermore, girls that are into gaming are very approachable and usually have a higher IQ than Einstein. So, the conversations seem to be exciting, educational, entertaining, and endless. They are not the awkward girls portrayed in the movies. They are more like Rachael Leigh Cook, Meagan Good, and Jessica Alba than Calista Flockhart. Fellas stop being lames, get up off your tails and go find you a gaming dame. There goes my plug about dames.

Well, I'm off to make another flash game. Until next week, you will have to nibble on this until I write another tidbit of gaming knowledge.

Honesty, the lost art

As I write this to the rain falling on the moonlit fountain outside from my balcony, I wonder where did honesty go. It seems honesty has become a lost art in our greater culture. I watch as all the major institutions lie about the smallest and most minute issues. From the government to religion to education to community to family, I listen to the lies spewed from those that care the most about us.

I hear preachers lie to their congregation on how to receive salvation. I listen to politicians lie to us about equality, freedom, and our other so-called rights. I also listen to teachers lie to their pupils about their abilities to learn. I listen to our community lie to us about our history, heritage, and our purpose within. Finally, I listen to family lie to me about their devotion to my success.

It pains me to wonder how enlightened we all could be if it weren't for the lies that trap us from something greater. It hurts even more to know that the liar is the bearer of the truth. In order to tell a lie, you have to know the truth. Imagine a place when honesty was not a commitment, but a commandment handed down from the gods and goddesses. Life would be different. We would be sterner people. We would be more earnest. We would not have to preoccupy ourselves with deciphering fact from fiction. I'm not saying ban all fiction. Fiction allows us an escape from reality. It allows us to experience things beyond our scope. Heck, I've involved my self in four industries that monopolize on fiction-- music, television, film, and video games. These four industries have groomed me into the cordial and charming person that I am today. Working in these four industries, I have made it a principle to remain honest and fair. Not only that, I've made it a point to never hold my tongue. Honesty, lack of tongue control, and wearing my feelings on my shoulder are not a good combination. Because in a room full of liars, you are the target for their misdirection. Their goal is to make your life miserable because you are not like them.

However, if you have mastered the art of honesty. Lies will not bother you. You will develop a sense of deductive reasoning to uncover the lies buried in the souls of people's words. It is amazing what honesty can do. I wish our society would seize honesty and channel it in all facets of life.

Well, I'm going to stop rambling about honesty. Because even an honest man has room for improvement. I will be honest and promise you the reader another blog with more insightful information about my life or the lives that touch me.

Games, Lames, and Dames: Week 2

Okay. I'm here with my week in review. I could bore you with some flubber about how cool it is to be learning to design video games. But, you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't already know that! For reals, I'm here to spill my heart about my adventures in video game stardom. Yeah, I know you think I'm just playing Madden '08. Beating dumb freshmen and taking their financial aid refund checks. I wouldn't do anything like that?!?! Actually, I'm caught in an orgy of Rapid Prototyping the best damn Flash shooter game and making a sexy alien octopus while mind mapping a schizophrenic graffiti artist with an appetite for the ladies and government conspiracies. Yes, FIEA is the "pooh" like Winnie (I'm keeping it "E" for everyone and quite lame). It has only been two weeks, and we are in the thick of game design. Like any other code monkey operation, I've grown fond of my fellow FIEAns in all their uniqueness. Surviving in FIEA is like a sandbox video game. While not GTA, the profs are industry professionals that deliver some of the most difficult missions ever conceived. They are the Big Bosses that can crush your ego with one blow. So far, their industry antidotes are funny and insightful. I hope they keep the good stories flowing.

I can see FIEA producing monster video game developers to enter the real world. And, I can actually envision my cohort transforming into Mad Max meets Police Academy. I hope to experience a lot of both visions for your entertainment purposes. So, I have my game face on and ready to tackle all the obstacles in class and on computers and consoles. I will be shooting the "pooh" and reporting from the video game development frontlines like an opinionated schmuck with a blog. Oh, I am an opinionated schmuck. I won't bore you with the lore of why my life is better than yours, so I'll go back to playing Metroid Prime 3: Corruption while you wallow in your lame existence. So, I talked about the games and the lames. What am I missing, hmmm…. Oh, the dames! Maybe, I'll talk about the dames next week. Are you ready for the madness? Until next time, I wish you Love, Peace and Soul.....

