A game developer is not always a programmer. There is a certain list of people without whom it is almost impossible to make a major project. Let’s take a look at who these people are, and who else may be in development.
- Producer .
He is also the project manager or the head of the project – the main thing in all this kitchen. Producer is not necessarily the initiator of the idea – he often joins the already started project.
His responsibilities include maintaining the general idea of the game, overseeing the project from all sides, working with finances and performers. After release, he is also responsible for positioning and bringing the product to market. That is, his global task is to establish interaction between the development team and the external market.
- project manager
The project manager is the second person after the producer. Speaking of small studios, more often than not there is not enough money for a manager. But in the major studios, project manager is a must. Whereas the producer deals with the team and people, the project manager deals with deadlines, tasks, deadlines and metrics.
A project manager’s eye is directed deep into the work, into the thick of it. If someone has difficulties, a deadline is missed, or other fails, he or she will be aware of it. The peculiarity of project managers is that they are often hired from other industries as well. It’s also easy for them to leave gamemode for something else, such as an SMM agency.
- Programmers
A programmer is the core of any game, to create at least a minimal working project without him is problematic. This is possible in rare cases with engines, but here too, does not go beyond the prototype. Whichever way you look at it, you need a team of programmers to create a full-fledged product. Or at least one. - Game Designer
Game designer is another popular and in-demand profession in game design. It’s popular largely because you don’t have to be educated to become a game designer at the Junior level. It’s enough to be an avid gamer and be able to write documentation. It is his responsibility to think through and prescribe the whole gameplay process, form the universe and design the game rules. If you compare it to filmmaking, a game designer is a director.
The first thing a game designer needs is experience. There is no successful game designer who hasn’t spent thousands of hours in games. There has to be a learning curve. The second thing a game designer needs is the ability to clearly and systematically express thoughts in writing.
- Artists and art designers.
Through design you can also get into the field of game design. The first thing concept designers do is draw concepts for a future game: characters, locations, levels, objects, and more. Their drawings will guide the rest of the team. - Tester
If you want to enter gamdev, but don’t know where to start, you can try with a tester profession. You don’t need to have outstanding skills to become one – he plays games, finds flaws, holes and problems. And yet, testers influence the final quality of the product. The tester carefully analyzes the gameplay, and the bugs found are documented. - Marketer
A marketer is needed in the team for post-marketing promotion. But not only that. Many people make the mistake of thinking that a marketer needs to be involved only after release. In fact, he is needed from the very beginning.
The marketer conducts an in-depth analysis of the niche and competitors, and can tell you what to do and what not to do. In certain circumstances, he can even tell you that it is better to delay or abandon the game idea altogether – simply because it won’t be in demand. By hiring a marketer at the outset, you’ll save money, and possibly time.
- Customer Service
Support service is important for building a positive opinion of the players about your company’s service. If a user encounters any problems during the game, it is important to promptly assist them. Again, if you’re releasing with a publisher, a support specialist or community manager will be on their side.
But if you’re releasing a project on your own, don’t forget this detail. Timely help can greatly increase the user’s loyalty to the game.
Besides the listed specialists, there are some professions in game-development, that you don’t necessarily have to have in every development team. But the need for them appears when creating complex and specific projects and when scaling a studio. For example:
- sound designer;
- analyst;
- bizdev;
- PR-manager;
- HR manager.