Recently, I ran into an interesting explanation of how to distinguish a production process that’s complicated versus complex. A complicated process is a linear process that takes many steps to make, and each step is difficult in its own right. And a complex process is a system that consist of many simple modules, and it’s difficulty lie in the integration between these modules.
I learnt this definition from my Professor Peter Brinson, and he was teaching about game production process. For example, a narrative game would often be a more complicated process and is difficult to pivot once you get started. You can’t really pivot a story and expect to keep most of the script. Whereas, a platformer would be complex and easier to pivot half-way through. You can change your core mechanics and rest of your system would work just fine.
But I found these concepts are useful for other process too, like startups. Generally they can be divided into two categories. Those who tackle complicated problems (like semiconductors), and those who tackle the complex problems (like software).
