Contents
Intro
Videogames aren’t only for play; they also provide work. The workers, known as game developers make a living creating the games you enjoy playing.
Making videogames is a serious–and big—business. According to the Entertainment Software Association, in 2009, the videogame industry had sales in excess of $10 billion and employed more than 32,000 people in 34 states.
Creating these games is a complex creating these games is complex and requires the collaboration of many developers, who perform a variety of tasks, from production to programming. They work for both small and large game studios to create games that can be played on many different devices, including console systems, computers, and cell phones.
This seminar covers career options in videogame development seminar covers career options in videogame development. The first section provides an overview of the development process. The second section describes for troops of videogame occupations, designers, programmers, artists and others. The first section covers the skills and training workers need for these jobs. The fourth section discusses the benefits and wages of working in the videogame industry and fifth section provides job-seeking tips for. Videogame development suggested resources for additional information suggested resources for additional information are at the end of the seminar.
Lifecycle of the videogame
The concept of for a videogame can come from a variety of sources. Many games start as a new idea for a story or technology the development team would like to explore. Others come from an established property such as a novel or film. Still others attempt to perfect a style or formula found in another genre or game.
But whatever the impetus for its creation, almost every game follows a similar development process: preproduction, production, and postproduction. The length of this process is often determined at the beginning of the preproduction phase and depends on a games size and programming needs
Full-featured games such as those made for consoles have more complex programming and therefore take longer to develop usually between 18 and 30 months by comparison most games are played on social media and mobile devices require similar technology results in a quicker development process of a few months.
Preproduction
Work completed during preproduction lays the foundation upon which it games built in this phase the lead designers outline the game concept with the help of the artists and programmers the designers also my selective features such as an innovative gameplay element or powerful graphics that makes the game unique
The different design teams flesh out a specific part of the game such as its mechanics and storyline the designers then compile their ideas into game design document which describes the game and its features in detail
From this document programmers create a prototype game designers use feedback on the prototype to revise game features videogame studios also use the prototype to secure financing from publishers allowing the designers to continue developing the game
Once the game receives funding from grow once the game receives funding programmers begin building its technological framework meanwhile artists create concept art such as character illustrations that helps designers visualize the game completion of the prototype signals the start of the production phase of the development
production
in the production phase teams of designers and artists and programmers use the design document as a guide to create the game the teams collaborate to make the most of each other’s expertise or is displayed correctly into an engineer makes it work and it doesn’t work until the designer defines how it should work says Lewis Catanzaro creative director for beach cooler games in Waltham Massachusetts
artists use concept art to create textures models and animations for the characters levels objects and environments that will populate the game world programmers finalize the game engine of videogames physics and graphics systems and tools they also write the code that dictates everything from the game’s rules to allow its visual elements are displayed on the screen
designers meet with workers from other departments to ensure that the game’s design document is being followed feedback during production helps the designers revise the document as needed for example to improve the games mechanics or remove an unfeasible feature
throughout production developers continually build improved versions of the game the goal is to add more dimensions to the game says David certainly lead designer for certain games in Emeryville California that is to create more content that is better looking within a design that is more refined
at the conclusion of the production phase the fully playable game includes art music and sound effects this milestone is referred to as content complete
Postproduction and beyond
postproduction focuses on playing the game to test it for errors called bugs and done tweaking it to eliminate unwanted elements
the quality assurance staff test the game by playing it and attempting to do things the development staff never considered as the game testers find bugs they document the errors and assign them to a programmer designer or artist to fix
testers might also find that parts of the game are inconsistent or imbalanced fixing these issues might require tweaks to existing features and content
dealing with bugs and tweaks can make postproduction time-consuming the process may take as long as production especially for tomorrow more complex games that have bigger budgets the process may take as long as production especially for more complex games that have bigger budgets
when a game is released it is distributed for sale to players however the work is not in their games often need chairs which are frequent updates that might include bug fixes tweaks to the games balance and new content into game success might persuade the studio to develop an expansion lowers content and feature update that usually sold separately a large content and feature update that usually sold separately as an addition to the original game
Occupations in videogame development
Making a videogame requires many different workers developers have diverse specialties including game design programming and art depending on the size of the studio at which they work developers may have varied roles smaller studios might have one worker performing multiple tasks and larger studios might have multiple workers for each task
game developers make the most of their different skills to collaborate on a shared goal of creating the best game possible
designers
designers are videogame dreamers imagine almost everything about an indie game to develop the game teams of designers write detailed descriptions of their ideas for all of its parts including plot including plot characters and gameplay the team holds regular meetings and select the best concepts
