I messed up a lot in Year 1…and it was awesome

Abstract

This autobiographical essay is a recollection of the events and mistakes which occurred when Assyria Games Studio Ltd was formed, and when its first few game titles were being developed and marketed. This studio was formed at the start of a 12-month ‘placement year’ at university, and during these months, a few games titles and similar apps were developed, either as own-IP projects, or for clients. This essay examines several issues which faced the author (and founder of Assyria Game Studio Ltd) and his fellow developers, including: the importance of team member roles and team balance; overhead and staffing costs; networking with games industry experts; setting appropriate prices for contracts and products; delegating work to other team members; work-life balance, and, the pros and cons of working for clients, and working on own-IP games projects.