Krystal Cooper’s Post

I think I've finally gotten back to everyone who reached out to me regarding the small Producer position for MicroRaptor Games. I have a few words to say, and a lot of our industry ain't gonna like it. I expected about 5 people to send messages, 10 at most. I received about 50. Sadly, I had to choose just 1. WHAT THE HELL did you money-grubbing assholes do to our industry to force this many people out of work? There was SO MUCH passion dripping from many of the messages I received. Genuine, legitimate, honest passion from people who just want to realize their dreams and support their loved ones. I understand the business, but I also know how to read financial statements and executive salaries. I'm not stupid, and neither are the people that reached out to me. Grow a pair of balls and start treating these creative individuals AS individuals, NOT metrics. To the people that reached out to me for this position; all of you: You are not invisible! Your journeys are important! DON'T YOU DARE give up! Stay positive, and know that this industry is changing for the better, but slowly. Don't settle for anything less than what you deserve, and pursue working with companies that are built on virtuous values AND who actually display them on a day-to-day basis with both their employees and the players. Keep growing your skills, and just know that I'll do everything in my power to get funded and make sure I can join the charge in pushing for a value-driven company built BY gamers FOR gamers. I love you all, and don't hesitate to reach out if you just need to talk! ❤️ #gamedev #gamedevelopment #gameindustry #gaming

Be friendly and network Networking without an ego is crucial. When I finally got that first job, I felt on top of the world at conferences. I was no longer someone to be ignored. No, I was now a peer to these people. But reality hit—nobody knew my small indie studio, nor did they know me. I felt like a student being ignored again. I wish I had remembered this feeling because later, I became the one overlooking indies for a short time, thinking big studios had all the answers. Big mistake! Innovation thrives in the indie scene. That spark is where the real magic happens. Lesson learned: every corner of the industry has valuable insights. Stay humble, embrace the underdogs, and you'll discover hidden gems Join me again tomorrow as I continue to discuss my career in indie games and post more about my candid exploration of failures, lessons learned, and the unparalleled perspective gained from navigating three diverse sectors of the game industry. #GameIndustry #GameDev #GameDevelopment #GameInsights #CareerJourney

🚫How NOT to pitch your games service biz 👇 "Hi Dan, I'm X from Y, we specialise in innovative gaming solutions" No CTO, outsourcing manager, business leader or other person in a buying position reached a point in their day and thought: 🤔"Damn, we really need some innovative gaming solutions! Who we gonna call?" When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one. Things they may actually have thought: 🤔 "We're really short on Unreal programmers, we could do with some additional capacity" 🤔 "Our young art team are talented but a bit green, we need some proven expertise to help us improve consistency and quality" 🤔 "Our build pipeline isn't very refined, we need someone with demonstrable experience to bring us up to speed" 🤔 "We're at capacity but need to get this new multiplayer, physics shooter prototype pitch-ready, how can we get this done?" etc... So get specific with what you really, truly kick ass at and double down on that in your outreach. This can also fuel your marketing strategy. When you are SO good at your thing and talk about it loudly and proudly, you generate appeal. That leads to INBOUND enquiries and you don't need to rely on generic, bland cold messaging on LinkedIn. (P.S. No shade thrown, I learned this the hard way. Definitely sent my fair share of generic, bland messages in the past 😅) #Bizdev #GamesIndustry

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Even when it’s all the same, Ask questions! I've now seen games developed the indie way. I've seen games developed the serious games way. And now I'm witnessing how games are developed the AAA way. Ya, now what? They all do it the same way. The only difference is the specific company's flavor or spin on Agile/Waterfall. That flavor or spin though is essential to knowing how each piece fits in the puzzle. Especially when the team you’re managing can be up to 70 people. So I've embraced being the dumb one in meetings now. Let me say it was/is scary to be this person. Especially when you are in a room of directors/seniors and just general industry vets. But it's necessary. So if I don't do it in the group call, I follow up later with the individual. In the end, I will always be there to ask the question that no one wants to. I will always be there to get clarification. I will always be there to help open up the conversation. Lesson learned: Remote work, and game development in general, requires a lot of effort with consistent, clear communication. So clarification is key. Join me again tomorrow as I continue to discuss my career in AAA games and post more about my candid exploration of failures, lessons learned, and the unparalleled perspective gained from navigating three diverse sectors of the game industry. #GameIndustry #GameDev #GameDevelopment #GameInsights #CareerJourney

𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆. A new slot is released and the post says: 'With our exciting new Mega Feature!' 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱... Let me suggest alternatives to making your post more viral. You release a video that says: "We showed 10 players the New Mega Turbo Feature, and this is what they said!" - And you just interview them in their excitement. Or you video them play and just be super excited (authentically, because your feature is good) by it. And of course it's edited in a cool way. That would show that you care. That would show that you delivered what you promised to the players. That would increase curiosity. And watching people's reactions would work better than showing a visual of the feature or saying a bland line about it, right? 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. But if you show players you care, you'll just get more organic exposure, more excitement, and therefore the games will do better. This is the thing I've been talking about here for the last few weeks and I think very few people understand or believe me: 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗹. 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗅 #marketingtips #casinogames #casinogaming #PlayerEngagement #CustomerCare

