Cocodrilo Dog Games On Work Organization, Hiring Practices & Latin America Gamedev Market

Introduction

My name is Marge Torres, and I am the co-founder of Cocodrilo Dog Games. I was born and raised in Colombia, South America, where I completed all my studies, including my university degree. 

I joined the company in 2011. My inclusion in the company was due to my partner's desire to develop a video game, taking advantage of the mobile gaming development "boom" by the AppStore. Before that time, thinking about developing video games in a country like Colombia was impossible. In our time, developing a video game was a privilege for large developer houses such as Bandai, Konami, and Nintendo. We are pioneers in the industry in our country.

My partner had some savings and was able to develop a prototype of a video game that clearly showed what the final product would look like, from the game mechanics to the character design. The game showcased an innovative mix of genres: adventure and music, as it was about a ninja who defeated his enemies to the rhythm of the music, and it was called Audio Ninja. However, Juan Pablo realized that he needed more resources to truly achieve his vision.

That's where I came in as a co-founder. I have knowledge of business development and video game design. So we started planning ways to structure the company and obtain partnerships to develop Audio Ninja. After structuring the business, Cocodrilo Dog signed a co-production and publishing agreement. The game was published by Televisa in Mexico. Televisa is an audiovisual media company in Latin America.

In the year of its launch, Audio Ninja was featured several times in the main banners of the App Store, was No.1 in the paid music game category in 66 countries, and was No.1 in adventure in 23 countries. Audio Ninja was selected by Apple as a finalist for "Best Game of the Year" in Ibero-America.

This was not only a great milestone for the South American video game industry. We couldn't believe it. This marked the beginning of Cocodrilo Dog as a developer of interactive music video games, and since then, I have worked tirelessly to lead the company, not only from a strategic point of view but also in the production of our video games. 

Work Organization at Cocodrilo Dog Games

Even though we are a relatively small company, we have a whole team of professionals necessary to develop high-quality video games: a team of directors, development and programming, art (concept, 2D and 3D), animation and rigging, UI/UX, and QA and testing. We also have a team that helps us develop proprietary hardware. 

Since 2020 we have decided to work remotely. This has allowed us to have team members living in other cities and countries. Typically, we meet virtually with the team twice a day, in the morning and at the end of the day. This has enabled us not only to see how each team member's work is progressing but also to help each other out.

At Cocodrilo Dog, we strive to maintain an environment where we all get to know each other, support each other, and contribute ideas to projects. We make sure that all areas have time together to foster interaction and mutual learning. For example, an animation team member may have knowledge that is useful for someone on the art team, or a 3D artist may need to know how to optimize a model in terms of performance.

The remote work methodology has been very valuable for us since Cocodrilo Dog decided to expand its operation into Asia-Pacific. Juan Pablo, my partner, and I are constantly traveling between both countries, Colombia and Australia. However, although time zone differences can sometimes make things a bit difficult for us as partners – with meetings in the early hours of the morning or late at night – we are always ready to meet with our team on video calls without disrupting their schedule.

To maintain quick and efficient communication at all times, we also use instant messaging platforms like Slack and Discord. We use these platforms throughout the day, in addition to the two daily meetings I mentioned earlier. This allows us to quickly address questions, show work in progress, and make corrections efficiently.

In summary, although we are a small company, we have a complete team that communicates efficiently thanks to remote work and the digital tools we use. We also make sure that all team members can interact and contribute their knowledge and skills, so we all take ownership of the projects and do our best in the tasks we have to perform, each from our area of expertise. 

Gamedev and Digital Art Market in South America

The Latin American video game market represents 5% of the global market. We still have a long way to go, but I know we're on the right track.

When we started, as I mentioned earlier, there was no national industry of video game developers in our country. As an anecdote, I can tell you that sometimes when people asked us about our profession, they couldn't believe that we developed games. People in our country thought that we imported cartridges from big houses and sold them in a retail store.

