BEING A VIDEO GAME COMPOSER MEANS COLLABORATION

VIDEO GAME COMPOSERS: DON’T BE AFRAID TO GIVE & COLLABORATE

We think so much in terms of what we can get these days, especially when it comes to money.

In a big way, broadly speaking, I think the spirit of collaboration has taken a back-seat to the urge of personal success.

We’re encouraged to think in terms of reciprocity by the predominant culture.

There’s a stark contrast between the attitude of musicians in a local community in my home-town and the attitude of musicians in the big money music industry.

At my local ‘gig club’, the spirit was one of collaboration.

People acknowledged their influences and where they would take ideas from and yet there was an understanding that your contributions were your own.

These days, you only have to look at the myriad accusations of plagiarism when people attempt to pass others’ ideas off as their own without actually giving credit to the creatives who’ve influenced them.

The attitude is one that I think we see all the time. Clambering over each other to get what we want.

But then, to be fair, why wouldn’t people be like that?

This kind of an attitude, and the very worst humanity is capable of, is often encouraged in our society, if not actually rewarded.

Real connection, offering support and encouragement, showing up for the people you connect with and giving what you can goes a long way.

It puts our common humanity and collaboration first and relegates the self-serving grappling that probably quite often puts people off working with us anyway.

It’s about letting your human values prevail over your desires for personal gain, without negating the need for mutual gain as a necessary outcome of collaboration.

• It’s a big part of why I’ve set up my tiered pricing approach the way I have on my site – so whatever level developers are at with their funding, as long as they have *some* funding, I can help them in one way or another.

I do believe that, instead of *only* thinking about what you can get back, it’s much better to think in terms of collaboration and giving support.

If that’s an attitude everyone involved takes, then people feel valued and energy otherwise expended on protecting your own interests can go towards realised shared outcomes.

Perhaps that’s easier said than done. I know we’re not all in the position where we feel we have all that much to offer, before reaching our limits.

I know, from my own personal experience, how hard it can be to feel ready to give when your bucket feels empty.

Professionally, I do believe that, instead of thinking *only* in terms of taking/being taken from, things improve for everyone when, as self-possessed individuals who recognise we have something of value to offer, we think in terms of collaboration and sharing in our mutually desired outcome.

That way, we can lift each other up as we all go onwards towards those things that matter most to us all.

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