Famitsu: Sakurai Shares What He Thinks Makes A Good Game Director

Famitsu has published another installment of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate creator Masahiro Sakurai’s weekly column for the magazine.

In this latest entry, Sakurai shares a few of his thoughts on the key attributes that he feels makes a good game developer, and what aspiring game directors can do to cultivate these skills.

Check out the highlights below, as translated by Sephazon and PushDustIn.

• Sakurai is often asked about game directors, and also asked the question, “I want to make games, so what should I study in the future?”
• Sakurai says these might be the most important frequently asked questions when one doesn’t have solid experience in game production
• Sakurai believes “sensibility” is most important
• He defines this as the ability to anticipate something that can’t be physically seen or a thought that isn’t on the forefront of the mind
• Having a detailed plan, the ability to convey ideas, teamwork, negotiation, communication, and judgement skills are also important
• Sakurai says these are skills that are learned naturally, but sensibility is not something that people can be trained in
• Game designers have their own individuality, and while skills can be taught, it’s impossible to learn a personality
• In his eyes, there isn’t one trait outright that all the game designers possess
• It’s important that directors are able to stay focused when being pulled in many different directions
• It’s not as simple as just pointing out areas that need improvement
• During a difficult development cycle, the director must prioritize and improve the areas that they can
• Sakurai thinks they must go beyond simple calculations, and instead focus on what would create the most fun
• If you would like to improve your sensibility, you should become acutely aware of what is fun and what creates positive feelings as well as understand your own merits

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.