Is Jonathan Blow Right About Game Devs?

Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Are "actually good" game developers disappearing, or are bloated studios just hiding them behind bad systems? In this episode, Ben reacts to a clip of Jonathan Blow calling out the shift in hiring standards across game dev. Ben dissects Blow’s take on how massive AAA teams create artificial expertise, how Price's Law (the "Square Root Club") plays out in game studios, and why so many developers mistake organizational survival for real craft. He breaks down the friction between big-studio process and small-team problem-solving, offering a grounded perspective on what it really takes to survive the industry's massive recalibration. What You'll Learn: What real game development expertise looks like and how it differs from simply knowing how to survive inside a big studio Why scaling teams can hide who’s actually driving productivity How big-studio habits can make you complacent How to stay sharp as teams get leaner, and why adaptability becomes even more valuable in small-team environments How to protect your career from coasting and keep building skills that hold up beyond large organizational structures If you're a leader in game dev who is trying to raise performance bars without falling into toxic hiring traps, this episode is for you. 🔗Watch the original video here:    • Jonathan Blow on what "actually good" mean...   🔗Jonathan Blow’s YouTube Channel: ‪@jblow888‬ 🔗Jonathan Blow HighLights: ‪@JBH-p5b‬ Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn:   / benjamin-carcich   🔗BBG’s LinkedIn:   / building-better-games   🔗Instagram:   / buildingbettergames   🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube:    / @buildingbettergames   If you want help leading teams and studios to better games players love, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GameIndustry #GameLeadership #StudioManagement #IndieDev 00:00 What Actually Good Means 01:07 Square Root Club Theory 04:55 Who Is Really The Best 06:34 10X Talent And Metrics 08:04 Big Studio Skills Gap 12:27 Indie Versus AAA Reality 14:26 Leadership Accelerator Pitch 15:56 Actually Good Hiring Bar 19:49 Feedback And Defensiveness 25:50 Context Matters In Teams 28:17 Coasting Creates Bad Habits 31:59 Industry Contraction Outlook 34:13 Final Takeaways And Outro