Update: PocketGamer.biz's ultimate remote working resource guide
Remote working. Once a pipedream, and still seen by many as barren territory, millions have been making the morning commute to their home offices, downstairs living room, or kitchen dining tables for well over a decade now.
But as we move into a new age of work, with the vast majority of people now working directly from their own quarters for the foreseeable future, we thought it was high time to compile a list of the best possible resources available to adapt to the ever-changing situation.
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These can either specifically apply directly to the games industry or can be broader looks spanning to all professions. Whether that be guides on how to organise your setup, common challenges faced, the right technology needed to perform all tasks, team-building exercises or how to manage your team from far away, we have everything covered - not only for the short-term, but for well after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
Throughout this guide, you will find PocketGamer.biz's round-up of the best articles, lists, walkthroughs, blog posts and videos accessible on the web today. Of course, we intend to update as the weeks and months roll on, so keep checking back as this page grows with fresh tips and ideas.
#1: Resources
July 8th, 2020
Remote Game Jobs has access to thousands of candidates for recruiters to find remote work and hire remote talents in the game industry. However, it's worth noting that there is a payment fee to post a job on the site.
10 Must-Know Slack Tips for Better Remote Work Communication
PCMag has penned a piece surrounding communication in Slack, such as specific channels, polls, keeping morale, emojis, and more.
Top 17 Remote Collaboration Tools and How to Develop One
Strategy consulting and technology provider Eastern Peak has provided a list of remote collaboration tools, from project management to video conferencing to file sharing.
World's Biggest Remote Working Experiment: What Did We Learn?
Recruiter Robert Walters has shared data gathered from 2,000 global firms and 5,000 professionals on what the key outcomes and learnings have been from the last few months of remote working via an extensive report.
Remote working is not going away: who wins and loses when workers stay home?
The Guardian posted a think piece with the question of the work-life balance very much at the centre. Stats, surveys, comments from industry professionals make up an interesting read about just where we may be headed with remote work and what needs to be addressed to make it work in the long-term.
Looking after your mental health while working during the coronavirus outbreak
The Mental Health Foundation has shared general tips on looking after mental health during these difficult times, including getting into a routine, IT and technology, using support, and keeping up the formal and social flow of work. There's also a downloadable guide.
7 Top Tips To Help You Start Your New Remote Job
With lockdown still a reality, Forbes has put together a handy guide full of tips for anyone beginning a new role, with a focus on communication, establishing relationships, progress, and more.
Why we need to drop the "remote": Five tips for digitally leading a team
Based on his experience, InnoGames studio director Christian Reshöf has compiled a list of the top skills and characteristics that become more important when working in a digital environment.
Remote Working: What we learned from the Working From Home PocketGamer.biz RoundTable
The PocketGamer.biz RoundTable sessions have now kicked off with the very first discussion, in collaboration with Tamatem, focusing on the coronavirus pandemic and the ways in which the games industry is adapting to it, along with a deeper dive into the world of remote working.
Challenges of Working Remotely
Skillsoft YouTube has posted a video detailing a number of common challenges faced by remote work, alongside advice on how to overcome these all too frequent problems.
Mark Zuckerberg talking about his approach to remote work
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg live-streamed his traditionally internal weekly company town hall sharing an update on his approach to remote work at the social tech giant.
May 18th, 2020
How to Enable Collaborative Game Development For Remote Teams
Software developer Perforce has laid out a collection of tips aimed specifically for teams of game developers, There's also an informative presentation of the whole document that goes through everything if preferred.
Transitioning Your Team To Remote Work
GameCareerGuide's feature on how to transition an office-based team to full-time remote working for the first time might not be the longest but the tips listed are all beneficial.
Remote work trend report: meetings
While not strictly a guide, Microsoft's trend report on remote working does give off some interesting stats and insight on people's preferred methods of communication.
How Blizzard, Ubisoft, and other studios went remote in the time of Covid-19
Taking examples from numerous top developers, Gamasutra spoke with a number of games industry workers about how they and their teams have made the jump to remote working and the lessons learned along the way.