When a game is in production designers work closely with programmers and artists to ensure that their designs are being followed designers frequently use scripting language is a type of programming language that controls applications to view their ideas within the prototype game scripting languages do not require extensive coding and allow designers to test and allow designers to test various concepts as they arise and gameplay then designers choose the concept they like best if issues arise during production designers might have to go back and edit or review the game design document
the different design teams focus on different parts of the game under the direction of the lead some designers craft engrossing plots and characters other designers work on the mechanics of the game
Lead designer
Lead designers collect and organize the design teams ideas into a cohesive game design document they also manage the teams work tasks schedules and documentation the designers meet with their staff and other departments to discuss new ideas solve problems and make sure the game is built according to the design document
content designer
content designers develop the game’s plot and its characters content designer content designers develop the game’s plot and its characters creativity is important for these designers but their work must fit within the games world for example when brought for example when writing for a realistic strategy game set in the medieval age content designers ensure that no anachronistic objects or references are included content designers do much of the writing when the game is in preproduction changes during development require them to edit their work to match the altered product
game mechanic designer
game mechanic designers focus on specific vital pieces of gameplay consequently their tasks and job titles depend on the genre of the videogame on which they’re working for example when working in a fighting game these designers are called combat designers the plan document how the combat system should function
level designer
level designers create the games fantastic or realistic environments selecting the objects and characters that inhabit them to immerse players in the game these designers choose the most appropriate settings for the type of game for example level designers for a boardgame create dark shadowy environments to make clear players for example level divide for example level designers for a boardgame create dark shadowy environments to make players feel apprehensive as they explore the levels level designers also map the location of objects and opponents in a level
Writer
Writers create the text and dialogue that immerse players in the game the role of the writer varies with the genre of the game subgenres especially role-playing games relied heavily on dialogue and need writers to prepare scripts for all in game conversations other genres such as puzzle games have little need for writers
Programmers
Programmers you videogame differently from the way it’s players or even the fellow game development team members do to programmers are videogame consists of numerous lines of code to dictate how the computer should handle everything from the game’s rules to its graphics under the guidance of the lead development team programmers build videogames from the ground up writing code line by line in computer programs
programmers use different types of coding languages each language has different capabilities and programmers choose the language that best suits their needs that type of language the programmer selected also is determined by the type of platforms computers consoles or mobile devices on which the game will be released
creating a full-featured videogame requires many different types of programmers some programmers work on the game engine the foundation upon which the game runs other programmers have more specific task such as crafting the game’s difficulty almost all computer almost any programmer can make a human player lose says verbatim a producer at gas powered games in Redmond Washington partially good programmer knows how to make a player barely win
Lead programmer
We programmers assign work to develop schedules for the programming teams although they are skilled in writing: we programmers often spend most of their time on supervisory duties they also meet frequently with the art design and production team leaders to address issues that arise during development
Artificial intelligence programmer
Artificial intelligence programmers dictate how computer-controlled opponents and allies really react react to a player’s actions artificial intelligence enables the computer artificial intelligence enables computer-controlled characters to respond realistically and strategically some video games depending on the genre require more complex artificial intelligence than others
Graphics programmer
Graphics programmers create tools to allow artists to bring their work screen using their knowledge of advanced mathematics graphics programmers implement complex algorithms to produce 2-D and 3-D graphics is programmers also work closely with artist to determine the best way to incorporate our work into a game
Network programmer
Many video games are played online allowing players across the globe to compete against or cooperate with one another network programmers write the code that enables this online play they also develop security measures to prevent players from cheating
Physics programmer
Videogames are constrained by the real world so visit us programmers videogames are constrained by the real world so physics programmers write the code for any natural laws such as gravity again should follow or ignore guided by the designers vision physics programmers create rules that are either realistic or stylized they also determine how the different objects in the game-winner such as two cars colliding in a racing game and physics programmers usually write code that dictates how particle effects such as explosions and splashes. Videogames
Tools programmer
Tools programmers write code to automate some tasks making game development easier for less technical team members for example tools programmers might write a program that simplifies the process of creating new levels or for importing or into the game tools different from one game to another based on designers needs
User interface programmer
The graphical menus and video games range from simple two button commands play and quick to complex series of menus with options user interface programmers also build heads-up displays which provide vital information to players. Collaborating with designers and artists user interface programmers ensure that the systems are intuitive and straightforward as possible.
