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 plenty of game designers who will enthusiasti cally endorse that notion). Instead, I suggest that, in your dealings with people in the games biz, that you assume that they will not hesitate to screw you if they find it in their own interests to do so. If they figure out a ploy that will cost you ten thousand dollars and make them an extra two thousand, they'll use it. If you protest, they'll shrug their shoulders and say, "Hey, it's just business."

If you are lucky enough to establish a relationship with one of those rare birds with a reputation for integrity and good will, cling to that relationship like a life raft in a stormy sea. Sure, the deal you get probably won't look as good as the deal offered by some shyster, but that is to be expected: An honest person will offer reality, which never looks as good as a gilded swindle.

Do not underestimate the degree to which most businesspeople engage in deception. They have developed a litany of euphemisms to anaesthetize their underdeveloped consciences. They deliberately misrepresent the truth and then call it "putting my best foot forward"; "emphasizing the positive"; and "painting the picture in the brightest colors." This, of course, means that they'll put their worst foot where you can't see it, they won't mention the negative, and the picture they paint won't include any of the darker colors that are really there. This is intrinsic to American business culture. As they say, "Everybody does it." You'll fit in just fine if you do it, too. But if your standards of integrity do not draw a line between active lying and passive deception, then you'd better watch out!