Emotional checklist for remote working teams
GameLearn's checklist for team leaders is a very refreshing read which focuses on mental health in a big way that is being overlooked at times from companies.
The New Virtual World - A guide to online events
Tech industry veteran Marion Feldhofer posted an informative guide on how to successfully organise and run an online event, citing several examples - including PG Connects Digital.
A Complete Guide to Working from Home in 2020
Career advice platform Career Karma vast guide to working from home, includes myth-busters, different types of remote working, working styles, tips for succeeding, and more.
How to Make the Most of the Move to Remote Working
Small business specialist ByteStart has an interesting guide on how to take advantage of the remote working during these unusual circumstances. Mental health, tools and daily structure are all touched upon.
A Developer's Guide to Surviving the Coronapocalypse
Ziverge, a solutions provider tech firm, CEO John De Goes has written a guide for developers to help prepare for the oncoming months and life after the Covid-19.
How to Deal with Agile and Scrum in a Remote Environment
Custom software developer NetGuru details how to implement two of the most popular frameworks to help run a successful company - Agile and Scrum - when not in the office.
March 26th, 2020
Make remote work work - top tips from the games industry
The UK's games and interactive entertainment industry offers expert advice directly from games workers far and wide, including general tips, networking, clothing and mental health.
The seven biggest remote work challenges (and how to overcome them)
Online tool integration company Zapier talks about the biggest difficulties posed by remote working and the many common issues that occur when just starting out.
Working Remotely: Yes, It Sounds Good, But How Do You Actually Do It?
Gamasutra published a useful article on the realities of working from home by Midway and Maxis veteran Jake Simpson. The piece looks in detail at how game developers can set up a remote working-friendly ethos and how to make better games along the way. Though it was written in 2008, it does bring up a number of interesting points and proves that it's been done successfully for over a decade.
The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work
Software firm Miro has provided an extensive guide that is rooted in years of building a distributed team of 250 plus people (Miro has five office hubs across several time zones), and expertise from leading companies like HubSpot, Upwork, Pivotal, Automattic, AngelList, and Intercom.
It's an impressive amount of content that is regularly updated that includes everything from busting myths and team building to productivity and stats.
Working from home: your guide to the tech you're going to need
The Guardian discusses the importance of knowing exactly what equipment you will need, with expert advice on the best tech and broadband options.
Nine Team Building Games for Remote Workers
All-in-one employee app Connecteam has created a list featuring nine work-appropriate games for keeping morale high - even Words with Friends gets a mention.
Two weeks in: what we’ve learned about remote work
Microsoft 365 corporate vice president Jared Spataro's blog post on the biggest lessons learned in the two-weeks since his team went fully remote under the coronavirus epidemic gives some interesting insight and valuable lessons learned.
The Future of Remote Work is Now – Tips for Remote Staffing
Cloud company Bullhorn has put together a remote working tips piece written from a freelancer's perspective, which includes stats, factors to consider and staffing up.
The Verge has a thorough read that is split up into three sections: Tech strategies, Staying Sane and Furniture and Gadgets.
Zappier offers recruitment advice for hiring remote workers. Everything from posting the job to the interview process to actually making a decision is covered.
Guide to keeping your remote team connected in times of crisis
Quartz has a dedicated guide to remote working during the Covid-19 outbreak that has plenty of detail and strategies, though a subscription is needed.
Remote Development - How to Work Effectively from Long Distance
Educational channel Extra Credits has a video dedicated on how to work effectively from long distance in the games industry from 2016 that still applies today. The YouTube channel itself has over two million subscribers, so they must be doing something right.
Working From Home Survival Guide
Sticking with Extra Credits, the channel recently hosted a podcast where they discussed tips on how to maintain productivity and self-care while working in the same place that you sleep.
Working from home tips for 2019 (10 proven tips for productive remote work)
Better with Phoebe uploaded a video discussing her six years as a US-based remote worker that has received lots of praise. The video talks about routines, exercise and more
Remote Work How To: Tips For Managing A Remote Team
Trello head of marketing Stella Garber spoke about management tips for dealing with a team remotely via a presentation at Trello Day 2018, utilising stats, figures, and experience taken from all employees.