Disclaimer: Fictional names are used to replace the real names, places and things of the crazy events revealed in front of your virgin eyes.

Games, Lames, and Dames: Week 1 in the Can.

Peace Good People,

I guess you all know by now that I moved from Los Angeles to Orlando, Florida (Home to Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and other random theme parks). If you did not get the memo titled, "Charles Babb Moves Again!" What a shocking development (said in my most sarcastic tone). Yes, people, I'm in Orlando pursuing my Masters of Science degree in Interactive Digital Media with a Production concentration. In layman terms, I'm becoming a Video Game Producer.

Many of you are wondering why I'm placing my pursuit of movie and film production on haitus for the crazy world of video games. My most rooted reason isI've always played video games since my older brother bought a tape recorder for his Commodore Vic 20. I've loved games not only on Atari, but loved them on Tandy, Commodore 64, Coleco Vision, Sega Master System, Commodore Amiga, and Apple. Recently, I've been thinking...

Drumroll... I have a passion for video gaming and I definitely have a passion for producing entertainment, so it only makes sense to combine my two passions? Finally, the most intelligent reason, the video game industry made $12.5 billion last year ('06) [reference: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164101.html]. Now, that is a third more peanuts than the movie industry. All I want is a few hundred million. Yes, I said it, I want to make a FEW hundred million.

No, it isn't impossible. Matter of fact it is quite possible. And, if you can't fathom making a hundred million dollars, then you will never make it. Better said, you don't deserve to make a hundred million dollars if you can't imagine making it. As a dream merchant, I'm in the business of selling dreams, thus making my profit earning is limitless. So, if you dream big, plan bigger, and execute the biggest, then you will reap your reward. In a capitalistic society, that reward is capital, which transforms into riches and matures into wealth. And, knowing that having an endless amount of capital in a capitalistic world will pave a path to happiness or madness, I'm willing to take my chances on becoming happy or going mad. My happiness would make everyone envious. My madness... Hell, I've already gone mad, so it doesn't matter. Okay. Okay. I'm done rambling about my move and my ambition to make a few hundred million dollars...

Now, I have a new description added to my moniker. I'm a FIEAn. I'm here to school you ladies, gentlemen, suckas, and swagger jackers on what a "FIEAn" is in this wondrous world of love. It is a master's student at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy at University of Central Florida.

I'm working day and night on making the entertaimnet industry a little more interactive. No, you pervs. I'm not trying to make interactive pornography. You know who you are. So, don't ask me to make DVD players with insertion holes. I will be delivering games like Okami, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, GTA, World of WarCraft, and any other AAA title on the video game market.

Classes are quite humbling. For once in my life, I'm not the know-it-all. I have to learn programming and art. Catch-up is an understatement. I'm marathoning to get on the same level as my fellow classmates that are artists and programmers. I want them confident in my knowledge of their positions. I want to be able to assist and coexist in their worlds while holding down my production duties.

Actually, I want to be the Trifecta in video game designer. Now, chew on that and doubt my abilities. In five years, you'll see me on the cover of BE, Time, and the Robb Report. Grind your teeth when I jump up and down on Opera's sofa or lay the smackdown on Bill O'Reilly. I've met many people that have succeded in their dreams, and I've met some that are on their way. Shout out to those striving for their dreams- I hope all of you continue to succeed in your own endeavors. For the doubters... Yeah, the doubters... As my undreamable dreams may give you reason to doubt me. Your reasonable doubt is my motivation.

Just Blaze get at me. I need a soundtrack in 2009 for my game!

Orlando Bound

Okay. Okay. I know I said Los Angeles would be my last move. But, my Gemini nature keeps chipping at my soul. Like all other Air signs, I have to move and saunter through time and space. Life is good to me, so I know it will get better. My life is like wine. The longer I maintain and take care of it, the better it taste. Even though, there are some individuals that wish for me to pour a bitter draft. I will continue to strive and elevate my existence in this world. Besides, there are no rules! There is no guide book! I can only make the right decision.

For you all that don't know, I have decided to leave this Hollywood lifestyle alone for a year and head back into grad school. Yes, another degree and another learning experience. This time, I'm chasing a lifelong dream. After producing Street Fury DVD for over two years, the only logical step for me was to chase after the dream of video game producer. I'm the guy that writes poetry, treatments, stories, and screenplays easier than a starving person diving into a feast. Even in the midst of writing two screenplays, I have taken the time to start a video game storyline. Back to the main story...