Artists
Artists breathe life into games. They design the game’s aesthetic. Or visual style and create all of its artwork including environments characters and objects. Artists also may design the game’s manual packaging and promotional material. Some artists use traditional methods such as sculpting and freehand drawing to illustrate their ideas. Preliminary our work helps game designers visualize their ideas and serves as a guide for other to create computer art. Digital artists use modern tools include 3-D modeling software created by their programmers and motion capture technology.
Art director
The art director coordinates with the lead development team and manages the art department including its budget and schedule. By consulting with key designers and programmers the art director also defines the games have asthmatic by consulting with key designers and programmers the art director also defines the games aesthetic
Lead artist
A videogame may have one or more lead artists, each of who manages achievement plans as president tools for creating artwork lead artists also sure that their teams are is consistent in quality and style
Concept artist
Following the games aesthetic direction concept artist envisioned landscapes objects structures characters and key moments in the story concept artist produce a variety of art concept artist produce a variety of art including drawings paintings sculptures and storyboards this artwork helps designers visualize their ideas and guys other artists
Modeler
Bloggers build 3-D characters and environments that are based on the concept art to create the models services or skins they painted wrapped 2-D textures on a digital frame modelers also create character skeletons which animators then control
Animator
Animators manipulate models to creative animators manipulate models to create movements for objects and characters in the game they digitally controlled the model as it were a puppet they digitally controlled the model as if you were a puppet and perform animations that dictate how the character or object will move in any given instance for example there might be an animation for a palm tree moving with the breeze or a character running
Other artists
Other artists are involved in the development process depending on the game for example motion capture artists record the movement of real objects or people which then helps animators create more realistic movement in the game cinematic artist produce marketing videos to promote the game and photographer snaps pictures to inspire the game’s concept art
Other major occupations
Many other workers contribute to a games development
these workers that sounds to the game handle the studios business concerns and test the game for bugs
Audio workers
Workers in the audio department develop record and process all of the game sounds including music dialogue and all other noises forth real and fictitious occupations include audio designers audio engineers audio programmers composers and musicians
Executives
Studio executives such as the chief executive officer and president oversee the company and establishes philosophy corporate structure and business plan they also negotiate business contracts and communicate with stakeholders
Producers
Producers manage the administrative details of the studios products and departments of responsibilities include calling meetings maintaining schedules and keeping development costs within budget producers also help to ensure the game is released on schedule and they serve as liaisons between developers and executives
Quality assurance testers during postproduction quality assurance testers identify and report problems with the game these problems may include software bugs or glitches and issues arising during gameplay a lead tester oversees the quality assurance team notifies other departments of problems that must be fixed
Skills and training
Videogame developers need skills and training specific to their job tasks but they share some common aptitudes for example the ability to work well as part of a team not always expected of game developers that may be required successful work on a collaborative project is something we look for in hiring new employees says Ben Bell of Salt Lake City Utah executive producer of the Sims three pets
of course a big part of collaborating is being able to articulate ideas clearly to other team members his skill as a patient this skill is especially important in game development where teams compromise members from several diverse departments you communicate with your lead artists designers and programmers all usually very different types of people with different points of view says Catanzaro is absolutely critical that you understand the art of communication
most workers also should be adaptable to making changes and work well under pressure and those in leadership roles may benefit and those in leadership roles may benefit from having basic business skills and management and those in leadership roles may benefit from having basic business skills and management budgeting and scheduling
highlighted next are the particular skills or training the different types of developers need
Designers
There are no educational requirements for videogame designers a college degree in game design and game development or computer science is helpful experience in other roles in videogame development is also beneficial for example some workers become designers after being promoted from other teams such as quality assurance programming or art game designers also need some background in programming and knowledge of scripting language especially Lula and Python in addition designers might need to be experts and other computer software
Programmers
Almost all programmers must have a bachelors degree in computer science or computer engineering some colleges and universities have specialized programs that focus on videogame programming most importantly programmers must be experts in the programming languages and operating systems used in game development most importantly programmers must be experts in the programming languages and operating systems used in game development nearly all programmers are skills in C/C++ computer languages that are commonly used to create videogames depending on the specialty or the game platform programmers also might need to know other languages such as Perl assembly or Lua
many programmers especially those who create vector graphics have knowledge of high-level math other skills vary by specialty for example network programmers should have expertise in server security issues and graphics and user interface programmers usually have some training in art
Artists
