Credits

Out of control

When I started the ‘WiiWare is a lie’ blog post I had no idea it would go as far as it would. Instead of just me venting my frustration after going through a lengthy application process with Nintendo it seems to have taken a life of its own including getting interview requests from people wanting to take it further. While I would like to see Nintendo remain true to their original projected vision of what WiiWare was supposed to be I am by no means on a mission to cause them trouble or trouble for the company I work for by association. If anything this has been an exercise in being careful what you say because you really have no idea how far stories like this can travel.

WiiWare is a lie redux

The saddening thing about the WiiWare rejection is what it really means to be an indie developer. It appears that unless you have an ‘office’ location they won’t consider you. This means you have to have funding, how else are you going to be able to afford to rent or own an office? This is totally contrary to the speech given at the WiiWare summit and contrary to all the previous hype about developing for WiiWare. When I first heard about WiiWare it seemed like the ideal platform for the indie developer, it was certainly being touted that way even to the point where Nintendo claimed they were going to make it easier for developers to get hold of dev kits. The Wii summit only reinforced that view.

I like many indie developers before me started out in the games industry. I have served for over 10 years in various companies ranging from Kuju Entertainment to EA with my proudest achievement being the networking code for Mutant Storm Empire for PomPom. I learned a hell of a lot during that time and thought it was time to break free and give being an indie a go. I got a little side tracked from this and found out the hard way that unless you have a lot of funding you need to work for other people while working away on your own business - which is what I did.

I am not the only one in this situation. I know of at least one other indie developer who has far more experience than myself who is also expecting a rejection because of the office issue.

The most ironic thing is that in a home office you are pretty much going to find somebody there all the time whereas at an office it’s going to be vacant for most of the night and prime target for break-ins. In fact, at one developer I worked for we were encouraged to take the computers home at night because they kept being broken into.

I have since been told that the rejection letter I got was a blanket letter they send to all rejections.

WiiWare is a lie

A couple of months ago I was invited to the WiiWare summit in London. It was a great event and as a small developer I was greatly inspired from the talk given by Takao Yamane who is head of Nintendo Europe. I can’t give too many details because of NDA but the gist of the talk was how great WiiWare was and how it was great for the small developer and that we can make games that don’t require big businesses and it was a fantastic opportunity. I fell for that and ironically some months before had put in a registration request form with Nintendo. Today I got the response:


“Thank you for your interest for Authorized Developer status for Wii. We
have completed our evaluation of your application and are unable to offer
your company Authorized Developer status at the present time.

In evaluating developers, Nintendo looks for relevant game development
experience. In addition, Nintendo looks for secure business facilities,
sufficient equipment and staffing, financial stability and other
attributes that would distinguish the developer.

Nintendo provides Authorized Developers with highly confidential
information and many of Nintendo’s Licensees rely on recommendations and
referrals by Nintendo to Authorized Developers. For these reasons,
Nintendo exercises a very high level of discretion in approving only a
select number of applicants.

In accordance with our policies, we are not able to re-evaluate requests
for developer status for at least six months. Again, we appreciate your
interest, and welcome any questions or concerns you might have regarding
this decision.

Best regards,

Software Development Support Group & Licensing Department
Nintendo of America & Nintendo of Europe”

So, not as good an opportunity as Takao Yamane claimed then - good to know.
Best bit is - when I made the application I was already working as a contractor on a Wii title and before that I had worked on GameCube titles - apparently that doesn’t count as relevant experience. Perhaps they only want people who have never worked on Nintendo hardware.
It’s already been Dugg - you can do so here: here

You are a resource, nothing more…

It has been 13 years since I left college and started working in the IT sector and after all that time I have finally come to the conclusion that you should never believe an employer when they say that they want your opinion or your contribution to their business because at the end of the day you are merely a resource. In my case they want my programming skills. They don’t really want what comes with it they simply want me to sit down and write the code that they dictate. They are not interested in anything else I or you have to offer.

It’s sad but its true. Anything else they tell you the contrary is an illusion. They may actually believe they mean it when they say it but when it comes to the crunch the reality is that you are simply employed to provide them with the resource that they are missing that caused them to hire you in the first place.

My problem is that this is not enough for me. It has even got to the stage where I tell people at the interview that I am not content to simply be a resource - I want to put all my effort into the whole business in order to make it successful. I have a lot to offer and I will work all the hours to be a success since its in my nature to succeed. And you know what? They still hire me knowing this because they believe at the time that this is the person they need. However, get through that door and from day one it is clear that you are still just another resource.

When I was young I was convinced that I did not want to be yet another person who was merely ‘waiting to die’ and by that I meant get up in the morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner and spend the rest of the night sitting in front of the TV. I thought people who did that were typically people who did menial jobs such as cleaning, or construction work. The sad ironic truth is that in reality my life as a programmer is no different than theirs. Our tasks may be different but our patterns are exactly the same. So why aren’t I  cleaner or a construction worker? I honestly don’t know. One could argue its the pay but quality of life and satisfaction mean a lot more than pay surely?

So here I am in a new job and I am reminded of the old lyrics from ‘The Who’: Meet the new boss same as the old boss. Don’t get me wrong, I like them as I have liked all my previous bosses (with exception to one who was a complete dick-head) but when I look into their eyes all I see is them looking at their shiny new resource…

So I am going to shut-up now and just get on with my life being a resource.

[edit]

I will have to say that I recently joined the ranks of a well known indie developer and they do seem to operate differently so there is hope.

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