What are the different professions/specialties in game industry?
Updated: Jul 27, 2018
The game development industry is one of the most robust and constantly advancing industries in the world. The world of game development is the realm where passion takes life. Acquiring and updating the skills is the most important key, but"The single skill which ALL game industry professionals must possess is a passion for playing video games" (Mencher, 2003, p. 37).
The possibilities and job opportunities it offers are countless. The intention of this blog is to mention and briefly explain the most commonly available placements and specialties in the industry.
Art director or Lead artist is the one responsible for the overall look of the produced game. And lead artist is the one who sets the target and standards of the created assets and artworks created by the game artist.All visual components of the game like assets, 3D models, character, vehicles, props and texture for the game is developed by the Game Artist. The creation of concept arts and storyboard also come under game artists.
Design and depiction of actions and behaviors in the game is done by Game Animators.
Game artists designs the character animation and animation during cut-scenes. Designed animations should be developed by having a clear understanding about the possibility and limitations of the specific game engine used.
The creation and planning of game levels using the 3D assets developed by game artists and the targets placed by Creative director come under the job Level Designer. The collection, production, mixing and editing the necessary sounds effect, music, ambient sounds and character voices for the game come under the responsibility of Audio Engineer. Mostly requirements for the audio assets will be put forward by the game designers and animators.
The visual style and quality of the game is constantly monitored and guided by the Creative director to achieve the decried look and appearance of the game. Creative director also analyses game feels and sounds of the game as well.
The play experience and the core elements of the game play is set and designed by Game Designer. Game designer is the one who decides the approach of design and implementation of the theme in the project.
Lead Programmer is the one whose responsibility is to leads and set the target for the team of game programmers who develop functional infrastructure and the computer codes for the game. "Knowing how to code in C and/or C++ is a basic requirement of all game programmers." (Mencher, 2003, p. 39). Game Programmer writes codes in any of the computer languages like C++, C#, java or python. The code is written to facilitate game play and to make the game interactive to the user. The appearance and feel of the substances and textures in the 3d world is generated by the shader code which is written by a Shader Programmer.
"The Project Manager or Producer is assigned to the project to produce a task list and schedule for the development of the game. This person manages budgets and ensures the creative intent of the game is maintained throughout the development process." (Mencher, 2003, p. 13). There are many other jobs and opportunities in game industry and mentioning all those is out of the scope of this blog. The above mentioned are the most common once.
Reflections
Researching the topic gave me the clear picture about the possibilities and opportunities offered by the game industry. I was also able to cross check the skills I have and the skills necessary to be fit for the job I would like to acquire and do which is game programmer. From my study I was able to understand that the main skills a game programmer must have is the ability to pre-plan the execution of the job before coding begins.
Fortunately game industry is getting bigger and complex, so are the opportunities it provides. I was someone who loved natural philosophy or physics. taking a turn into the field of art was actually predictable from my trajectory but it was quiet unexpected to me. So in this new world, learning for writing blogs and essay acts quiet helpful in getting a map of this new field.
References
Dmitriev, B. (2018). Buccaneer Pirate 4K [Image]. Retrieved from
http://bit.ly/2zssLQP
Nielsen, N. (2018). God of War_20180524232456 [Digital Image]. Retrieved
from http://bit.ly/2KKWGsK
Mencher, M. (2003). Get in the game: careers in the game industry. 201 West
103rd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46290: New Riders Publishing.
M. (2018). Star Citizen: Pit stop for fuel (21:9) [Image]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hasgaha/41368200141/in/dateposted/