success stories and practical advice
We are pleased to present you with another article based on our podcast “I Want to Go to Gamedev”. In this special edition, we have collected success stories of graduates of the “Game Project Management” program from different years. They shared their experience in the gaming industry and told what advice they would give themselves if they could go back and make key decisions differently.
Georgy Mironov — game designer at 1C Game Studios
Let's start with Georgy Mironov, a game designer at 1C Game Studios. Georgy began his journey in game development when he became interested in our open lectures at VDNKh, where we discussed various aspects of game development as part of the open events of the “Game Project Management” program. Although he initially did not plan a career in this industry, he was attracted by the opportunity to learn more about video games. Georgy recalls how he was fascinated by such specific topics for a game designer as creating art for games and translating game content. This interest became the starting point in his professional path.
Georgy went to study in the “Game Project Management” program, during his studies he decided to try himself in the profession of a game designer, completed test assignments and eventually got a job at 1C Games Studios.
Georgy's first project in the studio was the online team game “Caliber”. At first, he was engaged in mission design, developed an entire game mode, and then switched to the metagame, was responsible for conducting game events and balancing the economy. Ultimately, his efforts and talent led to him becoming one of the leads in the project. Under his leadership, three game designers developed new operators and worked on improving the balance of the game.
Georgy is currently working on a new project at 1C Games Studios — the game “War of the Worlds in Siberia.” In this project, he is responsible for the combat mechanics of the characters and their behavior in the game. For Georgy, working on such diverse tasks within one studio has become a key factor in his professional growth.
Georgy shared that at the start of his professional career in the gaming industry, it was important for him to see how people with different profiles and ages discuss games with the same interest as he did. This helped him understand that working in gamedev would not only be interesting, but also fun. It was also important to have the opportunity to change profiles within one studio and master different aspects of game design, which allowed him to become a more versatile specialist.
Advice from George
Look for opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Create your own projects or mods to showcase your skills and attract potential employers.
Be active in the professional community. Communicating with colleagues and participating in industry events will help you stay up to date with trends and find support from like-minded people.
Show interest in non-core topics as well. This may open up new opportunities and directions for you.
Victoria Deripasskaya – creator of the game “Book of Whale”
Victoria came to the gaming industry in a rather unusual way. Unlike many who dream of developing games since childhood, she did not have a goal to work in gamedev. Her motivation was related to the creation of a high-quality children's digital product that would not only be entertaining, but also useful for children. Victoria did not want to make traditional games, such as shooters or strategy simulators, but sought to create a game for children that would have educational and developmental elements.
Victoria went to study “Game Project Management”. During the training, she assembled her first team and began developing a game, which was later called “Book Whale”. Assembling the team was a difficult test and overcoming, because initially it was difficult for her to imagine how she, a person who was even afraid to talk on the phone, could organize a group of people. But thanks to the knowledge and skills acquired during the training, Victoria was able to organize a team and bring the project to completion.
After completing her studies, Victoria continued working on the game. Not only was “Book Whale” completed, but it also received recognition at various competitions and festivals. The project won two nominations at Startup Village in Skolkovo, and also took first place at the All-Russian competition “Start the Game”. By the way, the third season has recently begun and you can take part in it.
Advice from Victoria
Don't be afraid to share your ideas. Victoria is convinced that the fear that your idea might be stolen is, among other things, an excuse not to face criticism. The sooner you get feedback from the community and professionals, the faster you can improve your project. Openness and readiness for dialogue allow you to avoid many mistakes in the early stages of development. It is worth noting here that not all the participants of the podcast think so. In general, this is a philosophical question that everyone answers for themselves. At the end of the article I'll start a poll on this topic, I'm interested in how you answer it.
Assemble a team and work as a team. One of the key moments in the success of Victoria's game was that she was able to assemble a team of people who shared her vision and desire to create something new. No matter how experienced you are, working in a team helps to share responsibility and opens up more opportunities to achieve goals.
Participate in industrial events and competitions. These events not only provide an opportunity to make a name for yourself and gain recognition, but also offer real resources for the development of the project. Victoria and her team received grants and consultations that significantly helped in the development of the game.
Learn at every stage of development. Victoria emphasizes that learning does not end with the completion of the course. Each stage of game development brings new lessons and knowledge that must be applied in practice. Whether it is team management, marketing, or working with voice actors, every aspect of the project requires attention and constant learning.
Strive to create a product with value. It was important to Victoria that her game not only entertained, but also carried certain values. Creating a product that benefits society, especially children, may be more difficult and requires more effort, but that is what makes it truly meaningful.
Denis Raksha is the founder of his own indie studio
Denis started his journey into the gaming industry with several unsuccessful attempts to create a game on his own. He quickly realized that it was almost impossible to create a quality product in solo mode and came to the conclusion that to achieve success he needed not only knowledge, but also a team of like-minded people.
This experience led him to decide to enroll in the Game Project Management program, where he purposefully sought out connections in the industry and partners to implement his ideas. This allowed him to gather around himself those who believed in his ideas and were ready to start working on enthusiasm. Together with his team, he developed a prototype of the mobile strategy Transmigratio, dedicated to the settlement of people on Earth, starting with their exit from Africa 40 thousand years ago. This game is aimed at a midcore audience with an emphasis on complex political and economic models, which distinguishes it from many other strategies. Inspired by the works of Marx and Engels, Denis developed a formational approach that allows players to go from primitive communism through slavery to more developed social formations. Unlike casual mobile games, Transmigratio requires players to take a thoughtful approach and long-term planning.
Despite the difficulties and limited resources, Denis was able to attract investors' attention thanks to his persistence and faith in the project. The funds received allowed him to continue development and prepare for the launch of the game. Denis initially planned to bring his game to the international market, and now his team is preparing for a soft launch in several regions.
Advice from Denis
Don't try to do everything alone. Denis has learned from his own experience that creating a game alone is an extremely difficult task. Find a team, gather like-minded people who share your goals, and don’t be afraid to delegate tasks. The sooner you have highly specialized specialists on your team, the higher the quality of the final product will be.
Attract investors at early stages. Denis advises to look for funding already at the idea stage, when the project concept is just being formed. This rarely helps to actually obtain the necessary funds, but it allows you to collect valuable feedback from professionals, which will help improve the project at the early stages.
Try to sign contracts with people from the very beginning.According to Denis, it is important to set the terms of cooperation with the team from the very beginning to avoid conflicts in the future. This helps maintain a healthy atmosphere in the team and ensures long-term cooperation.
Don't be afraid to bring people with a lot of experience into your team.. Many novice developers are afraid to invite more experienced specialists to the team, fearing competition or loss of leadership. However, Denis emphasizes that attracting experienced people speeds up the development of the project and benefits the entire team.
Listen and communicate with professionals. Denis recommends actively participating in pitches, exhibitions and other events where you can get valuable advice and feedback from more experienced colleagues. This will help you avoid many mistakes and increase the chances of success of your project.
Vlad Svadkovsky – indie developer
Vlad came to the gaming industry from the world of investment analytics. Working with large projects and evaluating multi-billion dollar deals, he realized that he wanted to implement his ideas in another field – game development. Together with his friend and partner Amir, whom they met back in high school at the Higher School of Economics, Vlad began his journey in game development. Their shared passion for games, especially for Activision Blizzard projects, became the basis for creating their own indie studio.
The first experience in creating games was not easy for Vlad and his team. They tried their hand at developing mobile games, but faced many difficulties. One of them was an attempt to release a rhythm game, which, despite good ideas, did not receive wide recognition. Vlad and his team realized that making games is a constant process of trial and error.
However, they did not give up and continued experimenting with various genres and platforms: from VR games to PC projects. Vlad, as a person with analytical thinking, began to delve deeper into game development, combining this with his existing experience in investments and business. The main goal was to create a game studio that makes games with deep meaning, not forgetting to entertain people. As one of the references for the implementation of such goals, Vlad sees God of War, which, on the one hand, is in demand by a wide audience, on the other hand, has a significant subtext.
Advice from Vlad
Don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes. Vlad and his team have learned from experience that game development is a constant process of trial and error. Don't be afraid to try different ideas and directions, even if they seem risky. It's important to learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.
Attract strong specialists to your team. Vlad advises not to be afraid to involve people with extensive experience and expert knowledge in the team. Such specialists can significantly speed up the development process and help avoid many mistakes.