#2: Remote Working: Jobs in Games
To highlight some of the brilliant work that goes on behind the scenes, as well as how employees around the world are adapting to the life of remote work, PocketGamer.biz is reaching out to the individuals who make up the games industry in our Jobs in Games: Remote Working series.
See below for the complete list:
Tencent data scientist Jia Wang on running operations from her bathroom
Tencent Games North America data scientist Jia Wang explained how she is conducting research, analysis, building out the North American data science team all while functioning as a full-time parent.
How Luna Labs CEO Steven Chard runs the company across London and Minsk from home
Luna Labs co-founder and CEO Steven Chard talked about the positives and negatives of running a playable ads firm from two different countries.
Supercell's Hay Day Pop designer Ayushman Datta Gupta on developing games from home
Games designer and puzzle designer Ayushman Datta Gupta revealed how he is working on Supercell's upcoming game, Hay Day Pop.
Jessica Sundell on her journey from Angry Birds to The Walking Dead to Hatch Kids
Hatch Entertainment lead product designer Jessica Sundell spoke to us about her time in mobile development that has lasted over a decade so far, with roles at Creative Agencies, Rovio, AMC, and now Hatch.
Pixel Federation co-founder Lucia Šicková on the "rollercoaster of Zoom"
Pixel Federation co-founder and chief learning officer Lucia Šicková detailed her experience of getting to grips with constant Zoom meetings, alongside acting in an advisory role in a number of education-related organisations.
Clipwire Games' James Aiken on developing from home after just relocating
Clipwire Games software developer James Aiken discussed his experience of moving cities for a new role only to be immediately met by lockdown and how he is still yet to meet his colleagues in person.
King senior level designer David Brigg spoke about how he is running live operations for Candy Crush Jelly Saga in the middle of a global pandemic.
How Rovio's design director Timothy Coolidge is operating from his 10-year-old son's bedroom
Rovio design director Timothy Coolidge detailed his shift to working from home in Finland and why he wished he hadn't taken over his son's desk to work from.
How Kolibri Games' Sebastian Reuther is dealing with QA from home
Kolibri Games QA lead Sebastian Reuther spoke with us regarding the development of Idle Factory Tycoon as well as the biggest advantages and disadvantages of remote working.
How an all-day "Zoom room" is helping Tag Games to communicate
Following this, we spoke with Tag Games producer Lauren Davidson who shared a number of tips, including how the team is communicating better through an all-day "Zoom room".
How NaturalMotion’s Tobi Fink is marketing CSR Racing from home
Next up, we spoke with NaturalMotion senior product marketing manager Tobi Fink, regarding the top-level marketing and communication strategies for the Custom Street Racing franchise.
How Dan Sturman went from researcher to Roblox CTO
We then spoke with we spoke with Roblox chief technology officer Dan Sturman, who is I'm responsible for leading the company's effort in building the Roblox platform.
How Wooga's Marco Rizzotti is developing character designs from home
Wooga senior 3D character artist Marco Rizzotti spoke about how he is developing character designs from home. This includes the handling of the entire pipeline of the 3D characters, while closely collaborating with the character concept artist, writers and tech department for the implementation into the game.
#3: Games Industry Remote Working Survival Group
You can read articles and watch videos until the cows come home, but sometimes you just need other human beings to talk to and discuss ideas with.
We're helping to fight the remote working blues with our Games Industry Remote Working Survival Group over on Facebook, where you can chat with other people in the industry who are in the same boat.
There's already discussion on there about how to set up informal, fun chats online when work gets too much, along with pictures of people's home working setups - and some mishaps with small, furry "colleagues" that like to get in the way of the webcam.
If you need a place to chat about your remote work blues and pick up some tips on how to beat them, check out the group on Facebook. All we ask is that you confirm that you're actively in the industry, and that you're currently working remotely, and you're in. Easy!
