The Making of Prince of Persia

The Making of Prince of Persia is an eye opening insight into one of software development's toughest industries. The video game industry is legendary for its long hours, low pay, and stress due to strict deadlines. Mechner portrays the making of PoP in just that light. Beyond the creation of video games, the book also gives the reader clear insight into the qualities that breed success into a project despite hurdles and setbacks.

First, it's clear that PoP became a hit on its own merits, rather than Mechner's name or the any strategy from Broderbund. It's also clear that this success was due to the novelty and immersiveness of the game as well as the word-of-mouth marketing that it received.

Mechner's genius and work ethic shone through as well. It especially shined in the section where he had the epiphany that conflict is necessary in small doses throughout the game to keep the user engaged (subtle dopamine hack). Above all though, his hard work and sheer determination got the game finished. It's interesting to note that progress on the game did not really hit overdrive until others were brought to finalize things (QA, marketing, sales, etc). It's possible that the pressure to not let others down is what drove him to success with PoP.

Looking at the entirety of Mechner's work, he seems to have been a classic victim of his own success. His subsequent work on films and other video games did not live up to the hype that had existed for Karateka or PoP. It appears likely that this was because of the intense burnout caused by several years of hardcore coding. This likely meant he didn't have the same passion to devote to his future works, resulting in lower quality products.

The Making of Prince of Persia is a delightful window into history. Its lessons live on to this day. The biggest takeaway is to avoid overworking to the point where work is no longer fun. Instead, develop processes that can sustain long term success.