VIZOR: Working Culture and Team Dynamics in the Post-COVID World

VIZOR

80.lv: Please introduce yourself. How is work organized at Vizor Games? Could you tell us about different teams? How do different teams communicate with each other? Could you also tell us about the projects you are proud of?

Alina Bliznetsova: My name is Alina Bliznetsova, and I am the Art Manager of the 2D Casual Department at VIZOR and Art Director of ARENA (VIZOR's as yet unpublished project).

Here at VIZOR, we make games for social platforms, mobile devices, and consoles. Each project has its unique characteristics (different genres, game mechanics, key features, and visual styles) and is developed by dedicated teams who work autonomously. This helps products reach their objectives fast and saves time on any external approvals or bureaucracy-related delays.

To make sure we still get invaluable feedback from our colleagues, we promote horizontal cross-project communication, hold regular meetings for project managers, art leads, and producers, and organize in-house conferences, lectures, and streams for all employees. It allows us to exchange experience, discuss news and work plans, and keep up-to-date with the latest developments. We believe well-timed and transparent communication is the key to a good product. The more questions we discuss at the beginning, the fewer mistakes we will make, and the higher the quality of the product will be.

Within the art teams, we’ve always been communicating actively. Since we switched to remote work, communication has become even more important. To keep in touch, we use messengers, daily calls, and syncs. You could say that now we talk even more often than before the COVID-19.

As for the products, we are proud of all our games: each one has its own visual style, atmosphere, and universe. Our flagship game is Klondike Adventurers, the mobile version and prequel of our social game Klondike: the Lost Expedition. We are as pleased with another social hit Knights & Brides, and quite excited to see Atlantis Oddysee winning the hearts of players. We have a few exciting new titles coming up, but we cannot share any details. Not yet.

Hiring New Specialists

80.lv: What skills do you consider when hiring a new specialist? Are there any particular soft skills that are important to your team?

Alina Bliznetsova: After two years of the pandemic, remote work has become the norm and communication skills took on new significance. The ability to talk, listen, and perceive information combined with good teamwork ultimately leads to the birth of a quality product.

Another important skill is flexibility. It is very important to listen to feedback and draw conclusions from it, to adapt to the requirements of the project and to changing conditions. Flexibility allows to reorganize quickly, as well as helps to avoid burnout and stress. 

At VIZOR we appreciate the initiative and willingness to improve and optimize processes. Learning ability is also very important as our employees are willing to learn and ramp up their skills.

When it comes to art, your formal education, background, and even achievements don’t matter too much. We don't care about the degree. All that matters are skills, desire, talent, and so on. We often hire people from fields that are not related to art, for example, finance or medicine. We look at all the portfolios and sometimes find true masterpieces. If a person wants to be an artist and is ready to learn, then we will help them pursue this dream.

Helping Newcomers

80.lv: How do you make sure that beginners feel welcomed and safe at the studio? How do you help them build a common understanding with other teammates?

Alina Bliznetsova: On the first day new hires get to know the entire team and are added to all the chats, task managers, and work environments. In the first days, a dedicated mentor helps newcomers adapt and learn the ropes. The most important task of the mentor is not only to tell and show the newcomer how everything works but also to help them feel welcome. The team leader also works closely with new employees, filling them in on the project specifics. 

We understand the importance of both formal and informal communication, and we keep a regular schedule to make sure every team member understands the goals and has an opportunity to share their concerns. In most art teams the schedule looks like this:

• Daily meetings for artists on task statuses;
• Weekly meetings with the Art Director and Art Team Lead;
• Art retro at the end of two weeks of the team's work;
• Monthly art review with the whole team of the project.

We actively follow the games market, analyze and admire the work of our competitors, play new titles and watch game streams. It’s very important to stay well-informed about the industry.

Managing Burnout

80.lv: How do you manage burnout? What strategies do you use? Let’s say there’s a super important project with tight deadlines, so the team can’t take a rest. What do you do to keep their mental health balanced?