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 For the past 2.5 years, my brother and I have been hard at work on our very first video game, and we’re thrilled to announce that the demo for the pre-alpha of The Executive is now available on Steam! 🎮 The Executive is a tycoon game that lets you relive the history of the Hollywood movie industry from the 70s to today. Imagine Game Dev Tycoon set in Hollywood! As the founder of a new production company, you can create the movies you've always dreamed of, hire a top-notch team, research new technologies, and grow your annual Box Office to become a Major Studio. 🎬 We’ve poured a lot of passion and effort into this project, and now it's time for you to experience it firsthand. Here’s how you can support us: 1. Wishlist the Game: Adding The Executive to your wishlist on Steam is a huge help. It boosts the game's visibility and ensures you get notified when the full game is released. https://lnkd.in/eWPtnaxt 2. Try the Demo and Give Feedback: Download and play the demo on Steam. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on our Discord! https://lnkd.in/ePjuMcpd 3. Spread the Word: Share the game with your friends, family, and on social media. Every bit of support counts and helps create a buzz around the game. For my non-gamer friends, a trailer is available here: https://lnkd.in/evCkPChF Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help with anything. Your support means the world to us, and I can't wait for you to dive into the world of The Executive. A huge thanks to everyone involved in one way or another on this project: Geoffroy F., François-Régis MECHKAK, Mike Bridge, Pascal LAMARQUE, Bob Hands, Carla Graffeo, Thomas Berneau, Nicolas Godement, Luc Heninger, Johann Verbroucht, Guillaume Michaud, Amaury Bautier, Alexis Daumain, Goblinz Studio, Capital Games, Région Ile de France... and to everyone who supported us on this journey! #IndieGameDev #GameDev #TycoonGame #TheExecutive #SteamRelease #GamingCommunity #AnikiGames

1. Comment "spam". 2. Repost this post (without any text). 3. Send me a message so I can send you the link. What a crock. Creators gaming their engagement by using crappy techniques like this whenever they post anything really irritates me. Just provide the link in your post and stop wasting everyone's time and energy. When people do things like this, it's clear they are more interested in promoting themselves than providing any real value. They just want all those comments so that their post gets seen by more eyeballs. The worst part of it — I'm seeing more and more people doing this. Do you find this sort of behaviour maddening, or have you already become resigned to it?

I know there have been (random number between 0 and 1) of you holding your breath for part 3 of my indeterminate length series where I discuss what I am calling the Four Horsemen of the video game industry. Why bother? Because I am on the cusp of deciding if I should stick it out with games or leave my tribe, those people who best understand me, for greener pastures. I am also writing this between customizing resumes and cover letters while looking for work myself, so if I should find myself gainfully employed, I may have to spoil the ending early. That's also a hint. You can shut me up by hiring me. I'm not sayin', just sayin' 😁 This is where I give a shout-out to the amazing community Amir Satvat and his co-conspirators maintain and grow who have been helping me reach that golden chalice of a steady paycheck for a few months now (link in first comment!). Each of these Horsemen are perceived as some of the biggest cons when it comes to the video game industry. Considering I've seen some worst of what they have to offer, I wanted to examine them in the context of the industry's history. Then, depending on the amount of change, I can make sure they are properly weighed as part of my decision. Today we tackle Horseman #2: The Horseman of Endurance On a beige horse comes the second rider: Exhaustion. See, gaming once used to hang it’s cred on the “crunch” culture. It was so cool and so great to work in the industry, people would sleep under their desks to get their work done. For the first 25 years or so of commercial game development, the game industry hadn’t quite figured out the whole scheduling thing. Teams always bit off more than they could chew and had no concept of how to estimate work. In their defense, they were often creating revolutionary things, unlike today where there’s more evolution than revolution. Then people got families and started realizing how much damage was being done. The industry defined by mavericks and flying by the seat of your pants suddenly started finding some new words. Thanks goes to Daniel Erickson who gave me something to chew over in my mind when it comes to helping the entire team de-stress. Without further a-do: part 3: The Horseman of Endurance.

Quick quiz: What #entertainment #industry generates about $185 billion worldwide per year; creates jobs that attract people with creative skills, technical expertise or both; is generally loved by its customers; and already has a small but vigorous toehold in #Wisconsin? If you answered film, television or music, you’re at the right theater but in the wrong seat. The correct answer is #videogaming, which by most global revenue estimates is bigger than all three of those sectors combined. #Jobs needed to produce video games can be done by people in studios or by developers working at home; the jobs usually pay well; and Wisconsin already has some established studios and about 1,000 developers with a good chance to attract more. Article: 'Inside Wisconsin: Gaming industry #tax incentives should be on the screen for Wisconsin' https://lnkd.in/gV5zwesm via Tom Still