Rhapsody in yellow

A fascinating interview with Toru Iwatani about what went right and what went wrong in designing and developing Pac-man:

Unlike the large-scale projects most developers work on today, our team consisted of a mere five members, so it was easy to control workflow. Communication problems and team chemistry were not an issue, since we were all so close. In order to effectively manage a large project, everyone on the team needs to think somewhat along the same lines—to work toward a common goal.

If you leave out the communication aspect, your team will fall apart. The process of making games today is much more complicated than it was in the Pac-Man days, so we were able to thrive with a very lean development team.

If there is one thing I have learned to prioritize in 25 years in the game industry, it is communication. When in doubt, communicate! Never, ever, leave your team members in the dark. Even if you're busy, even if you have nothing new to report, even if you're feeling guilty or ashamed that you haven't completed something on schedule, communicate!