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Game Production

New
·

6 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Learn the art of Game Production from a AAA Game Producer

Hosted by

Andy Johnson

Head of Production - ex: Pokémon, Minecraft, King, Disney, THQ, Sega, Eidos

Last chance to enroll

2

days

13

hours

15

mins

Course overview

The ORIGINAL Game Production course is now on MAVEN

This is the 7th run of this course new to the Maven platform with over 250 students previously taught.


Whether you have game development experience or not, by the end of this course you'll have insight into the role and be able to talk from a position of understanding through experience.


Lessons take you step by step, through tried and tested process to produce a game.


Assignments use a safe environment of discovery and exploration to go through the steps to remake a popular title, with each assignment building off of previous decisions to simulate real-world game producer problems - with the goal being to learn from your mistakes and be able to think and talk like a professional Game Producer.


By the end of this course, you'll be thinking and talking like a Game Producer.

Who is this course for

01

Early Career Producers

who want to level up their skills to gain promotion

02

QA Leads or Testers

wanting to move out of the pit into Production

03

Lateral Movers

looking to transition into Game Development

04

Indie Developers

who want AAA insight and proven processes

What you’ll get out of this course

Rewire your brain to think like a Game Producer

This course will challenge you with dilemmas faced by the best Game Producers.

Understand Risk Analysis and Mitigation

Game Development is inherently risky, discover proven tools to identify and mitigate risks.

Intro to Agile & Scrum

Scrum in real world game development is messy, learn what does and doesn't work.

Learn how to Roadmap and Budget

Learn project planning and management methodologies used to ship games you've played.

Gain insight into Development Challenges of real Game Producers

Practice what you learned in a series of engaging assignments, designed to simulate real-world Game Production.

Access our Network Accelerator

Gain access to a dedicated Discord community of Game Producers and previous course alumni.

What people are saying

        Working for Gearbox now about 2 months post class and I seriously don’t think I would have been this successful without it! 👌🏻🔥
Ronnie Douglass

Ronnie Douglass

Art Production Coordinator
        This is a great course! It helped me break into the game industry. Highly recommend for anyone that is wanting to be in game production.
Nikolaus Martinez 

Nikolaus Martinez 

Game Producer
        Highly recommended to take Andy up on this. It's no exaggeration to say that what I learned in his course absolutely contributed to my earning a role in the gaming industry.
Joshua Warner

Joshua Warner

Project Manager - Customer Success
        The course was extremely helpful to gain a better understanding of development practices of the games industry. As a PM, it really helped me to change my mindset from a product manager perspective to become a producer in the near future.
Eduardo Souza

Eduardo Souza

Assistant Producer
        This course has been the best investment I've for my professional career. Andy is an AMAZING instructor. It turned out to be the best decision I've made. Andy is an amazing and compassionate instructor, and just overall great human being! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Andy
Phillip Steyn

Phillip Steyn

Game Developer, Digital Artist and Writer
        This was truly an amazing experience. The assignments were very well thought-out and I'm grateful for how well they simulated what one would do in a game production role. The community of students/alumni that the course fosters is also fantastic and it's great to be able to keep in touch with Andy and my classmates even after taking the course. 
Avineesh Kompella

Avineesh Kompella

Instructor @ iD Tech Camps
        The course was an amazing insight into game dev and production. 10 out of 10 experience for anyone desiring to enter game development.
Travis Pearsall

Travis Pearsall

Software Engineer
        For any of you wondering about this class - Andy is a great teacher. I've found myself constantly referring to his classes, lecture notes as well as my past assignments!
Zachary Lim

Zachary Lim

Producer, Art Director
        Loved being in this course! Keep up the great work Andy!!
Sagarika D Rana

Sagarika D Rana

Producer
        Can confirm that the course is fire and Andy is a great teacher!
Piotr Białoszewski

Piotr Białoszewski

Game Producer
        Andy's course was an awesome experience! I highly recommend it to anyone looking to step into a new role or just brush up on your current skills.
Jerry R. Vorhies

