Sakurai shares thoughts on what makes a good game director

The latest issue of Famitsu has another feature from Sakurai. This time around, Sakurai discusses the factors he believes make for a good game director. Check out out a rundown of the feature below, courtesy of 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