It has been a little over a decade now, and today I can proudly say that the companies that took a risk to work in an area that was unknown in Latin America are like gladiators. Many of us have made our way from scratch, growing, and facing the difficulties and challenges related to creative industries with resilience, year after year.

With that, we have paved the way for new creative companies to form in the region. This led to the emergence of associations and more professionals interested in working in the area. As this interest increased, universities began to take the industry more seriously and started to offer formal careers and studies to professionalize developers.

Governments of South American countries began to create grants to support the industry with resources and mentoring. Today, the Latin American video game industry is consolidated. We have video game developers creating games in all platforms and genres. Some do work for hire, others work on their own IPs. There are cases of companies that have been acquired and others in the process of expansion.

Regarding the art market, I can say that Latin America has a large number of young and creative talents in the region, creating a solid foundation for the continuous growth of the market. Many of them work for important and renowned companies in both the region and exporting their services to North America and Europe.

Latin Americans are passionate about what they do, which makes them love their work. You can find highly polished artists in the region who work hard. It is common to find artists of different styles as varied as the cultural richness and creative talent in the region, which is one of its main strengths. 

One of the peculiarities of the game development and art markets is the abundance of talent in the Latin American region. This talent pool creates a solid foundation for continued growth in the industries.

Additionally, due to the difference in exchange rates between Latin American currencies and the US dollar, talent from the region is often very affordable for those looking to hire services or do business with Latam. 

Hiring a New Specialist

When hiring a new specialist, we prioritize the technical and artistic skills that are essential for the role. For instance, if we are hiring a game programmer, we would look for candidates who have strong programming skills, experience with relevant programming languages, and a good understanding of game engines and software development tools.

In addition to technical skills, we value passion in our team members. We look for individuals who are enthusiastic about their work and are motivated to learn and grow in their field. Passionate employees often bring a lot of energy and creativity to the team, which can lead to more innovative and successful projects.

Another important factor we consider when hiring is how well a candidate fits with our team culture. We prioritize hiring individuals who are kind, friendly, and collaborative. We believe that a positive and supportive team environment leads to better outcomes for everyone involved. 

Working with Beginners

At our studio, we understand that beginners may feel overwhelmed or uncertain when starting a new job. To ensure that they feel welcomed and safe, we provide a clear onboarding process that includes regular check-ins with the team leaders. We typically have two calls per day with our complete team, which allows them to ask questions, get feedback, and share their progress.

We also provide access to proprietary documentation, which helps new team members get up to speed on our tools, processes, and workflows. This allows them to work more efficiently and effectively and helps them build a common understanding with other teammates.

To further support our newcomers, we encourage our senior and mid-level team members to help mentor and guide them. This can include providing feedback on their work, answering questions, and offering tips and advice based on their own experience. This helps to create a collaborative team environment where everyone can learn from each other.

Finally, we are committed to helping our team members improve and grow in their roles. When we see an area where a newcomer could benefit from additional training or support, we offer guidance to help them strengthen that area. This helps to ensure that everyone on our team is able to contribute to the best of their ability and reach their full potential. 

Managing Burnout

We value the balance between work and personal life and ensure that our team does not overwork. During our first visit to Australia, we realized that this philosophy of balance is one of the economic and social pillars of Australian culture, and we were pleased to see that we were aligned with it since the beginning of our studio in South America.

In our approach, we respect people's time and strive to avoid our team feeling exhausted or tired, which could put their health or enjoyment of work at risk. To achieve this, we practice time management. What does this mean? We organize our time effectively to avoid procrastination and work more efficiently. Having a clear and realistic schedule makes it less likely to feel overwhelmed by pending tasks. By maximizing work time and minimizing distractions, you can be more efficient and avoid burnout.

However, we understand that there may be crunch periods where working excessively is required to achieve goals and meet delivery deadlines. Although we try to plan everything in advance, there are always factors that can change, such as additional requirements from a publisher. In these cases, we expect the crunch to be exceptional and not last too long. Additionally, we provide extra rest days to our team so they can recover and balance the time worked with personal time.