Jerry R. Vorhies

Producer
        Andy is amazing! I was in his first class and we still chat on avg once a month. Andy is warm, friendly, and super knowledgeable!
Matthew Birken

Matthew Birken

Lead Producer
        I highly recommend this course. Great instruction and instructor. One of the best courses I have gone through with awesome, real world examples and fantastic guest speakers.
Malachi Taylor

Malachi Taylor

Virtual Reality Project Manager
        I learned a lot; Andy is not only an expert on the subjects he mentions here, but an excellent and patient teacher as well!
Alex Lotz

Alex Lotz

Producer
        Andy's course was amazing! What I enjoyed the most was the great variety of real-life exercises! I loved that Andy deeply cared about students and gave detailed feedback. Thank you, Andy!
Oksana (Novikova) Willeke

Oksana (Novikova) Willeke

Project Coordinator
        A great course that I recommend to anyone that want to take their game production to the next level. Andy is an amazing instructor, funny, playfully and knowledgeable. From feature and benefits to roadmaping and risk management.
Jason Hoffman

Jason Hoffman

Business Owner
        Great course! Everyone that takes this course will learn so much about the process from a practical teaching. Andy is an amazing instructor with a lot of great stories and insight!
Tom Morris

Tom Morris

Technical Script Writer
        Great course. I learned so much about game production in general. It was great to get insight on the game production process, expectations and mistakes. It is definitely worth the time, money and effort to attend.
Ed Castro 

Ed Castro 

Senior Digital Strategist
        Overall excellent experience. Andy is a super engaging and personable teacher. He put together a really well-rounded curriculum that allowed him to share his expertise with us in a very comprehensive and hands-on manner. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in game production!
Kathryn Adler

Kathryn Adler

Production Assistant
        I loved the Game Production course!! Andy was such a knowledgeable teacher on all things game producer especially when our industry is constantly changing. I would say take this course to gain more knowledge of our industry and do your best to network with your fellow classmates.
Joel Villegas

Joel Villegas

Senior Quality Assurance Analyst
        Andy Johnson delivers a unique curriculum that teaches and then tests you to deal with a variety of production concepts and potential issues. He provided me with knowledge that will assist me on ANY production I might be a part of, not just video game development.
Havilah Farnsworth

Havilah Farnsworth

Full-Stack Software Developer
        Andy's Game Production class is top-notch. He smoothly transitions from the basics to advanced concepts you'll use daily. He's genuine, hilarious, and pushes you hard to succeed. You'll learn very quickly that Andy knows the ins and outs of game production. So, pay close attention! Take this class. You won't regret it!
Secret Passage Studios

Secret Passage Studios

Full Lifecycle Media Production

Meet your instructor

Andy Johnson

Andy Johnson

Head of Production: 30yr Industry Veteran

Videos Games is a hyper competitive, hit-driven industry, with massive competition for every role so YOU need to STAND OUT!


I've built successful teams and games at major game studios - Disney, Pokémon, Sega, THQ, King, Digital Extremes, Microsoft, WB Games, Eidos - so I know what is takes to be a top candidate and I'm here to help.


My passion, outside of developing video games, is knowledge sharing. I am the creator of successful courses including this Game Production course and Cheat Codes for Game Roles. I'm a regular guest speaker at colleges and events.


I'm a Game Production specialist who's worked on global best selling games. I'm a team builder, a mentor, a husband and a father, and I'm a gamer.


Check my LinkedIn profile here.

A pattern of wavy dots
Join an upcoming cohort

Game Production

Cohort 1

$1,200 USD

Dates

Oct 4—Nov 10, 2023

Payment Deadline

Oct 3, 2023

Don't miss out! Enrollment closes in 3 days

|

Bulk purchases

Course syllabus

01

What is a Game Producer?

A walk through of current game production roles to show there's more nuance than just "Game Producer".

  • The essence of a modern Game Producer
  • Different roles in Game Production
  • Hard and soft skills required


ASSIGNMENT #1: What kind of Producer are you - Self evaluation

02

Designing a Development Team

It takes a multi-discipline team to create a video game.