Educational requirements for videogame orders vary but most artists have attended art school in addition in addition to teaching art therapy the schools introduce artist two different art styles and methods this background is important because all game artist must first master traditional art techniques and their basic principles such as formal line and color theory they also need to understand modern art making tools such as modeling and editing software but it artist most important asset is the portfolio which showcases his report his or her experience in town
Other major occupations other occupations are diverse server educational requirements vary other occupations are diverse soother educational requirements vary audio workers need technical training which can require audio workers need technical training which can required Associates or bachelors degree executives and producers usually need at least a bachelors degree and quality assurance testers sometimes need no more than a high school diploma
Rewards and challenges
Working in videogame development has both advantages and disadvantages one of the advantages as earnings US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not collect the data specifically on the videogame industry but anecdotal information suggests that most of these workers earned more than the BLS median annual wage estimate of $33,840 for all workers in May 2010
According to game developer magazine which surveys the industry each year average salaries for videogame development workers in 2010 range from about $49,000 for quality assurance testers $207,000 for business professionals such as executives audio workers artists and designers earned an average of at least $68,000 while programmers and producers average more than $85,000 as with salaries and other industries salaries for videogame developers vary by occupation experience and location
for many people in the videogame industry go their jobs are more about action than pay we work on something we love says Bingham when we leave the office we go home and play games
working in a game studio provides an opportunity to interact with others who share that passion the workers the workers who contribute to making a videogame foster a fun and creative community I love being able to work alongside people who do amazing things every day says Rachel Steinberg a public relations specialist for electronic arts in Salt Lake City Utah
but creating games is all fine although a good game I might receive critical or popular acclaim a bad game could mean financial trouble for studio and its employees consequently the pressure to succeed is often intense
limited time and resources can frustrate developers who have ambitious game ideas in some cases the final game might not perform the way the designers originally envisioned even more demoralizing is a game concept that works only on paper we are trying to catch lightning in a bottle says Serling of certain games it can be soul crushing when you find out your game really doesn’t work
even when the concept does work turning it into a full feature price product turning it into a full-featured product is a daunting process developers work long hours to release the game on schedule a to studio executives fear that the game might miss production deadlines they usually increase the hours and days of staff work offered for months at a time this. Known as crunch time is tough on workers and their families
Despite the challenges of developing video games many workers say date still choose their jobs over others you’re not sitting at a desk pounding away at numbers all day says Danny Choo a corporate communications member at electronic arts we make fun
finding work in videogame development
As the cost of producing a videogame have increased many large studios are choosing to focus their resources on creating higher quality but fewer games to maximize quality the studios usually seek experienced employees to work on the most lucrative projects because of the difficulty of getting an entry-level job at a large studio but a prescriptive workers entered the interest
Because of the difficulty of getting an entry-level job in a large studio many prospective workers entered the industry through alternative paths for example as the tools for making games became
for example as the tools for making games become more accessible aspiring developers are able to build portfolios
For example as the tools for making games become more accessible aspiring developers are better able to build portfolios a designer might make a small original game or modify an existing one an artist might create our work in the style of his or her favorite game you don’t have to wait to be discovered says Serling the barriers to entry are lower than ever before
but getting a job in a large studio isn’t the only option for working in game development many developers now work for the small studios to create the increasingly popular games for social media and mobile devices these games are usually shorter and simpler to make providing workers an excellent opportunity to become developers
another useful strategy for breaking into the videogame industry is to visit the websites blogs and online forums that developers frequent developers often post open positions and ask for portfolios through these venues says Catanzaro contributing to these online resources also help increase your composure exposure is important because it helps with networking which is a great way to find videogame work I wrote about game design on my blog a large gaming webs sites and on large gaming websites says Serling might post increased my visibility open doors for me and allowed me to meet the right people
the rules for finding work in today’s videogame jobs may not apply to the jobs of March Morrow but that’s one thing videogame developers find exciting about the work gaming is morphing into something unknown says Bingham the possibilities are endless
For more information
Videogame development is a lengthy process that involves many different types of workers this article describes the major occupations involving creating a videogame this seminar describes the major occupations involving creating a videogame most of these occupations and hundreds of others are described in the occupational Outlook handbook online at www.BLS.gov/00H www.BLS.gov/00H handbook also is available in print and many public libraries career counseling offices and job centers for general information about the videogame industry contact entertainment software Association 5757 Street Northwest Washington DC 200-042-0004 for more information about salaries and benefits of videogame professionals contacted game developer magazine 600 Harrison St. sixth floor San Francisco 94107 or Longmont or log onto cheating mag.com for more information about videogame artists contact graphic artists Guild 32 Broadway Suite 1114 New York New York one trouble 04 or call 212-791-3400 or log onto graphic artists Guild.org