Video Games and Business: Analyze, Strategize or Execute
Running a business can be just like playing a video game. If its first time you either sit down and read the manual or you just dive right in. If you read the manual you might know what buttons to push, but that doesn’t mean you won’t die. If you dive right in you will probably take some time to learn the buttons. In which scenario do you learn faster and gain more experience?
Admittedly I never read the manual. Playing the game is more fun than reading about it. I know a ton of people who treat freelance design the same way. You have seen other people’s websites (watched them play the game) so you know what you need to do to make it. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.
There are a lot of different ways you could prepare before you just go about emailing potential clients. You can analyze the field to see what niches are being ignored in the design world. Bank interfaces suck. Most shopping sites suck. Online newspapers suck. There are a ton of areas that need our help, but get overlooked almost like the great video games that nobody plays because they aren’t talked about.
Once you find your niche go at it. Strategize (read the manual) about how you are going to approach things. Its fun to just dive right in, but have a clue of what you are getting into it. It will save you some trouble in the end.
Most importantly, execute. You have to play the game to really understand it. You can understand clients until you tackle them head on. Your first 10 might not be great experiences, but that 11th one will be great due to your experience in handling the situation. In any business execution is what’s usually missing in the ingredients to success. Talent and ideas can be found all over the place, but execution can not be bought.
Yeah, it might be a crazy analogy, but it’s Monday so work with me.
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I think it all depends on how you “start†the game. It sounds like you are referring to jumping into a business that you need to be successful quickly – sort of like demanding to win the game the same day you bought it.
For a lot of freelance designers, it isn’t a business at first – it is something that grows into a business. We start small, one or two clients (most likely someone we already know). Our “business†and client list expands one client at a time, one project at a time, one dollar at a time. You learn a lot through trial and error; sometimes it takes error to really learn.
I think you are right though. We all just need to figure out first, what determines “success†– build our strategy from there.
By Martin Ringlein on October 16, 2006 11:53 am
I consistently hear about how I need to ‘jump in’ and ‘give it a try’ and ‘make mistakes’ in order to learn. I sometimes wonder, is there a better way? Has anyone tried to take all their experiences and take time to show others how to do it (minus the mistakes)? I guess that’d be like making a manual or a guide on how not to ‘die’. Ever thought about writing that, Scrivs?
If it weren’t for the Duck Hunt manual I would never have known plugging in the second controller lets you move the duck. I probably never would’ve tried that..
By Devin on October 16, 2006 12:13 pm
I find that when a client is getting upset, using “Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Select-Start” works well :)
By Graham on October 16, 2006 12:53 pm
Devin, I think that was the original concept of a Board of Directors. Unfortunately, most Boards are a far cry from that, these days. However, at an individual level, there seems to a be a growing desire and need for mentors to help fill those sorts of roles.
And it’s not so much about “avoiding mistakes” as it is avoiding the same OLD mistakes. Use your time to make NEW mistakes. Don’t waste time making the same old mistakes–unless they take you somewhere different than all of the other people who made them. ;)
By Rick Turoczy on October 16, 2006 2:19 pm
Somtimes it does feel like you are playing pong on your own too or that you are experiencing some serious internet lag and getting your wizard killed in many a great way. Then again it might just be I have that feeling as it’s monday. A balance of action and thought is also good - like all great video games really. Sometimes sneaky sneaky sometimes big guns and various chopping things. As with video games learn the path to the monkey god’s gold by inserting the right combination of magic crystals… yep the analogy works with me and yes I’ve got those magic crystals wrong before, learnt and not got hit in the head by the toxic creeper before. Time to wrestle the crocodile to save the Princess .. I mean get IE play with my website nicely :)
By karmatosed on October 16, 2006 5:02 pm
Graham, you rock.
By Montoya on October 16, 2006 6:06 pm
Haha, Graham! Anyway…I agree with this post entirely. I dive in without the manual. And discover the important information as I need to.
By Bryan Potts on October 16, 2006 7:53 pm
Interesting point, Rick. And I agree (I should’ve been more specific). We want to ignore the same OLD mistakes.
“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” -Sam Levenson
By Devin on October 16, 2006 10:36 pm
Graham, That is awesome and it brings back some great memories. Now you just need the spray gun to get them all in one shot. :)
By Eric on October 17, 2006 9:44 am
I think it’s certainly possible to over strategize things. My own businesspartner does this on stuff we do internally. For client work though, he usually has a better grasp on a business need, than the owner does — and that speaks volumes in terms of legitimacy with the client for us.
What I think is a bigger problem though is under strategizing and analysis, or just diving in without reading much of the manual. I think this is what’s going on with much of web me too.oh and why we’re seeing folks in the design community already wishing it would just die.
It’s also the behind the rash of intellectual property concerns that we’re seeing on the web, with the theivery of web design and [*cough] logos.
Execution is vital. but so is always being prepared, and ready for the game.
By Mark on October 18, 2006 7:40 am