rss feed

blog - what Game Masters and managers have in common

posted by witten on August 26, 2007

Yesterday I spent about 16 hours at Penny Arcade Expo (http://pennyarcadeexpo.com), a video game and tabletop gaming convention. I think I consumed more caffeine there than I did in the entire month of July. Anyway, while hopped up on coffee and energy drinks, I attended one of the panel talks on the future of tabletop RPGs. One of the topics discussed was what makes a good Game Master (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_master).

It struck me while listening to the discussion that a good Game Master has a whole lot in common with a good software development manager. Here are some of the similarities.

Both a good manager and a good GM are expert illusionists. The best GMs create the illusion of a fully interactive, well-detailed, living, breathing game world where the players can do whatever they want. They often do this by coming up with a detailed plan for the world and the adventure, while still being able to improvise and veer off course at times to handle whatever crazy ideas the players can dream up. An expert GM knows how to prevent reality from seeping in to undermine the illusionary world they've created.

The best managers, likewise, create the illusion of the ultimate software development environment. Acting as a sort of shit umbrella, they shield their developers from the ongoing mid-to-upper-level management political machinations. Shielded developers write their code under the illusion that they only need to digest requirements, check in code, fix bugs, and hold the very occasional meeting. The expert manager doesn't let the reality of all the other ongoing bullshit seep through.

Good GMs and managers also have in common the ability to cede control without giving it up completely. The best GMs know when to step back and let the players take the reigns of storytelling, rather than railroading them down a particular path. That way the players feel like they're part of the story rather than simply being told what to do, and everyone has more fun playing. And yet a good GM can still keep the players from going too far off the beaten path, gently leading them back into the story as necessary.

Similarly, the best managers know that the Command and Control style of software development management (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/08/08.html) simply leads to pissed off, unproductive developers. Instead, they give all their developers a voice in what gets developed and how it's implemented, but without letting anyone run completely wild. That way, everyone feels like their opinion matters and has a stake in the final product.

Finally, the best GMs and the best managers are excellent arbiters. When it comes time to decide which of two developers' mutually exclusive ideas actually gets implemented, the veteran manager will facilitate the discussion such that a decision can be reached, without alienating anyone or making arbitrary rulings. And the veteran GM will know how to resolve conflicts such that the players feel the solution is fair and rational, even if they don't completely agree with it.

Anyway, I could go on with the parallels between good GMs and managers for a while. The analogy isn't perfect, but I do think it's a fairly compelling one. Perhaps management training courses should consist of all the managers running their own D&D games. For a chuckle, try to imagine some of your previous managers adjudicating a dispute between two players about grapple rules. I'll bet that your best managers could handle such a situation without breaking a sweat.

Oh, one last similarity: Both good GMs and good managers are worth their weight in gold.

2 comments

Write a comment!