Pitchford preaches prioritization
“I firmly believe that the best game developers in ten years are people who are not yet in the industry today,” said Randy Pitchford, “and that’s going to be you.”
As founder of Gearbox Software, Pitchford is an industry icon. His company has created some of the most successful video game franchises of all time, including Borderlands and Brothers in Arms. He spearheaded the initiative Borderlands Science, a mini-game within Borderlands 3 that enables players to contribute to medical research by helping map the human gut microbiome. With his youthful cowlick and unbridled enthusiasm, Pitchford has cred to boot, having grown up with the earliest gaming systems to become an architect of a billion-dollar global industry.
Pitchford’s guest lecture, “The Artist’s Dilemma,” delivered via Zoom to undergraduate and graduate students in the SCAD School of Digital Media, addressed those who play Pitchford’s popular games and will work in his industry. During his talk, the Zoom chat boomed with animation, motion media design, visual effects, and interactive design and game development students asking questions in real time, testament to this connection.
“While we are artists, we’re commercial artists,” Pitchford said. “Our livelihoods, and the livelihoods of the people we work with, depend on making commercial art. The fact that we can make commercial art means that we as a species have figured out a way to commoditize entertainment, so that some of us can dedicate our lives to creating experiences and joy for other people.”
Pitchford’s talk was structured with compelling narrative reveals and mind-fizzing koans, suiting someone who attacks his craft and his business from both wildly philosophical and rigorously practical perspectives. Ultimately, he spoke directly to the task at hand: doing the work.
Here are five key points from his talk:
1. “When I got started programming computers and designing games back in the early days, there were no schools to go to and learn the craft, we were teaching ourselves as we went. Now you have the opportunity to go to a university where experts can teach you how to get to a point where you can pave the way for what’s next. I’m so grateful you guys exist.”
2. “I make video games because I love video games. I’m a lot like you: When we feel that engagement interacting with our entertainment, we want to see if we can do that too, and create something that gives those feelings to other people. That instinct is rooted in empathy. I call it having the heart of an entertainer.”
3. “You need to eat. If we’re going to commit to this, we have to make money. As an artist there’s a balance that we have to think about. There’s a spectrum with expression on one side and commercialism on the other. There is a place in the middle where we can value expression but accept the reality of earning a living. Hunting for that sweet spot is the artist’s dilemma.”
4. “I’ve been in the industry for 30 years, and worked on a lot of projects and made a lot of things. There’s the same problem every time: not enough. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough people, not enough memory. Of all the skills you develop, the most important may be figuring out what’s important and attending to what’s higher in the importance ranking. That’s prioritization.”
5. “It can be daunting thinking about entering the job market. If you’re really good at something that we’re already in need of, we’re going to want to employ you. Then show us something we’ve never seen before. If you can do both, you’re going to be wanted and loved, you’re a unicorn. In aggregate, show a high degree of specialized skill. Another way to be successful is to be awesome and great, so that people love working with you.”
Thanks to SuAnne Fu, chair of interactive design and game development, and Nye Warburton, associate chair of interactive design and game development.
Find Randy Pitchford on Twitter @DuvalMagic.
By Peter Relic
