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What's It Worth?
When a mentor's advice sticks with you
What's It Worth?
When a mentor's advice sticks with you
Good Morning!
Today we share our thoughts and appreciation for advice mentors have shared throughout our careers. We’re getting the gears turning to create tons of content we hope you’ll enjoy. We’re also still buzzing with excitement from The Game Awards and everything that went with it.
The Value of Mentors
“Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, and occasionally where you least expect them. Lessons may be direct, or observed.”
Mentors play an essential role in any individual's career and path to success. They serve as our teachers, our inspirations, and sometimes our cheerleaders. They provide insights that can greatly affect how we do our jobs and even how we live our lives.
There was a moment during our recent podcast recording, when Bret mentioned how much he’d learned from the game directors he worked under earlier in his career.
“Glen Schofield is one the directors I worked with, who was genuine and honest with the people he worked with. Neil Young at EA and I worked on Lord of the Rings together and he was knowledgeable about all aspects of the project and modeled how a senior leader could dig into the detailed, technical problems.”
Advice from mentors can be pivotal to our careers, helping to shape how we approach new challenges or their guidance echoing in our minds as we take on new responsibilities. We asked our team about meaningful advice they’ve received from mentors that stuck with them over the years. Here’s what they had to say:
"Learn to recognize the space between stimulus and reaction. Breathe. Understand where the stimulus is coming from. Then respond.”
“I think it's valuable to take extra time to show someone the ropes, explain reasons for doing things a certain way. It's easy to get busy and tell people what they should do, but it's better to teach them. Real-world examples are always great!”
"Imposter syndrome is normal. It's okay to not know everything 100% of the time, even directors and seniors still feel this way sometimes."
"Almost every big team problem in game development can be oversimplified down to one of two things:
1.) A culture of 'not my problem'
2.) Wishful thinking
Figure out which one you're prone to and be self aware of it."
As you've progressed through your own personal journey, what advice has stuck with you? If you've had the opportunity to share your own wisdom as a mentor, what advice do you give? Reply to the newsletter to let us know and maybe we’ll share it in a future issue.
Latest Content from Our Studio
You may have noticed we’ve been ramping our social media channels and website over the last few weeks. Through these channels, we want to share a candid look into our studio and amazing team as well as explore creativity and mastery behind game development, storytelling, and design of some of the most highly anticipated and beloved games.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out our first YouTube video, How Game Designers Tell Great Stories. Ascendant’s own Founder, CEO and Game Director, Bret Robbins dives into the importance of storytelling in games, and how his experiences designing Dead Space and Call of Duty campaigns influenced his approach making Immortals of Aveum™.
We’re also taking a swing at this TikTok thing, where we take you inside what’s happening at our studio. Follow our channel to see what it’s like working at a passionate and open-hearted studio while we create our first game!
In The Press
Polygon caught up with Bret to talk about Immortals of Aveum, starting a new studio, and learning a bit more about what’s going on in the teaser trailer.
Bret also had a chance to sit down with GamesIndustry.Biz to chat about channeling Dead Space, the call to create another new IP, and how the lessons from past projects have informed the team’s approach to Immortals of Aveum.
Poll - Let Us Know!
We’re only a few weeks removed from The Game Awards, but we couldn’t be more excited for all the incredible games in development. Let us know which new games you’re excited about.
What new game announcements from The Game Awards are you most excited for? |
Thanks for reading! We hope you have a great week!