Avoiding the Donna Karan Delusion

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Out of the blue, I received a call about my game testing services.  The caller explained that he was new to the industry and wasn’t sure whether I was the right person to be contacting.

 

Turns out I was the right person just insofar as I could explain to him why he wasn’t going to need me or any other contractor to perform what was essentially game certification (think GLI, NJ DGE, etc.).

 

What so very much impressed me about the caller was his openness to learning and how well he seemed to be avoiding the Donna Karan Delusion.

 

Unfortunately, I have seen the Donna Karan Delusion played out on an almost yearly basis.  This is where a manager or executive without gaming experience is brought into the industry at a decision-making level. Their thought process is something along the lines of:

New Exec:    I am a smart person.  I went to college. I’ve succeeded in business and my career continues to advance.

 

This is all fine, good, and likely true.  Also true are observations like:

New Exec:    Relative to consumer video games like GTA or Call of Duty, slot games are ridiculously simple.  Fisher-Price simple.

 

But then comes the erroneous and extremely damaging conclusion:

New Exec:   Slot games are so simple, a truly smart person like me can do this job without the interference of underlings, who clearly can’t be as smart as me because I’m their boss.

 

While the complexity of the game components needed for a game like Wolf Run or Buffalo pales in comparison to technological marvels like Assassin’s Creed or Crysis 3, this doesn’t mean that slot machine success is simple or that an industry outsider can simply intuit what is important.

 

It is this logical trap that I describe as the Donna Karan Delusion. Donna Karan is the “DK” behind the very successful DKNY fashion line / clothing stores (www.donnakaran.com/).  Imagine same-said manager/executive joins a fashion firm instead of a gaming firm.  This same-said smart, educated, professionally successful person could just as easily conclude that:

New Exec:      Clothing design is simple.  What’s so hard about designing a skirt?  My 8-year-old could design a skirt.  Anyone can design a skirt.  I am certainly smart enough to design a skirt.  And there’s nothing magical about color selection.  My eye is a good as anyone else’s…

 

Though I’ve known quite a few people in the fashion industry, I have never heard or read of newbie managers trying to derail and derate the intrinsic value of fashion-industry design experience.   I think this is because pretty much everyone understands that clothing is more than a utilitarian commodity.  There are components well beyond simple practicality and economics behind people’s clothing and accessory purchases.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to slot machines and other gambling offerings, it appears that the non-playing public does NOT have the same awareness.  Thus, many entrants to the gaming industry are mostly unable to appreciate the “fashion-industry” / “entertainment industry” elements inherent in slot game acceptance.

 

The person who called me about game-testing doesn’t seem to be falling into this trap.  I expect that his open-mindedness will lead to great success. 

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