Shift the Learning, Shift the Style

A few years ago, the American radio show All Things Considered talked about the new way of learning to design video games. In days of old (which was only, what, 25 years ago?) most video game designers learned from other designers, a form of apprenticeship that was common 200 years ago and is still often used today; your electrician was probably an apprentice at some point, and some hairstylists go through apprenticeships rather than attending cosmetology school, for example.

(come read and listen to the complete story on NPR’s website)

Passing down one generation’s ideas to the next is certainly one means of teaching, but it has the effect of creating a “we do it this way because it is how we have always done it” culture. It creates a “universe” of ideas from which it is hard to break free. Without fresh perspectives from the outside it is difficult for an organization to expand, or even survive. Government bureaucracies can get away with this kind of stovepiping, because it is almost impossible to put them out of business, but the same cannot be said for your firm, or for non-profit organizations.

The idea presented in the ATC story was that, by developing their skills in the university classroom rather than simply watching over an experienced designer’s shoulder, the new game designers were encouraged to approach the field as an artistic pursuit rather than merely as a technical exercise. This has led to new types of games that use the same technology but in a different way, presenting a different message through the game. By offering up something nontraditional, these designers have the chance to reach new markets, attracting customers who would never play Grand Theft Auto but who might appreciate a more Zen-like video game experience.

Check out the story at the link above and see what you think. Should game design firms and other creative organizations be looking only for university graduates or those with some other formal educational background? Should they instead stick to what they have traditionally done, and teach people themselves based on existing ideas that have been shown to work? How can they best mix theoretical or artistic education with practical technical training?