Borderlands 2 Dev Says Freedom is Key to Developing Good Games

In an interview with Gamasutra, Gearbox level designer Carl Shedd talked a bit about how Gearbox's workflow style promotes good games. He suggested that freedom, passion, understanding and actually playing what you're making are key to making great games. "That's something with Borderlands 2 that we're always doing, we're always, constantly playing it,” Shedd says. “Really, you have to do that — experience it and understand where it's at, so you can get an understanding of where you stand."

Shedd says developers at Gearbox don't put their career ahead of the product, generally taking lead roles if it betters the game.

"You have people who will be lead for a project. Next project comes up, they say, 'I want to make some maps again. I want to get out of management and get my hands dirty,' and someone else will step in and take that. Everybody learns from that, and I think everybody can appreciate that lack of ego."

He mentions that there's both freedom and respect between developers at Gearbox, which allows games to become even better.

"We can move quickly when we need to make a change,” says Shedd. “There's some fluidity and freedom. There's a lot of trust at Gearbox with the talent, to let them make decisions in an instant that need to be made to make the game better. There's not a lot of bureaucracy in the way."

Shedd also says that management tries to let developers flourish and use their own talents. "Management is there to mentor us, and they guide us, but at the same time, there is a large amount of respect. I think Gearbox is great at listening to an individual's passion. They'll try to accommodate you, and if it's a fit, they'll go for it."

Their easygoing and flowing style is evident in their games, as Gearbox has shown it's not afraid to go down the road less traveled. When developers play their own game and are passionate about what they're doing, it shows in their work and pays off for everyone.

Do you think there needs to be more structure when creating a game, or do you believe more developers should follow Gearbox's example?