The lecture Lessons Learned from AirMech was delivered at Casual Connect USA by James Green, co-founder of Carbon Games. AirMech took four years to make. In this talk, James discusses what went wrong and what went right. One of the truths that James related was, “Without a platform, getting users is hard. For us, it’s not worth it to pay for users.”
James Green, Co-Founder of Carbon Games, came to this career because he loves the unique challenges of making games. As he points out, 
“Not many industries combine art, design, programming and entertainment in the same way. The fact that you have to make compromises is what makes the challenge fun to me.” And, best of all, his current work allows him complete freedom and independence to make the games he wants.
A Gradually Developing Ambition
As James was growing up, there was little indication that he would become intensely involved in the games industry; it was not until his college years that he considered this possibility. At that time there was no educational path specifically aimed toward game development or the games industry. As he says, “Everyone from that era just modded Quake/Unreal/Half-life. And now it turns out that many of us hold key roles across the industry.”
He first became interested in game development through using the editor for Doom Shareware. Then he moved on to Quake and Unreal and their editing/mod tools. With Quake 2 he thought, “Hey, I can make better characters than that,” although his efforts showed him that he couldn’t, at least not at that time. But he envisioned a future where he would eventually be working for id.
As it turned out, rather than id, his first job in the industry was for Epic. Since that time, he has worked in the games industry around the world in companies ranging from small to huge. He also founded a previous company: Titan Studios, where he created Fat Princess.
Running a Company While Making Games
James describes himself as a game developer by trade, but at Carbon Studios he wears many hats; his responsibilities include business development and spokesperson for the company, as well as managing the game community. The greatest challenge comes from running the company while simultaneously making a game.
The team is crucial to the success of the company, particularly with a small company. James looks for team members who are self-starting and self-motivated, those who will look at what they are working on and find ways to make it better, even if they weren’t tasked to do so. He emphasizes that small companies absolutely must work this way.
Being independent is very important to James. The only funding the company has come from the players. He insists, “Our game is free and we don’t pressure players to spend money – if they think we’re doing a good job, they do. That is a hard business, and I wouldn’t suggest most people attempt it. But it is rewarding for sure.”
Creating AirMech as an indie project came about because they could find no one to fund it on terms that worked for them. So, since this is a game James had wanted to make for ten years, they simply did it themselves.
He believes keeping Carbon going for four years is the most impressive thing he has done with his career. Other highlights include being hired by Epic right out of school, when the company consisted of only twenty employees, being completely in charge of the main character on Splinter Cell 2, creating Fat Princess, and now, at Carbon Studios, creating AirMech. But he emphasizes that game development is relatively easy compared to running your own indie studio without outside funding.
The Opportunity in Challenges
James claims, “I’ve probably had a fortunate career in that everything that might have seemed like a challenge was really just a welcome opportunity for me.” Perhaps he also has a fortunate attitude! Still, he does worry about future problems that may occur, such as the possibility of needing to close Carbon Studios. He has been through this experience; his previous studios shut down, although this was not his decision. However, this led directly to creating Carbon Studios, so “It didn’t even register as painful.”
According to James, anyone interested in a career in the games industry should start by making a game and seeing how enjoyable it is to play. He points out, “Liking games does not mean you will like making games. If you don’t, then that’s a red flag that you should not join this industry.” He also notes, “It’s a brutal industry with below average pay for the hours you work, and less and less job security as time goes on.” However, there is greater security as a programmer, with greater job opportunities if it becomes necessary to change careers. And, as someone who started out as an artist, he asserts, “Don’t be an artist!”
The next exciting development James sees coming to the games industry is virtual reality. In fact, Carbon Studios is working on a VR title now.
James’ priority outside of work is his family. Carbon Studios keeps him so busy that free time is a rare thing, so any he does have he prefers to spend with his wife and children.
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