I get emails asking questions about me, my career, managing in the games industry etc -- below is a summary of the responses I have given.  I'll continue to add to these over time.  If you want to know more, or if you would like to see my thoughts on other topics, please get in contact.

Since I joined the original Atari company back in 1982.

I have been involved at almost all levels of production, from concept, through design, art, code, project management, QA, mastering, packaging, marketing and business strategy.  I have worked both for publishers and development companies, either as owner, employee or consultant.

See my Softography for the highlights of the entertainment and non-entertainment software with which I have been involved, and my Employment History for a detailed summary of my roles and achievements

Yes, of course.  But I don't consider myself a 'hard-core' gamer, very few games keep my attention or make me want to go and buy them (apart from the ones I’m involved with, of course !!!).

I believe I'm a good representative of the 'mass market. So I like to build entertainment products that would appeal to a wider audience than simply the hard-core gamers. "Soccer Nation" or "NERF N-Strike" (see Softography) are good examples of this, where the target customer has a lifestyle passion that the design taps into.

What Do You Consider To Be Your Strengths?

• I am a creative individual.
• I am organized, and can organize others
• I like to be 'hands-on' and involved with the work I am responsible for
• I "get" that it starts and ends with the customer.
• I have a good mind for commercial opportunity and marketing, and especially product design, innovation and development. I like to use my creative skills to help solve business needs - such as designing a product that addresses a particular customer want or gap in a market.
• I consider myself to be an excellent communicator.
• I am optimistic and passionate.
• I am open and honest with everyone.
• I am a motivator, and work well with creative individuals.
• I stay calm and can manage effectively in times of crisis.
• I am a stickler for detail
• An excellent trouble-shooter.

• Plain chocolate!
• I recognize that I can be too passionate about my work -- I like big ideas and innovations and would rather run than walk
• I have high standards and expectations from those I work with -- I can be too direct and honest for some people's liking - while I think it is a strength to be a straight-shooter, I am conscious that it isn't everyone's cup of tea
• I have been known to provide more detail than is strictly necessary (for example: in a report - maybe even this website!!).
• I rarely keep my shoes on in the office!

• I have a good technical understanding of all aspects of making games. I have many years of experience recruiting and managing specialist technical staff including:-

  Engineers (programmers specializing in advanced A.I., real-time physics, custom 3D graphics, audio, and in-house technologists developing code base and tools - e.g. Ktech at Kodiak, proprietary tools at Argonaut etc - dev environments typically assembler, C/C++, code warrior, Rational Rose etc);
  
  Likewise recruited and managed Artists (animators, modelers, technical and texture artists - over the years the tools have gone from Dpaint to SGI and 3DSMax, Marai, Photoshop and most recently Maya, plus a host of custom tools and scripts); in recent years I have gotten good at working with and understanding how to manage and leverage the skills of Art Directors
  
  Also Audio Staff (speech and sound designers creating speech stitching for real-time commentary, Foley sound effects and a custom interactive audio engine - at Kodiak we built our own studio which used an in-house Pro-logic 5:1 studio, with full Dolby capabilities);
  
  Designers ( concepts through fully detailed product specifications, level mapping and QA; character design and personality; brand attributes and how to deliver them effectively through games); I am passionate about design and see it as the key to innovation and customer satisfaction.  The role of Creative Director is really coming into its own in our industry, and I have a very clear idea of how to find and mould this talent.
  
  I consider all of these areas have required a good understanding of the complexities and technical aspects of making games - more so now than ever, as disciplines and teams become more specialized. I don't admit to being able to write the same awesome VU code as the best engineer you might have on staff, or to be able to animate better than your best animator - I see that my skill has been more to do with an ability to understand the technical issues and processes involved and to help the experts on the teams make the appropriate decisions on critical issues.

• I'm not an accountant, but I did run my own business for ten years, including contract negotiation, developed sponsorship and online business models, and undertook operational duties for the company, with responsibility for customer support as well as finance and of course, product development.
• I know how to prepare an itemized budget and cash-flow projection.
• I ran a business unit for Midway with full P&L responsibility, and the franchises I have been responsible for at Electronic Arts have been significant in terms of P&L accountability.
• I have written business plans before and undertaken investment presentations. 

I believe that good communication is vital at all levels of business. I like to create a culture of communication, with several different methods so that there is always a viable channel, whether it is from top downwards, or just as importantly, from down up.

I encourage email as a discussion forum, as some people express themselves better in words. I am a big fan of electronic mail, 'Instant Messenger', SMS and 'groupware' (such as Outlook running under Exchange Server) and do much of my communication, both personal and business using such media.

But electronic communication is no substitute for the human skills - I like weekly staff meetings, as well as round-table project reviews. Knowing what is going on is vital, however inconvenient it may be. I think a leader needs to be genuinely approachable to get really good communication with his or her staff.  I have no problem traveling to satellite locations in order to keep communication proactive.

Written documentation, whether printed or electronic, should be well structured and clear. At Crush! for example, we had set forms of style and content for most documentation we produced – Release Notes, Design Documentation, external mail etc.

I consider myself a proficient speaker, passionate on subjects that I care about, often the projects I am involved with. I am skilled in writing and preparing presentations for funding, press conferences, internal presentations, conference addresses and, of course my first love, radio presentation!

Above all, I like open, honest and direct communication with everyone I work with.  I like to be free to say what is on my mind without anyone feeling threatened -- likewise, I am open to being given feedback the same way.  I am not afraid of disagreement, indeed I don't think you can have an effective creative organization without there being disagreement on a regular basis: passionate people need to be free to demonstrate passion in a safe environment.  We get better decisions and ultimately games that way.

I have drafted and negotiated:

• publishing agreements
• licenses
• investments
• business plans
• terms of employment
• various procedures and systems

• Professionally - To continue enjoying my work, whatever and wherever that may be, and to continue learning from the people I am privileged to work with

  Personally - To help my children develop into independent, thoughtful, caring, responsible and capable adults -- and to continue enjoying time with them.  I know of no greater gift.

Copyright © 1998 - 2009 J.P. Dean.  All Rights Reserved.