  • An introduction into development team disciplines
  • What are the requirements for a functional game development team
  • Development team composition


ASSIGNMENT #2: Design a Game Development Team to recreate a classic video game

03

How to Build a Project Roadmap

The roadmap has become the preferred method of tracking Game Development.

  • What is a project roadmap
  • How is it different to a project schedule
  • Why is the roadmap so popular
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the roadmap

04

Keeping a Project on Track

Understanding pitfalls, being able to read a project roadmap and pivot a team with minimal impact to schedule are all requirements for the modern Game Producer.

  • Budget and cost of Game Development
  • Introduction to non-linear project planning
  • How to balance iterative development


ASSIGNMENT #3: Build a project roadmap for your team

05

Fireside Chat #1

Ask your questions and gain valuable insight from a renowned industry Game Production professional.


  • Special Guest #1 to be announced

06

Fireside Chat #2

Ask your questions and gain valuable insight from a renowned industry Game Production professional.


  • Special Guest #2 to be announced

07

An Overview of Agile & Scrum

Scrum training takes ~16 hours, this is a condensed introduction to Agile and Scrum the most popular framework (mis)used in all development studios.

  • Why was Agile and Scrum adopted for Game Development
  • Overview of Scrum
  • Doing Agile vs. Being Agile

08

Real-world Scrum Implementation

Find out the major breaking points of Scrum in game development studios, understand what works and what doesn't in this high-level introduction to real-world Scrum implementation.

  • Scrum in real-world Game Development
  • The Game Producer and Scrum
  • Building out a Backlog


ASSIGNMENT #4: Build backlog items for your team to develop against

09

Uncovering Project Risk

Uncovering and managing risk makes or breaks a Game Producer.

  • What is risk
  • Is it inherently a bad thing
  • How do we identify risk in a project

10

Assessing and Mitigating Risk

The ability to assess and mitigate risks should be second nature to Game Producers.

  • Learn battletested methods
  • Understand how to assess and manage risks


ASSIGNMENT #5: The Curve Ball

11

Data and Reporting

Data, analytics and reporting are essential to modern Video Games, giving developers near-real-time insight into performance.

  • Understanding the state of your game
  • Project Status Reports, including templates
  • What are KPIs

12

Finishing a Project

The lead up to release and then release of your game are not the end - after release games require continued support

  • How to work with external, support teams
  • Working with QA
  • Finishing project
  • Managing stress while shipping a game


ASSIGNMENT #6: Supporting your Game Release

Course schedule

~90mins per lesson/~4hrs per assignment
  • Course runs

    October 3rd - November 9th

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays

    6:30pm - ~7:30pm PST

    Lessons begin at 6:30pm and run for 60-90mins depending on content and Q&A.


    Zoom will open 30 minutes prior for open office Q&A time to discuss students questions.

  • Project Assignment

    2-4 hours per week

    The assignments have been designed to be challenging with a learn through play methodology - no boring multiple choice here.


    Time required will vary by complexity of assignment and are dependent on each students understanding of the course work and how deep they want to go.

Game Development takes Team Work

Game Development takes Team Work

AMA Style Learing

This course builds on live sessions with AMA style format

Interactive and project-based

Work with your cohort to solve real world Game Production issues, make life long friends with common interests

Frequently Asked Questions

Why $1,200?
Why do you need this course?
Will the sessions be recorded?
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
What’s the refund policy?
How do I recieve reimbursement from my employer for this course?
Is there a certificate at the end of the course?
What happens if I can’t make a live session?
What happens if I can't complete the assignments?
QA Tester or Lead - what can I expect out of this course?
Transitioning to games - what can I expect out of this course?
Recent Game College Grad - what can I expect out of this course?
Is this course a good fit for Senior Producers currently in the industry?
What is a Network Accelerator / Alumni Discord?
I have more questions, who do I contact?
A pattern of wavy dots
Join an upcoming cohort

Game Production

Cohort 1

$1,200 USD

Dates

Oct 4—Nov 10, 2023

Payment Deadline

Oct 3, 2023

Don't miss out! Enrollment closes in 3 days

|

Bulk purchases

$1,200 USD

New
·

6 Weeks