Freedom as Part of the Studio Culture

At our studio, we view freedom as a Power-Up that fuels our team's productivity and accuracy. We believe that giving our artists the freedom to bring points of view is essential to our success. Our team is made up of incredibly talented individuals who bring valuable ideas to our products, which many times are implemented. We encourage them to do so.

Working in video games requires a lot of hard work and dedication, so we welcome initiatives and ideas with open arms. We see our studio as a ship, and the more motor power it has, the faster we can reach our goals. Our staff has provided ideas that have been implemented in many areas, including character, props, environment design, game mechanics, UI, technical approaches to problems, and tool usage, among many others. These ideas have helped us to shape our titles in a better way.

We truly believe that when you have a talented team, it is wonderful to see how they can push the team in a positive direction. We are always looking for new ways to improve our games, and our staff has brought value to this area.

Cocodrilo Dog's Approach to Education

At our studio, education is not just an afterthought – it's an integral part of who we are as a company. We like to think that by investing in education and training, we can add value to the game dev community.

Over the years, we have had the privilege of training young students in Colombian and Australian universities. In addition, my partner Juan and I have worked with the Colombian government to provide mentoring to other video game companies in the country.

Sometimes we offer mentoring on video game production, while other times we provide guidance on business development to help companies that have already developed video games, to present their proposals to international publishers at events such as GDC and Game Connection.

We have also been game design teachers in Latin American academies and had the opportunity to participate in the writing of a book that the Colombian Ministry of Culture published for free to explain, in simple terms, how to develop video games for beginners.

Currently, Cocodrilo Dog is considering creating an online course on programming, video game design, and digital art, aimed at a children's audience that we’ll share with our community later. We are proud to say that education is part of our DNA, and it's something that we take very seriously.

When it comes to our staff, we believe in providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. If we know something that they don't, we make sure to teach them in case they need it. We also encourage our team members to share their expertise and transfer knowledge to one another, especially when there's a specific need.

Ultimately, we see education and training as a path to achieve wonderful things and grow both professionally and personally. We believe that when our staff is constantly learning and growing, we can achieve great things together. 

Tips for Artists Willing to Work at Cocodrilo Dog

At our studio, we highly value the creativity, versatility, collaboration, and professionalism of our artists. Creativity is fundamental to us, as it allows our video games to reflect a part of our artists' personal interests and tastes, and to infuse a bit of their soul into the final product.

Regarding versatility, we seek artists who are willing to learn new techniques and step out of their comfort zone. Recently, we released a game aimed at a very young female audience, and many of the artists who worked on this project usually illustrate dragons and warriors. Who would have thought? However, their talent and skills enabled them to create wonderful art suitable for all audiences.

Collaboration is another key aspect for us, so we value artists who are willing to work in teams and receive constructive feedback. At our studio, we encourage teamwork and effective communication, and we expect our artists to feel comfortable in this collaborative environment.

Finally, we expect our artists to be professional and work towards achieving the highest quality possible in their area. This involves not only focusing on the beauty of the artwork but also on the technique. For example, achieving optimized models that look like true pieces of art within the video game.

In these times of revolution in all industries thanks to the advancement of artificial intelligence, my advice to digital artists is to focus on developing their creativity and originality. It is important to seek a unique and distinctive style that sets them apart, like a signature type of work, as these skills cannot yet be replicated by machines.

For example, art of Banksy is so unique that although a machine can try to emulate it, it was already created by a human, an artist who captivates us. The same happens to one of the greatest South American artists, Fernando Botero. His style and work are so unique, that it doesn't matter if similar works are generated through artificial intelligence. His art will transcend generations.

Although we are all going through an unknown transition process, it is undeniable that these tools are here to stay. As artists, programmers, and developers, we have to start thinking that instead of seeing them as a threat, we must understand them as new tools. We need to enforce what makes us valuable as humans, keeping our originality and emotional expression. The special touch that we as humans have in conveying emotions through art is invaluable and should be cherished at all times.

Marge Torres, Co-Founder of Cocodrilo Dog Games 

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine