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Looking for Advice on Hiring Programmers for an 18+ Emotional Game Project

Started by December 05, 2024 05:55 PM
6 comments, last by frob 2 weeks, 4 days ago

Hi everyone,

I’m working on an 18+ romance game with themes of possession and betrayal. My goal is to build a team and grow in the adult entertainment gaming space. I have access to top illustrators and funding for the project. The script is progressing, and I’m planning the timeline, but progress has stalled because I need a programmer to help discuss game mechanics, gameplay, and presentation.

I don’t have much experience hiring programmers and I’m not confident in outsourcing this part, as I believe a great game system requires dedication and passion. I’d prefer to find someone who’s enthusiastic about the project.

Does anyone have advice on how to break into the programmer community or the best way to hire a programmer for a project like this?

Thanks so much for your help!

I am located in both Toronto and Tokyo btw

This isn't about “breaking into the programmer community.” It's not even about money (and you'd better have a lot of it). It's not necessarily about adult entertainment. You will need to prove to prospective team members that you have the chops to manage a team of creative and technical people, and that the project won't be a massive clusterflub of crossed expectations and mistakes and delays.

You can try LinkedIn and Fiverr and job ad sites that a quick Google search will turn up. That's where I'd begin if I was new and inexperienced in the game industry.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

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Thank you, I appreciate the honest advice. I do have experience leading teams in other industries, like film production and working with investors, but gaming is definitely a new space for me. Are you suggesting that it might be better to hire someone to create a working prototype or game first, and then use that as a foundation to attract like-minded collaborators

gamer207 said:
I do have experience leading teams in other industries, like film production and working with investors, but gaming is definitely a new space for me.

It's a combination of several.

You are already familiar with film, which is an art/creative industry. Games include that.

You are already familiar with investors, and figuring out funding and business development are part of games.

Software development is another element in games. Software is notorious for being badly scoped, making it eventually both late and over budget. Games are no exception. Even with experience it is difficult to properly scope the size and cost of software.

gamer207 said:
Are you suggesting that it might be better to hire someone to create a working prototype or game first, and then use that as a foundation to attract like-minded collaborators

It is quite common for there to be multiple directors working together as part of the leadership team.

Whether it is better to do it or hire it out gets complex, and depends on details including the size of the organization.

The executive producer is often a business owner or executive officer in charge of the business side, often with a title of CEO. The creative director handles the creative side and various art disciplines, sometimes with a title of senior game designer, director of game design, or similar, often working with lower-level art director, music director, design director, etc. The technical director or technical officer handles the software development side of developing software, and in some studios also manages the IT department, more typically it's a parallel IT is managed separate from the software development groups. There are also business development directors or bizdev looking at securing contracts, working with lawyers, and making sure the business side is thriving.

In a larger studio with many projects it is typical for each individual project to have all three (or more) in the form of a senior producer, a senior designer or creative director, and tech director or tech lead, the three (or more) together mange the project.

You may be fully competent and able to do the work, but it is typical to have at least three distinct roles represented in larger projects working as a management team. For small businesses with <10 workers the senior people will likely have multiple roles. For startups and hobby projects everybody does a bit of everything.

@frob Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! It means a lot to me, especially since I’m currently stuck on this very issue. Your explanation was so clear and straightforward, and I appreciate that. These suggestions are helpful, and I’ll keep them in mind moving forward.

From what you’ve said, I feel like I can handle the creative and business aspects of the project pretty well. I’m very passionate about this game—its gameplay, direction, and overall flow are things I’ve put a lot of thought into, and I’ve also been working on the dialogue and script myself. But the technical side is where I’m completely out of my depth. Even though I’ve played pretty much every game of the type I want to create, when it comes to programming and software development, I’m honestly clueless.

The real challenge for me is figuring out how to find a like-minded programmer. I know that sometimes it comes down to luck, but I’d rather not leave it entirely up to chance. Should I be attending specific events or reaching out to university departments? Are there other approaches you’d recommend to connect with the right people?

Thanks again for your thoughtful response. It’s really given me a lot to think about, and I’m eager to start moving forward with your suggestions in mind.

gamer207 said:
The real challenge for me is figuring out how to find a like-minded programmer. I know that sometimes it comes down to luck, but I’d rather not leave it entirely up to chance. Should I be attending specific events or reaching out to university departments? Are there other approaches you’d recommend to connect with the right people?

You can try LinkedIn and Fiverr and job ad sites that a quick Google search will turn up. That's where I'd begin if was stuck for leads.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

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You will want someone who shares the vision and can finish the job.

In the hobby space it means finding anybody willing to work with you.

In the paid corporate space it means hiring a technical lead for that part of the project, or hiring a people-person who knows enough about the tech who then can help hire the technical lead.

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