What Video Game Development Can Teach Leaders About Project Management

What Video Game Development Can Teach Leaders About Project Management

Video game development can be complex. There’s a lot to account for between managing multiple facets of production, troubleshooting issues from other departments, and the general rush of attempting to beat deadlines. Taking notes from these intense game development sessions can provide precious insight into streamlining the management of your projects.

Why Video Game Development Matters to Project Management

If you question this idea’s validity, we don’t blame you. After all, gaming has a reputation of being more about fun than real, structured work. But, many don’t know how video game development, the backbone of making games, is remarkably similar to the process of project management in many ways.

Working between departments, maintaining proper communications between teams and managing deadlines are all part of the video game development process. In many ways, it can even be considered far more complicated. Interfacing and managing teams that deal with vastly different specializations is tough. Many aspects of video game development directly mirror the project management process.

How Video Game Development Research Can Improve Your Project Management Experience

Because the video game development process mirrors regular project management, plenty of techniques can be lifted and utilized effectively. One of these is the ability to prioritize tasks. Being able to finalize your deadline and give proper consideration to what the project truly needs to excel is essential to a project running smoothly.

Being flexible is another valuable skill in video game development. Teams often require individuals who can tackle many different issues in different departments in charge. Applying this to project management is conceptually similar but much more straightforward in execution. Acquaint yourself with every team, and learn how they work. Be approachable, and make yourself available to members needing clarification or assistance, and you’ll find your projects progressing efficiently.

Utilize proper structure when managing your members. You want all your members to work towards their strengths and use their resources wisely. At the same time, you need to ensure every cog runs smoothly, assisting them through any possible issues. These ideas are at home in video game development, but they fit perfectly in project management.

When managing a project, these same principles can be applied pound for pound. When you’re in the shoes of a project manager, it’s imperative to have a handle on every aspect of your project. Being capable of adequately structuring your team, communicating between and for everyone, and parsing issues in any department is simply essential.

How Modern-Day Project Management Takes From Video Game Development

In many ways, modern-day project management has actually taken a lot from video game development. Gamification of workplace incentives has become commonplace, and structure in project management has been adopted in most workplaces. That’s regarding techniques of course, but even on a personal scale, there’s much to gain.

We’ve already addressed many of the aspects you can lift from video game development for project management above. On top of this, listening and taking notes from seasoned experts within the game development industry can also benefit prospective project managers. They give interviews quite often, and their insights are fueled by decades of experience, so definitely give these a look.

Finally, one understated way video game development has influenced modern project management is the usage of digital project management software. Many of these tools, like Monday.com, ClickUp, and Trello base many of their user interface and features on video game development tools. They’re incredibly useful, and definitely something to consider trying if you don’t already use them.

The Long Pour

Video game development is a dizzying process with so many moving parts attached, but it’s a goldmine for good project management experience. In their essence, both are simply managing projects. The main difference is how the scale is much broader for game development. For prospective project managers, studying the game development process can be a beneficial experience, as we’ve ascertained here.