Mailbag #3: “What is Imo Team?”
imo team is the studio that created the game hello girl. in reality, imo team is three weird girls in a bedroom, on a desk, on the floor. for a short time, imo team existed. and a game was made.
imo teams success was dependent on a handful conditions. being able to have daily meetings, point at things we like– and don’t like. the game would not have existed without this environment. like many other startups we have had to adopt to a remote-first approach and, it’s been hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!
due to a variety of conditions, the majority of projects do not ever escape the graveyard of ideas. it’s easy to think of sentences, settings, themes. mulling around on some “that would be nice” is a core part of the human experience. seeing things through, though, is harder. pulling all of those sentences–settings–themes together, you may find that they don’t work together in the way you think. you may not know how to realize your vision, no matter how grand it is in your head. most projects end up failing. i was acutely aware, and i wasn’t going to let that be me!
the more trained you are in a particular art, the more you can bring to life. new paths become visible that weren’t previously. it’s like climbing a mountain. you keep finding new peaks beyond what seemed like the last one. there’s so much more than you thought! but now that you’ve seen it, you know that you can go there. with confidence, you increase your scope a bit. the story gets a little longer. the bar for visuals get set higher. a few more people were added to the roster. the expectations are many. you may find yourself dipping a little under the surface sometimes. it can feel like you’re failing. and that can be scary. art doesn’t have a well-defined process. it changes depending on who is answering the question. so can you blame me for feeling i’m not on track?
my day job has helped me learn how to work with others. that has been really helpful for this project, and for optimizing my life in general. but most things that you learn about leadership are based around maximizing capital, and not making powerful art. so when you’re not driven with an express purpose of cash money, it can often feel like things can’t be solved how you expect. but you are invested in it, so that can be… crushing. the way out shrinks. i detest the idea that failure is an option.
i get attached to particular sentences–settings–themes. stubbornness might be my worst and best aspect as an artist. i’m stubborn about seeing it through, that mettle is needed to get it done– but that sword can also turn around and stab me. a draft being seen with critical eyes when you’re in a bad mood. i wrote a thing that sucks, even when trying my hardest. i maybe even thought it was good, a little. ouch!
the term “forever project” has been echoing in my head recently. a project that gets on its way to get started, but ends up in development hell. maybe the scope was too big. maybe the core idea doesn’t hold up. it might end up being finished one day, through grueling work, but probably not, right. even if it does… can you even call that good?
i was lost. but i kept writing. because i wanted so badly for the next path to open up. i wanted to see that next peak. if only i got there… then…
i think being an artist is really not that different from being completely crazy.
i’ve learned wisdoms over the years to adjust myself. if things are too perfect, you’ve spent too long worrying about the details. if you output things without too much of a filter, you’re likely to cut yourself on your own words. enough hard lessons may end up looking like a balance, but they don’t really indicate truth. they’re just things that worked once or twice. it’s good to remember that you really don’t know anything.
we had a good conversation today. some long overdue frustrations with the project were exchanged. it’s okay to cut the stuff you hate. it’s okay to only write the parts you like. it’s okay to call it a day! the water only goes up to your knees, so keep walking.
these wisdoms are what your team is for, so don’t lose sight of that.
our conversation essentially amounted to a restart of the way we work. relying on me to do most of the writing has left the team feeling a outside the project, and that’s not imo team. it’s not even the game i want to make. i don’t even think i can make that game. i’m just a swiss army knife, after all.
love and peace. hug your girlfriend.
– meri
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