Chris Crawford on Game Design

The Harsh Realities of Business

I must counterbalance my enthusiasm for the artistic strategy with a warning about the ugliness of business practices in the games industry. It's a brutal, ugly business, and in your business dealings, you must keep one rule above all others (Lesson 86).

There have been, and still remain, some truly honest people who conduct themselves with honor and good will. A few of these people have even risen to positions of power in the industry. Over the years, however, I have seen a steady decline in the number of such people; they are slowly being replaced by people who place little value on long-term relationships or personal integrity. I won't go so far as to say that the industry is full of crooks (although there are ...