Alina Bliznetsova: We take burnout seriously. The first and most important thing is to identify potential burnout. The sooner you start dealing with it, the faster you overcome it. We encourage our employees to speak openly about their mental health issues, but we understand that some people find it hard. That’s why we teach our managers to watch for the following signs of burnout: if a person seems to lose their motivation, keeps losing focus and finds it hard to concentrate on daily tasks, regularly runs late or misses work, shuts down or detaches from the team, it may be time to have an open conversation.

As for the assistance our employees can expect, getting professional help is the first step in dealing with burnout: our company benefits include psychological counseling. Stepping back and taking time off can be quite effective, and we urge employees to take vacations regularly, and in case of burnout, unscheduled vacation time can be arranged. Sometimes changing the project or transferring to another team gives employees the much-needed break from routine, and promotes the horizontal communication we’ve talked about. 

Since we switched to remote work, we realized how important human connection is. It is vital to remember we all are humans, we all have our ups and downs, problems and triumphs. Seeing people for who they are, addressing their needs, and supporting them is possibly the most important challenge the managers are facing. After all, it’s the people who make VIZOR so great.

When it comes to deadlines, we prioritize quality over quantity. We set deadlines based on the team and artists’ level, estimating the time it would take them to complete the task without being rushed. Naturally, we keep an eye on the industry standards, but the quality of the art and the artists’ well-being take priority.

Creative Freedom

80.lv: Do you consider freedom an important part of your environment? Can artists suggest new strategies and workflows? Can they affect strategic decisions?

Alina Bliznetsova: Freedom of initiative is one of the core VIZOR principles. Any employee can suggest and help implement new ideas, change workflows or even adjust business processes. All you need to do is explain how and why this change may benefit the company and the employees. We strongly believe working smarter, not harder, is the right way to do things. 

Education

80.lv: How do you approach education? How do you train your staff and motivate them to level up?

Alina Bliznetsova: As I said, desire and the ability to learn new things and adapt to new challenges is what we value in our employees. Industry conferences, various training, courses, and seminars are fully or partially compensated by VIZOR. As part of our knowledge-sharing program, we organize webinars with recognized industry speakers as well as our colleagues who are experts in their fields. And to have fun and shake things up a bit, we have in-house game jams with prizes, etc. 

Team Dynamics in the Post-COVID Situation 

80.lv: What's your take on the COVID situation? How did it change your team dynamics? What did you have to modify?   

Alina Bliznetsova: COVID-19 and switching to remote work changed the way VIZOR operates. We had to leave behind spontaneous brainstorms and friendly banter by coffee machines, team lunches, game time, and parties. All these small things turned employees into friends and colleagues and helped newcomers find their footing in a new environment.

To make up for the loss of this friendly, easy-going atmosphere of our offices, we set even higher store by human connection. We found ways to keep informal communication active and made sure no one feels left behind. We’ve changed the onboarding procedure to offer even more communication with HR specialists, managers, and the team. To keep our epic parties alive, we organized two remote talent shows with our employees signing and dancing and hosting the event. It showed us our friends in a completely different light, and I can personally say I’ve never been so inspired. 

Another crucial part of our internal communication is corporate social responsibility projects that help employees feel proud of their colleagues and VIZOR. We primarily focus on helping childcare homes and establishing STEM classes in small village schools. Our employees sometimes teach classes there or visit with lectures and presents.

Advice for Artists

80.lv: Could you share some tips for artists willing to work at your studio? What should they focus on? 

Alina Bliznetsova: Make your portfolio as accessible as possible: share it where it's easy to find (Behance or Artstation). Select your best artwork. Instead of posting 10-12 illustrations, choose 2-3 works that represent your style best.

Be willing to communicate as openly and honestly as we are. 

Along with interesting tasks, a pleasant atmosphere, and your contribution to the common cause, working at VIZOR also means learning new things: technologies, tools, styles, approaches, etc.

Alina Bliznetsova, Art Director and Art Lead at Vizor Games

Interview conducted by Arti Burton