James
@gamedev.jamesjennings.com
Creating humane and high-performance game development cultures | Building teams that deliver for players | Engineering Lead - 2XKO, Riot Games
1994 Blockbuster Video World Video Game Championship Champion (Orlando area, Sega Genesis division).
1994 Blockbuster Video World Video Game Championship Champion (Orlando area, Sega Genesis division).
These are table stakes in tech, but can transform game teams.
And yes, you might take a pay cut. But having done the move, I can say: being happy and excited about what you're building is worth more than another RSU refresh. The industry needs technical leaders who can bridge both worlds.
And yes, you might take a pay cut. But having done the move, I can say: being happy and excited about what you're building is worth more than another RSU refresh. The industry needs technical leaders who can bridge both worlds.
January 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
These are table stakes in tech, but can transform game teams.
And yes, you might take a pay cut. But having done the move, I can say: being happy and excited about what you're building is worth more than another RSU refresh. The industry needs technical leaders who can bridge both worlds.
And yes, you might take a pay cut. But having done the move, I can say: being happy and excited about what you're building is worth more than another RSU refresh. The industry needs technical leaders who can bridge both worlds.
The skills games needs most from tech:
* Strong people management (not delegated to HR/Ops)
* Cross-functional thinking (breaking down discipline silos)
* Technical excellence mindset (making games faster/cheaper)
* True product ownership (break the diffusion of responsibilities)
* Strong people management (not delegated to HR/Ops)
* Cross-functional thinking (breaking down discipline silos)
* Technical excellence mindset (making games faster/cheaper)
* True product ownership (break the diffusion of responsibilities)
January 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
The skills games needs most from tech:
* Strong people management (not delegated to HR/Ops)
* Cross-functional thinking (breaking down discipline silos)
* Technical excellence mindset (making games faster/cheaper)
* True product ownership (break the diffusion of responsibilities)
* Strong people management (not delegated to HR/Ops)
* Cross-functional thinking (breaking down discipline silos)
* Technical excellence mindset (making games faster/cheaper)
* True product ownership (break the diffusion of responsibilities)
Second insight: In tech, I spent too much time convincing myself to care about what we were building (I talked about this last week) In games, that anxiety disappeared. Even on hard days, I know we're creating experiences that bring real joy to players.
January 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Second insight: In tech, I spent too much time convincing myself to care about what we were building (I talked about this last week) In games, that anxiety disappeared. Even on hard days, I know we're creating experiences that bring real joy to players.
First surprise: tech leadership skills that feel 'basic' in Silicon Valley are often game-changers in gaming. Example: I once turned around a struggling project just by applying standard tech roadmapping practices. It became foundational to how we worked, though that kind of work is "not my job".
January 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
First surprise: tech leadership skills that feel 'basic' in Silicon Valley are often game-changers in gaming. Example: I once turned around a struggling project just by applying standard tech roadmapping practices. It became foundational to how we worked, though that kind of work is "not my job".
And yeah, that mission t-shirt is probably still in my drawer somewhere
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
And yeah, that mission t-shirt is probably still in my drawer somewhere
Tech leaders eyeing games: understand this mindset shift before making the jump. It's not just a different industry - it's a fundamentally different relationship with work.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Tech leaders eyeing games: understand this mindset shift before making the jump. It's not just a different industry - it's a fundamentally different relationship with work.
Leading in games isn't about hitting metrics or optimizing workflows. It's about creating space where passionate people can channel their creativity sustainably, all serving players.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Leading in games isn't about hitting metrics or optimizing workflows. It's about creating space where passionate people can channel their creativity sustainably, all serving players.
There's also this reality: gaming's history with corporate leadership is... complicated. Years of crunch and burnout have left scars. Your MBA playbook? Leave it at the door. You'll need a different approach.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
There's also this reality: gaming's history with corporate leadership is... complicated. Years of crunch and burnout have left scars. Your MBA playbook? Leave it at the door. You'll need a different approach.
Tech folks are masters of compartmentalization - focusing on their piece, crafting their own narrative about why it matters, playing the corporate game. Games require everyone to see and care about the bigger picture.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Tech folks are masters of compartmentalization - focusing on their piece, crafting their own narrative about why it matters, playing the corporate game. Games require everyone to see and care about the bigger picture.
Here's what changes about leadership: In tech, I spent tons of energy on alignment and buy-in. In games? That energy is already there. The challenge isn't motivation - it's channeling that passion effectively.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Here's what changes about leadership: In tech, I spent tons of energy on alignment and buy-in. In games? That energy is already there. The challenge isn't motivation - it's channeling that passion effectively.
Games? Totally different world. People aren't here for the money - hell, most could make more, or work less, elsewhere. They're here because they genuinely care about what they're making. The mission isn't on a t-shirt - it's in their DNA.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Games? Totally different world. People aren't here for the money - hell, most could make more, or work less, elsewhere. They're here because they genuinely care about what they're making. The mission isn't on a t-shirt - it's in their DNA.
In tech, I worked with brilliant people who delivered great work. But for most of them? It was a job. A good one, sure, but still a job. The annual motivational all-hands with the mission t-shirts? Pure theater.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
In tech, I worked with brilliant people who delivered great work. But for most of them? It was a job. A good one, sure, but still a job. The annual motivational all-hands with the mission t-shirts? Pure theater.
In games? The relationship people have with their work is fundamentally different, and was my second big skill gap coming in. Let’s talk about it.
January 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
In games? The relationship people have with their work is fundamentally different, and was my second big skill gap coming in. Let’s talk about it.
Whether you're a tech veteran eyeing games, or aspiring to join the industry - I'd love to hear your questions about how teams really work. What differences have you wondered about? What surprises you about game development?
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Whether you're a tech veteran eyeing games, or aspiring to join the industry - I'd love to hear your questions about how teams really work. What differences have you wondered about? What surprises you about game development?
The key insight? Success isn't about throwing away tech experience. It's about understanding when to apply it and when to create new approaches. In games, player experience trumps traditional efficiency metrics.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The key insight? Success isn't about throwing away tech experience. It's about understanding when to apply it and when to create new approaches. In games, player experience trumps traditional efficiency metrics.
Then there's pure tech teams (infrastructure, build tools). They can move fast like in tech - but even here, everything needs to support both technical excellence AND creative freedom. Their stakeholders are internal; their iteration loops look different than the rest.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Then there's pure tech teams (infrastructure, build tools). They can move fast like in tech - but even here, everything needs to support both technical excellence AND creative freedom. Their stakeholders are internal; their iteration loops look different than the rest.
Feature teams? That's another world. Some can move fast and iterate. Others, especially core game features, need longer runways. You can't always "MVP and iterate" when you need to get the feel right before players see it.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Feature teams? That's another world. Some can move fast and iterate. Others, especially core game features, need longer runways. You can't always "MVP and iterate" when you need to get the feel right before players see it.
Pipeline teams (ex: character pods) work on a waterfall with many internal iteration loops. Scrum and milestone planning isn't as useful as Gantt charts and dependency mapping. This work is big and complex, so less agility at the macro scale is appropriate. Still, iterate internally to get it right.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Pipeline teams (ex: character pods) work on a waterfall with many internal iteration loops. Scrum and milestone planning isn't as useful as Gantt charts and dependency mapping. This work is big and complex, so less agility at the macro scale is appropriate. Still, iterate internally to get it right.
First surprise: game teams aren't one homogeneous group. We're a mosaic of different teams that need different things to succeed. One-size-fits-all processes? They just don't work.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
First surprise: game teams aren't one homogeneous group. We're a mosaic of different teams that need different things to succeed. One-size-fits-all processes? They just don't work.
In tech, dev orgs are pretty homogeneous: EM/PM, bunch of engineers, maybe design, maybe a dedicated scrum master. All use some flavor of scrum; some teams might use kanban if the work is typically emergent or unpredictable, others might favor post its and daily planning if things need to move fast.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
In tech, dev orgs are pretty homogeneous: EM/PM, bunch of engineers, maybe design, maybe a dedicated scrum master. All use some flavor of scrum; some teams might use kanban if the work is typically emergent or unpredictable, others might favor post its and daily planning if things need to move fast.
We recently reorganized our teams on our project, and it drove home a crucial lesson: tech leadership in games requires a completely different playbook. This is the first in a series talking about this hidden skills gap between tech and games - team types, work streams, and how planning goes down.
January 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
We recently reorganized our teams on our project, and it drove home a crucial lesson: tech leadership in games requires a completely different playbook. This is the first in a series talking about this hidden skills gap between tech and games - team types, work streams, and how planning goes down.