Create games with deep meaning. For Vlad, it is important that the game not only entertains, but also carries important ideas and meanings. He recommends focusing on creating products that will not only be interesting to a wide audience, but will also be able to touch on serious topics.
Don't forget about networking. Vlad emphasizes the importance of communicating and sharing experiences with other developers and industry professionals. This helps not only to expand your knowledge, but also to find new partners, like-minded people, and investors.
Be open to feedback and criticism. One of Vlad's key pieces of advice is not to be afraid to share your ideas and get feedback on them. This allows you to improve the product at all stages of development and increases the chances of its successful launch.
Sign contracts with the team from the very beginning. Vlad recommends formalizing all agreements with the team from the very beginning of work to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings in the future. This helps maintain a healthy atmosphere in the team and ensures long-term cooperation.
P.S. Unlike Victoria, who we spoke to above, Vlad is of the opinion that it is important to maintain confidentiality and protect your ideas at the development stage. He prefers to work with NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) to minimize the risk of theft of unique concepts and ideas. Vlad believes that showing a game to a wide audience only makes sense when the product is ready for launch or full beta testing, so as not to give competitors the opportunity to use his developments. Let me remind you that at the end of the article you will find a survey on this topic. We are very interested to know what you think.
Ilya Boytsov and Andrey Belousov are the founders of the gaming company Midhard Games
Ilya and Andrey came to the gaming industry already having experience in other businesses. They started their careers with game development in 2014, when, against the background of success in other areas, they decided to sell one of their companies and fully focus on creating games. Their first experience in game development was associated with the creation of simple but interesting games, which allowed them to quickly get involved in the process and understand the basic principles of the industry.
Over time, Ilya and Andrey realized that for more successful development, they needed to improve their knowledge in the field of game design and game project management. In 2016, they enrolled in the Game Project Management program, where they acquired the necessary skills and knowledge. This decision turned out to be strategically correct, as it gave them access to a rich network, the opportunity to learn from experienced teachers and participate in master classes that significantly expanded their understanding of the industry.
Ilya and Andrey focused not only on developing their own projects, but also on creating custom games. This approach allowed them to diversify their activities and ensure a stable income. Over time, their studio began to release not only casual games, but also more complex projects in the action-RPG and hardcore survival genres, which turned out to be successful in the market.
Now, with dozens of successful projects under their belt, Ilya and Andrey continue to develop and plan to publish their games independently after several cases of working with external publishers.
Advice from Ilya and Andrey
Play games and know your genre. Playfulness is a fundamental skill for any game developer. Understanding the genre and its features helps you better understand what works and what doesn’t, and allows you to create games that are truly engaging.
Invest in the team. According to Ilya and Andrey, the success of a game depends not only on the idea, but also on the people who work on it. It is important to carefully select a team, investing time and resources in finding specialists who share your vision and can make a significant contribution to the project.
Don't be afraid to seek advice from experts. Even with significant experience, they continue to seek advice from experts in various fields. This helps to avoid mistakes and significantly improve the final product.
Start by cloning games. Ilya and Andrey recommend that novice developers do not try to create something completely new right away, but first try to clone a successful game, adding their own unique elements to it. This will help you master the development process faster and avoid many difficulties.
Learn by doing. Like Victoria Deripasskaya, they emphasize that learning does not end with the completion of the Game Project Management program. Each new project is an opportunity for growth and development, so it is important to constantly apply the knowledge gained and be open to new methods and approaches.
And in conclusion of the article I would like to quote Ilya:
Passion and discipline are the foundation of success in game development. Passion is what makes you work at night, look for new ideas and put your heart into the project. Discipline is what helps you see things through to the end, despite fatigue or temporary failures. We have always believed that without a real passion for games it is impossible to create something worthwhile, but we also understood that without a clear plan and daily work the result will not come. It is like in sports: if you do not train regularly, you will not achieve your goals. The same is with games – only a constant desire for excellence and love for your business lead to success.
You can watch the entire podcast on our channel on Youtube. By the way, we posted the podcast on the channel's birthday – 8 years ago we published the first video on it. We will be glad to receive your subscriptions, likes and comments on this wonderful day.
Thank you for your attention and see you in the next issues. We also invite you to participate in the survey we talked about in the article.
