Conclusion

The practices and experiences of Agile game development are real. Most studios have adopted some form of Agile-based methods over the past decade, but most have struggled to embrace the values and principles. As new platforms and business models continue to emerge, new practices, tools, and ways for creative people to make better games less expensively will evolve. This is what makes Agile so well suited for developing games. The goal is not to find the “perfect” methodology but to embrace change.

This is a very unique and challenging time for game developers. Games are mainstream, and we are continually discovering different platforms on which to release games and new markets for them. Even “serious games” for education, health care, defense, city planning, and so on are emerging as a significant market. At the same time, massive layoffs and lawsuits over unfair working conditions threaten careers and cause talented people to leave the industry.

The overhead, drudgery, and suffering that many game developers endure to make something “fun” impacts game quality. We should share the practices that help us reduce the waste involved in making games—waste such as waiting around, losing work to crashes, spending time on unworkable solutions, and communication problems. We need only compete on the basis of our creativity and talent. Doing this, we can raise the bar for the entire market and grow it.

We need to return to the state where most of us started when making games in our spare time: We need to love making games.