I'm doing a Reditt AMA (Ask Me Anything)!

[Chris]

Hmm, the traditional joke made amongst my friends is that my two main "abilities" are actually personality defects. I'm sufficiently delusional about my own abilities to assume I'll be able to pull something off if I try hard enough (how hard can it be?), and then I'm too stubborn to give up once I realise I am in fact in waaay over my head. But the handy thing is that if you plug away at something for long enough, it'll usually work out in the end.

I am quite good at organising stuff, although I'm not especially good with people or anything. I'm reasonably bright, but nothing special. It's just a case of knowing what you want to achieve and then keep at it until you get to it, no matter how hard it is. The business knowledge accumulated at my day job did help, but it wasn't the be all and end all. Generally you've gotta enjoy what you do to do well in it - I wasn't very good at my previous job because I simply didn't care enough.

I don't do art or programming for the reasons you said. I don't think I have the natural talent to do it. So I set my mind to raising enough money to hire people who were naturally talented at those jobs to do them instead. Seemed a more efficient way to do it.

[Jean-Luc]

Chris is usually good at answering questions we have, sometimes the answers even make a kind of sense.

Yes, well, let's not flatter him too much.

[Gauddlike]

I don't do art or programming for the reasons you said. I don't think I have the natural talent to do it. So I set my mind to raising enough money to hire people who were naturally talented at those jobs to do them instead. Seemed a more efficient way to do it.

Generally (but not always obviously) the artistic types who are really good at what they do have little interest or skill in project management.
Letting them get on with it and pointing them in the direction you want things to go seems like a good plan to me.


Looks like some genuinely interesting questions over on the AMA.

[IceVamp]

My sleep cycle is trashed. o.0
The AMA is a very interesting read indeed. I can't see someone reading this and think less of the project or Chris. Also, I think I won it. Or something.

[XenoMask]

Hmm, thanks for the answer.

Still, I'd love to do art designing... =/

[Yevgeniy]

A nice initiative.

[Gorlom]

Suprisingly many people ask the same thing with small variations (usually what their current occupation is when they are saying they are in the same situation as Chris three years ago)

Do you feel like you are repating yourself a lot in that AMA Chris?

But my favourite question has to be "Any tips? Youngling here. " The question is overflowing with unbridled optimism imo. ^^
(Hmm that sounds kind of like I'm mocking him... that's not my intent at all. this post does not have any sarcastic tone to it whatsoever)

[jamoecw]

Hmm, thanks for the answer.

Still, I'd love to do art designing... =/

if that is what you want to do, then do it. also college is important, not for any skills you'll learn, but if you do that is a plus, but for that piece of paper they give you at the end. i am not saying that the art avenue is a no go in some sort of nice way, what i am saying is that without that piece of paper you will have a hard time getting decent/consistent jobs. very few people even care what you get your degree in, especially as an artist. so go to college, help out with mods for the experience, and eventually you will be really good and be able to do something with your talent.

[jamoecw]

i thought the comment about having to fix a website that had been hacked into at 2am was pretty accurate at what it means to be a boss. most people think that it is a 9-5 job, or that there are 'off' hours or something. then there's the pay, odds are that you make less per hour than the people under you, you might make it up down the road though.

[Sathra]

I have to say that the best part of the reddit for me was the sheer number of people named Chris in game development.