How do you define your role when you are essentially a one-person games development studio?
I tend to use “designer” generally, but that doesn’t really cover it. Technically, I’m a one-person company that hires a bunch of freelancers, but it’s not really like that either. It’s about working with the right collaborators and pulling a bunch of people around a project. So it’s more like project management. But then I still design game mechanics, I still do lots of coding, I still write the scripts, and do lots of things. It really doesn’t come under a single banner, so I use designer, because nobody really knows what that is anyway. But crucially, I’m very careful not to present myself as a one-man developer, because that’s not it.
In an era where there is game making software to make a game alone, why is collaboration important?
I can do a fair bit alone, but historically [hiring collaborators] was a financial concern. For Thomas Was Alone I couldn’t afford much help. I always use the analogy of a digital camera. You can get a decent digital camera, but if you want to make a great film you might need all these people who excel in their specific tasks.
And that’s how you approached Volume?
Yes. With Volume it was just about finding people for each specific job. My rule is that if I can find someone better than me at something, and I have the resources to pay for them to be involved, I’ll always do that because it’s not about fulfilling my own ego. It’s about making the coolest game I can.
How varied is your role?
It does vary. What have I done today, other than wake up? I’ve reviewed user-generated content so I can get it updated, I’ve done some reviewing and planning for advertising, I’ve tested a build for our next patch update, I’ve had several meetings with people who run the business side of things, I’ve done some writing. It’s lots of different things, from stuff that needs to go into my game, to a lot of meetings, talking and collaborating. It’s all the stuff of running a business, being a designer and a project manager.
What’s the thrill, technically at least, of a single-person outfit?
It’s owning it. My project is my baby and ultimately, for better or worse, everything I make is going to have my name on it. That makes me the lightning rod for it all, and the highs and lows of that are very addictive. And freedom and control of my own destiny. I love being able to decide what happens next.
