Game Designer
A game designer plans what a game will turn out to be. They work out what a game will contain and how it will be played, then they plan each element of the game, for example, the game's setting and environment, the structures found within the environment, any characters, the overall story of the game, what kind of objects will be present and which ones will be intractable by the player, for example designing a car that can be entered upon pressing a certain button, would be planned by the game designer.
A game designers are employed by development studios and are usually formed into groups of game designers with one lead designer.
A game designer will need good communication skills and have the ability to work as a team. They will have to communicate with everyone working within that development team. They will need to have good written skills, be able to draw basic visual designs, be able to use 2D and 3D graphical software at a reasonable level and will need understanding of all the other processes of game design.
Game Designers are generalists, meaning not specified in any certain role, and are instead reasonably knowledgeable about all aspects of game design.
An example of a game designer Satoshi Tajiri, one of the game designers of Game Freak. Satoshi is known for working on the Pokemon games, and has been since the start, he was the Executive Director and the Executive Producer for many of the Pokemon games. He is one of the many faces of the series and appears frequently in Nintendo reveals about the game.
Level Editor
Level editors will create the interactive architecture for a game, this ranges from things like objects, to whole environments and buildings. When creating assets for the game, they will need to hold true to the design specification given to them. They will need to create assets to fit a certain criteria such as a 'Sci-Fi setting' for example, anything that doesn't fit the theme cannot be used.
Level Editors will first design the layout of their segment of the game by using 2D drawing software or drawing it on paper.
A Level Editor will need good layout design skills and have the ability to visualise their ideas into conceivable layouts for the game.
They will need knowledge of 3D modelling software and knowledge of the game design process.
They will also need understanding of programming and scripting language to work closely with the programmers aswell as the artists.
As usual they will need to have good communication and teamwork, aswell as being creative and have overall knowledge of the game design process.
Lead Artist
The Lead Artist is responsible for the overall visuals of the game. The Lead Artist will work closely with the Lead Programmer and the Lead Game Designer. They produce lots of the initial designs and artwork for the game setting standards and guidelines for the Artists to follow.
Lead Artists work closely with the Producer to manage a team of Artists and Animators whom produce the art assets for the game under their directions.
They will need to make sure that the Artists complete the work within the designated schedule and also within the budget they have to work with.
Lead Artists will need to have good communication skills, including being able to talk with the senior staff and having the ability to take on the leader role by being inspiration and have the ability to motive a large team in creating the artwork for the game.
They will have to have a clear understanding of all the roles involved within the art department and be able to oversee all of this to make sure that the team is on track in the direction they think the artists should be working towards depending on what game they are making.
Artist
Under the supervision of the Lead Artist, Artists will need to create 2D and 3D assets for their game. An artist will have a portfolio of creations that they have previously designed and created. With this they can have a specialisation such as being a 3D modeller who specialises in character creation.
There are different aspects of being an artist that you can specialise in.
One of these aspects is a concept artist, whos job it is to sketch ideas that will be created into 2D or 3D assets later on.
Another is a 3D modeller, whos job it is to create a 3D model based off of an idea or piece of concept art using 3D modelling software such as Maya and 3DS Max.
A 2D artist is also one of the specialisations in game art. a 2D artist will work on creating 2D textures to be mapped onto 3D objects, or sprites and environments for 2D games.
An artist will have to have their own art portfolio with demonstrations of their previous work and their own unique visible style.
They will need knowledge on the anatomy of characters and be able to convey facial expressions through art, aswell as having knowledge and understanding of architecture and how buildings are created in order to create their own realistic buildings.
Most of all they will need to be imaginative, paired with the ability to work on a specific style to create assets for a game within the allotted time frame, (for this they will also need to manage time well and have an understanding of the limitations of the process).
Artists will also need good communication skills as they will be working closely with other people in their team.
Animator
Animators are responsible in bringing the 2D art and 3D models to live be creating the movements and behaviours of the models. Animations or usually used with characters and anything that has a visible movement such as scenery like grass swaying. Animators create these animations using 3D animating software such as Maya. Animators work within the art department team of a company and work closely with the other artists.
Animators are also responsible for the technical processes of rigging and skinning their characters and models. They will need to create the character's bone structure underneath the model then attaching the appropriate body parts to each bone, making it easier to animate the model.
A good animator will be able to portray the movement of a character or object in an effective and smooth way which creates nice realistic looking movement.
Animators will need to have a good understanding and have lots of knowledge on different 3D and 2D animating techniques.
They will need to have a good imagination and creativity.
As they work closely within a group, they will need good communication and teamwork.
They will need to have knowledge of full motion video.
Audio Engineer
An Audio Engineer will create the soundtrack for the game. A soundtrack includes music, sound effects, ambient sounds, character voices and other various sounds for the game. They can use a method called Foley Artistry, which involves the use of real life objects and sounds in creating their own sounds from that by editing the sound waves using sound editing software.
Audio engineers can consist of one or two people, but also be a large group depending on the company and the type of game in creation. The creation of a game's soundtrack is a complex process as there are lots of different experiences the player will come across and the Audio Engineer will need to bring those experiences to life by making sure every detail of the game has the correct sound to go with it.
An Audio Engineer, will have t be able to compose and perform music, have sound engineering skills and to have knowledge of any tools and technology that might be used in the process.
They will need creativity to create sound effects that will fit the theme, setting, the type of environment and what type of game it is.
They will need communication skills to work with the programming and art departments and be able to pay close attention to detail to really bring a game to life with the use of sound.
