1. Every person is assigned a specific task. Writers, artists, editors, composers, etc. and the workload is distributed evenly without becoming too much a burden on one person.
2. Allowing specialization of tasks allows people to focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses.
3. Working in a group, you can motivate/support each other to get things finished.
4. You can form friendships and develop connections.
5. You have a higher chance of completing the project.
6. It's more fun this way!
Or course, this isn't to say there aren't downsides.
1. Disagreements and arguments can arise, stalling development, or even potentially splitting the team leading to the death of the project.
2. Organization is more difficult to manage.
3. Easily distracted and unproductive discussions can disrupt progress.
However, there are still solutions to these problems.
The easiest solution would be to form a dictatorship, but there are consequences to this. Not taking into account of the other member's opinions will lead to a somewhat mediocre story, and will also create tension in the group. So the best solution would be to accept compromises; one that everyone can agree on. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but it's for the best.
Organization is key. There are a few tools that are very helpful.
- Skype: Our team constantly uses Skype. Whether it's to discuss the story, assign tasks, or just random chatter.
- Trello: Some people may not be familiar with Trello, but it's been extremely helpful for our story's organization. I highly advise anyone who's creating a visual novel (or for any other other organizational purpose) to consider using it.
- Google Drive: I can not emphasize how much this has helped us. It's a super duper collaboration tool!
As for the distractions, I can understand that being all work and no play isn't the way to go. Everyone needs to take a break from all of the work and chat about random things like goats, but of course, to a certain extent.
So in all, the advantages of having a team outweigh the disadvantages. I, myself, have learned this from experience.
I hope this "Off the Record" was helpful, whether it's for a visual novel team, or some other type of collaboration.
On another note, next week on the 21st of September, it will be Fallen Snow Studio's 6 month anniversary! Thank you all so much for supporting us this far in our journey. I can not express how grateful we are.
We're planning something very exciting for the next update, so we'll see you all until then! Take care!
~ David