Game Outcomes

A really nice review of my upcoming book! (Now due in August) @booktrib booktrib.com/2023/07/12/the… #gamedevelopment #gamedev #games #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #culture #culturematters

The Person That Destroyed Id Software From Within 😳😱👇 reddit.com/r/Games/commen…

During my time at Blizzard, I experienced sexual harassment from multiple male leads. Explicit descriptions of sex acts they wanted to perform on me, propositioning my wife and I for sex, back rubs. It goes on. This often occurred in front of my other coworkers, who said nothing.

Other things matter too, especially the myth that one rockstar asshole is worth a hundred women. Yes, that asshole must go and we, as an industry, have to consider human cost in our cost/benefit analysis. But for the most part, solving this problem is managers, all the way down.

Without that triad, nothing will change. If you harbor pockets of bad managers who let shit slide or can’t be trusted with harassment information, nothing else you do matters. The bad actors will continue bad actions without consequence and bring more of their bad actor friends.

Change happens at the manager level. You need: Managers with zero tolerance for that bullshit. And Managers who people can trust to confide in about the bullshit they don’t witness. And The company to have those managers’ backs and be willing to act.

You can find all the studies you want, add a D&I exec (better yet, make it a woman, maybe even a woman of color to fall on that sword for you), make a bunch of rules, even fire some random bad actors. It all sounds good on paper but does almost nothing—and most companies know it.

In all of my years in game dev, I was always in some kind of management role. And I never—not once, at any size of company—had a single DAY of manager training. Not video, not live, not a book, NOTHING.

I’m talking about mandatory, ongoing training about how to be a manager (or a lead, if it’s a company living the lie of no hierarchies). Training around the most important aspect of a manager/lead’s job: fostering a group of happy, healthy, productive team members.

The real question: have you let a bunch of managers go and started good training for the rest? I don’t mean obligatory sexual harassment training. We all know that just makes the perpetrators go snicker in the break room and talk Very Seriously on Slack about being oppressed.

I believe change and growth are possible, absolutely. Every person, every company deserves a sincere chance at change. But “it’s been several years” as a way to say “we’ve addressed all the cultural issue”? Nope. Signed, A Woman Who Has Watched This For 30 Years

I'm pleased to announce that an early draft of The Four Swords won 3 categories in the July 2021 Firebird Book Awards! ➡️Leadership ➡️Business / General ➡️Cross-Genre Pre-order at lnkd.in/ef8xd94 #leadership #videogames #business #management #gamedev #leadershipbooks

I'm very happy to announce the Indiegogo campaign for my new book: The Four Swords: A Parable of Leadership, Video Games, & Dead Dragons #videogames #leadership #games #motivation #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #leadershipbooks #fourswordsbook indiegogo.com/projects/the-f…

In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers have revealed that a considerable part of all deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke worldwide is caused by working long hours. Read more: l8r.it/GMAq - - #wellness #health #biology #generalscience

Overwork Linked to Heart Disease and Stroke | Lifespan.io lifespan.io/news/overwork-…

In the process, it will offer valuable lessons on leadership to those in the industry or hoping to get into the industry, while also shining a light on #gamedev #gamedevelopment culture to those outside it. (It turns out, making video games is REALLY hard work. Who knew!)

The goal has been to create a book that not only offer valuable lessons in leadership, #management, and #teambuilding, but could also offer an entertaining story that would make the book worth reading on its own.

The first full draft of The Four Swords: A Parable of Leadership, Video Games, and Dead Dragons, to be published by #newdegreepress by the end of this year. To date, there are very few #leadership books based in the #videogame biz., It's time to change that!

I’ve begun working on a book on leadership, management, and team culture in the game industry, to be published in 2021. More info here: linkedin.com/posts/paul-toz…