BioWare Interview
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Muzyka and Zeschuk's experiences in the medical field have carried over into their roles as business leaders as well. Zeschuk says that, like videogame development, "medicine is a team endeavor." Ray also points out that crucial to both professions was "recognizing you may not know everything, but that it's okay, you just ask for help." Ray attributes part of BioWare's initial success to accepting this reality from the outset. "With our first two titles no one had ever made a videogame before. We just assumed, 'We don't know what we're doing, but we're going to figure it out and try to make a great game.'"
Their medical careers also serve to keep the rigors of the game industry in perspective. "The challenges you face developing videogames aren't life threatening like some of the medical stuff you do. So it really makes some of those game challenges seem a lot less dangerous," says Zeschuk. There is a similar phrase that seems to have spread over much of the working world: "We're not saving lives, it's just [insert profession of choice]" has become a limp platitude used after stupid but forgivable mistakes. But to hear the idea confirmed by a doctor, who has lately become a leader in a particularly vital business, lends it some weight and significance. For Muzyka and Zeschuk, the process of developing a videogame is akin to practicing medicine in that they are both processes larger than one doctor's abilities or one designer's talent. "[Medicine] shows you how important all the stakeholders in a process are" says Muzyka.