SO, I'm off to Orlando. Heading back to the south. Man, I missed the south. Who would have thought leaving the south to go overseas- visiting more than seven countries and moving to paradise would have made me long for my youthful stomping grounds. New beginnings are always good with Charles Babb. I seem the most creative in the hatching process. My energy is high and the environment hasn't taken its toll on me. My cycle in a single location is still two years. Well, Florida will be no different. Because the Masters degree in video game design will place me one step closer to fulfilling the childhood dream. After I get that paper, I must become very resourceful and utilize all my mojo to make my millions in a billion dollar industry. Believe me, I've been planning a lifetime for this.

Cheers,

My Wife and Child

Recently, people have been asking me about my marriage status and my child bearing record. I guess that is a common question to ask someone my age. Here is the sweet and simple skinny concerning these two questions. I am currently married to Life. See, Life has never been a bitch to me. Life has been quite wonderful and amazing. Life and I are having a great relationship. Sure, our relationship has its ups and downs. However, the ups trump the downs by ten-fold. Like all respectful relationships, it comes with dedication, diligence, and dexterity.

Life wants your undivided attention. Well, I learned Life necessarily doesn't want your undivided attention. She wants you to recognize your devotion and dedication to her should be authentic, seen, and felt in everything you do. I realize that life appreciates it when I dedicate all my other activities (necessary and extracurricular activities) to her. She overstands that I have to devote time and energy to other things besides her to improve her living conditions. In return, Life supports me through these endeavors. She patiently grants me time to elevate in these activities. I know it is hard to believe someone as narcissist as Life would be so kind. Especially, since everyone's favorite rapper's favorite rappers continually disrespects her by not devoting or dedicating time to her. They get angered by the fact she doesn't give them 100% of herself. They call her names; they write verses about her. They even write complete songs about how hard she has been on them. In reality, she is giving them what they deserve. Life is fair in rewarding people for their earnest efforts. She honors those that plan well with her, and are not afraid to execute those plans. If you act ordinary toward her, she will treat you in an ordinary way. If you are extraordinary toward her, then your existence with Life will be extraordinary. I am not one that settles with being ordinary. I surround myself with overachievers, with exuberance, and with extraordinary situtations. People bug out because I know a plethora of entertainers, politicians, trend setters, and business leaders. They are people that respect Life and offer her an extraordinary relationship, and she returns that to them. Furthermore, she is giving them the same effort that they are giving her.

Speaking of effort, you have to be diligent with pleasing Life. She has the tendency of not working for you if you don't seem to be working for her. The only way to guarantee she is working for you is to be diligent in your work with her. Even when it seems she isn't working for you, she is working damn hard in giving you her best parts. So, be patient! She is definitely patient with you. I make it a point to remain industrious in my endeavors. I diligently work to make her happy and dedicate all that I do to her.

Even when she doesn't make me happy, I remain dexterous, and adapt to what she does give me. One virtue that all overachievers learn is dexterity. Dexterity allows people to accept criticism and failure. It allows them to see the success in their failures. I have learned to be nimble with Life. Life is the champion ballroom dancer and I'm the novice pupil on his first day. I know if I prove to her that I can handle the criticism; I'm willing to learn; I'm willing to adapt and overcome, then she is willing to reward me for my efforts as the perfect partner.

Life has rewarded me with many children. Recently, Life gave birth to Underground Live. Underground Live is the embodiment of all my loves in Hip-Hop culture. Actually, Underground Live is my mirrored reflection of all I love about creative culture. It is the trend setters, it is the pioneers cursed with creative stigmata, the ambition to sacrifice it all in order to constantly push the envelope with or without the proper recognition. It is honesty covered in art. It is a piece of me and Life wrapped in goodness.

Does that effectively answer the questions of my marriage and childbearing? God has not blessed me with neither in the human form. One day, I hope to reap those rewards. Moreover, I hope Life, my current wife and our children will overstand when I take on matrimony in the human form. I also hope that both my wives will dance and fellowship together. Matter of fact, I hope my human wife will be the embodiment of my precious Life.