These articles are the real meat ‘n’ potatoes posts. Step-by-step guides for some of the trickier aspects of game dev that have nothing to do with actual development. In these post I focus less on theory and more on actionable tools. These guide are all written so that you can try them today. If any of these posts speak to a pain point you are currently experiencing, please read on!

The Game Dev Guides:

Tools for Stress and Anxiety Management

Game dev is STRESSFUL enough by itself. Add in all the other complexities of life and you have a porridge of pain! So, in this post, I offer some of my favorite stress-managment tools you can try today.

Negotiations, Part 1: Terminology (Hosted by IndieWatch.net)

This post introduces the fundamentals of negotiations. I dispel some myths about what makes a good negotiator and cover the four typical reasons a negotiation fails. I then move through the differences between distributive and integrative negotiations and terms of art like BATNA, reservation price, and negative bargaining zone.

Negotiations, Part 2: The Walkthrough (Hosted by IndieWatch.net)

Part 2 takes the concepts of Part 1 and provides a script for actually conducting a negotiation. How to prepare, how to kick-off the negotiation, how to handle offers and counter-offers, and what not to do.

Crisis Management (Hosted by Gamasutra.com)

If you work in a public-facing business, crisis is not a question of if, but when. “Crisis” doesn’t just refer to large scale events like natural disasters or terrorist attacks. Crises can be far more micro. Mandating longer hours to hit a date can be a crisis. Backlash from fans after releasing a game can be a crisis. Knowing what to do in advance will make you better prepared to respond. And it will also help you turn a lemon into some very potent lemonade.