Technical Development
Game Programmer
A game programmer are in charge of creating the code for a game. The code is the core of a video game and without it the video game would just be assets. The code brings everyone else's creations together to form a working game. Programmers will use their coding knowledge to write new code and adapting already written code to work with their project. They will perform tests on the code and fix any bugs they find. Developing customised tools for other members of the development team could also be one of the jobs of a programmer. The various types of coding programmers will have to create can be Artificial Intelligence(like making AI enemies move around and attack you), adding physics to the world (such as the gravity strength or having the ability to move objects around).
A Game Programmer will need knowledge in C++,C and various other programming languages depending on who the employer is and what their needs are.
Programmers will need to be organised and have the ability to create efficient code.
They will be working as a part of a team, thus also needing good communication and teamwork.
Most of all, programmers will need good problem solving skills and have the right attitude or they could struggle with the workload.
Lead Game Programmer
A Lead Programmer is responsible in creating all of the code used within the game by overseeing the Programming group and guiding them in the right direction. They are in charge and manage the overall coding process and will need to make sure that the Programming team get enough work done within the allotted time and with the allotted budget.
They will usually make a compilation of all the code created by the different Programmers to make sure that they are the correct quality and work together.
Lead Programmers will also manage the different builds of a game, to ensure that there are no bugs present and if there are find solutions to fix all of the bugs.
To be a Lead Programmer, you will need to be a good leader and have the inspiration needed to motivate the team to success. As well as this you will need to be aproachable, have good listening skills to make sure that everyone in the group gets a say in what they are doing, and have the ability to answer any questions that the team may have regarding their work.
You will need to have advanced programming skills and have knowledge of many coding languages (or specifically the one that the team is using).
Project Implementation
Project Manager/Producer
A Project Manager is responsible in making sure that the game is created and produced successfully within the time frame and within the budget given. They will control all the finances needed within the game development process aswell as any other resources needed by the team. They keep an overview of the entire process.
To be a Project manager you will need to be able to lead, inspire and motive the various teams working on the game.
You will need good leader skills to provide a strong leadership.
You will need excellent communication skills and presentation skills to show your team what needs to be done.
Assistant Producer
The Assistant Producer works with a game's production staff to ensure the timely delivery of the highest quality product possible.
Typically, they will focus on specific areas of the development process. This could involve handling the communications between the publisher and developer, or coordinating work on some of the project's key processes such as managing the outsourcing of art assets.
To be able to work as an Assistant Producer you will need to be able to work well as a team.
You will need to have strong communication skills, have a great understanding and knowledge of project management.
External Producer
The External Producer is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of a game, while working externally from the development team.
External Producers are almost always employed by a game publisher. Working out of the publisher's head office, they liaise between the publisher's sales and marketing departments and the game developer, which may be located hundreds of miles away.
External Producers need a clear understanding of the role, and the requirements the create of a game needs.
You will need a large passion for games themselves.
Like everything, you will need excellent communication skills.
Creative Director
The Creative Director is the key person during the game development process, overseeing any high-level decisions that affect how the game plays, looks or sounds.
Not all game companies employ Creative Directors. Some companies prefer to continue to split the duties between a game's Lead Artists, Lead Programmers, Designer and Producers.
Where the position is used, each game development team has its own Creative Director. Some highly experienced and talented Creative Directors oversee multiple projects.
You will need to be able to inspire artists, programmers, producers and marketing staff to make the highest quality product possible.
Also have a passion for games.
Have excellent communication skills so that you can talk to anyone you may need to.
Quality Assurance
QA Tester
Quality Assurance Technicians or Testers will be in charge of testing the game throughout it's development process to point out any bugs then debug the game and make suggestions to the team to help improve the quality of the game. They will report back on the playability and enjoy factor of the game then try to suggest ways to improve. QA Testers will work in teams, sometimes playing together if it is a multiplayer game and will have to test the game over and over to make sure it is fully refined.
A QA tester will have to have a very methodical and analytical mindset when approaching the tests.
Have a wide knowledge on other similar games and other games currently being produced to try and beat the competition their company will be up against. They will need a broad understanding of all the elements that make up a video game so that they can find flaws easier and suggest ways of improvements.
They will need to be able to play games for long periods of time, be patient and pay close attention to the details of the game.
Like all other roles, they will need good communication, however a QA tester needs excellent communication skills as you will be dealing with other members and possibly arguing over certain aspects of a game.
Business Development
Public Relations Manager
Public Relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organisation. Public relations managers help to clarify their organisation's point of view to its main audience through media releases and interviews. They observe social, economic, and political trends that might ultimately affect their organisation, and they recommend ways to enhance the firm's image based on those trends.
Product Manager
The Product Manager's role is to help create and implement marketing campaigns to maximise the sales of the games they are working on.
Working in the marketing team, they support the senior marketing managers who organise international or global campaigns.
Product Managers will need to have good communication skills.
Have strong negotiation skills in dealing with external partners
Have a good working knowledge of the games market.
Be able to manage a budget.
Marketing Executive
Marketing Executives undertake a wide range of activities to market the game to existing and potential listeners and clients. The aim is to increase brand awareness and loyalty, grow the audience and attract advertisers. This involves a range of analytical and creative marketing activities.
Marketing Manager
The Marketing and Publicity Managers' main responsibility is to convince the public that this is a 'must-play' game. Once Distributors have identified the target audiences and potential revenue, the marketing campaign should reach target audiences before and during game release. When the game releases, audiences’ interest should be at its peak. After release, the Marketing and Publicity Manager needs to increase interest in the game with more promotion and troubleshoot any problems.
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games
No comments:
Post a Comment