The Retrospector

Chances are, you’ve only read the title and are probably a gamer or a developer of some kind thinking to yourself “yeah, right on man!” Let me assure you, this is not just some measly attempt to pat myself on the back or anyone I know that fits the part. (Well, that’s like half the people I know but whatever…I’m not trying to favor anyone here.)

The point I’d like to make in this post is something I’ve felt for a very long time and have seen ample proof of it since way back in my college days: Almost anyone I’ve seen that is serious about gaming has the potential for being a great developer. disclaimer: I’ve seen some really good programming come from people not interested in games, so it’s not like I’m saying ONLY gamers can code their way out of a wet paper bag. I’ve just recently dipped into gaming again after having given up the addiction for awhile.

Background

My very first interest in electronics came from gaming. My first game was Pac-Man on an old brown Atari or something. Growing up, I could make a quarter last 30 minutes at an arcade if there was a Pac-Man game of some kind. The game concept is very simple. You eat the pellets, the ghosts chase you and you either clear the board or die. As a 5-year-old, making that little monochrome chomping square race around the screen while never even looking left still intrigued me to no end. In no time, I’d mastered the game’s mechanics and used every bit of knowledge possible to last longer than anyone else that played. The timing of power-pellet use… Knowing which ghost used what maneuvers to try to catch you… Once I understood how each part of the game worked I could use it to my advantage as a component of the entire game-mastering symphony of IN-YOUR-FACE-GHOST moves.

This same approach worked later on the NES just as well. With each game we all made our measly attempts at mastering all the moves and opponents at first…BUT THEN…with the repetition we just got better. As console games got better, and computer games became more realistic and complex, and *GASP* interactive gaming on the Internet with REAL LIVE COMPETITION became the norm…our dedication to becoming a “master” had to be almost all or nothing. However, the fundamentals have never changed for me. I still manage to dissect a game down to its very basic components before planning my symphony of destruction.

Application
So, in comes the entire computer science side of the conversation.

“Dude, WTF have you said so far that has ANYTHING to do with being a great developer?”

Well, nothing really. I think I had some pretty great fun reminiscing about games though.

Actually, I’ve managed to go through a pretty good career while watching the same type of learning patterns for mastering games be applied to mastering software development. The interest is quite different, but the ability to break down the most complex problems presented in some of the most fun games are VERY VERY similar to the skills needed to break down a set of requirements into the subcomponents of a software application. The symphony planning from gaming is now the very same skill that many IT folks depend on to architect the most elegant solutions. (On a side note, if you sucked at figuring games out it doesn’t mean you can’t design worth a crap. I’ve seen some pretty bad architectures in my time as well that were probably made by REALLY FREAKING GOOD gamers.)

“Um, Retro…dude…you just told that nice long story to just say if you can figure out games you can be a good developer…it can’t just be that simple. Make this easier for me since statistically speaking I’m only skimming this post anyway…”

OK, solving games and solving development problems are two different skills. However, I think ability to break things down and apply logic reasoning combined with persistence to complete the symphony for that most gratifying moment are what really makes this concept applicable. Here’s some nice pretty bullet points for those of you that are probably just going to skim this whole page for a list or something.

Gamers	Developers
Have to learn the basic commands of many games.	Have to learn a plethora of tools and syntaxes to be able to achieve their goals.
Typically begin by observing the embedded puzzles and obstacles as closely and intently as possible.	Have to understand and learn the problems and requests given to them in order to be able to deliver anything worth a crap.
Love the hunt…to be able to solve that problem…to complete that quest…to coordinate that perfect combination with their clan-mates in a huge battle.	Thrive on being the guru that managed to achieve the impossible and wow their peers…to accomplish major things in harmony with their team.
Want every advantage possible to be just THAT MUCH BETTER than anyone else.	Aren’t going to sit in a corner with a bag over their head while everyone else is reading up on the latest and greatest.

See, the list could probably go on and on, but I think that gets the basic points across to support my theory here. I’d love to hear more about similarities and even differences on this comparison. Feel free to add something that you’ve noticed as well now that we’re on the subject.

Final Thoughts
Something I’ve often looked for in interviewing is a passion for gaming. I can relate to it. (Granted I’m probably not a very good gamer anymore, but I still LOVE it.) That persistence needed for really mastering something is a good quality to have. I wouldn’t hire someone just because they like games, but it tells me who’s messing around on their computers all the time late at night after they go home.It tells me that the motivation to accomplish something in a logical fashion is there that goes above and beyond a goals and objectives schedule from the boss.Obviously, to be a great developer you also have to have a knack for technology. And some would argue that you should have a degree or training of some kind as well. I think there’s many things that make up a great developer, but there’s been many great examples amongst my peers over the years that simply reinforce the idea that gamers make great developers.

Tags: gamers, developers, programming, problem+solving

   

Related Posts:

• The Pattern of Not Using Patterns - Part II
• The Pattern of Not Using Patterns - Part III
• Commercial vs. Open Source: Another Point for Open Source
• Offshore Outsourcing Alternative: College Students
• Managing Humans - Rands in Repose

Explore posts in the same categories: Technical, Programming, Design, Team Building

You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Feel free to comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.