It's About Failing - D.I.C.E. 2012

The D.I.C.E. Summit hasn't been short on characters delivering sessions on the state of the game industry. Immediately following a talk delivered by Valhalla Games' resident cowboy Tomonobu Itagaki, one-time Navy SEAL and current 3SJ Tactical Solutions managing partner Isaac Gilmore took the stage.

Gilmore's presentation was rooted in the virtues of failure. He explained how giving individuals the latitude to fail is of the utmost importance for overall success. However, allowing for failure can only be achieved with the right corporate culture.

Building the best culture is a matter of selecting individuals of the right caliber, ones who will gladly help one another in a time of need. Also, he said it's important to keep in mind that these people may not always be the most qualified. In fact, it may be necessary to get rid of the most qualified people, if they do not fit in with the culture.

Once this culture is achieved, managers can then do their best work by focusing on the grand scale of the project, instead of micromanaging employees.

The D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) is a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. It is organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and hosts the annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which celebrate the best games of the past year, as voted by AIAS members. Comedian Jay Mohr will return to host the awards show, which takes place on February 9.

For more, check out GameSpot's coverage page, which will feature full video of every panel and keynote address from the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit.