Whatever game development be for
you as an individual, overall it’s a very
complex process and needs a very broad
range of skills. Let’s find out what those
skills are:::::::::::::::
The game industry today seeks individuals with focused specific skills and expertise though multi-skilled people always have a place. Every job in this industry requires you to have a passion for games. You should play games, the ones you like, the ones you hate and all the others in between. Passion and love for games is inarguably necessary. And then there are a list of other skills that fall under the “must have” and “should have” categories. If you understand what a job demands from you, you can prepare for that job from the start. Often folks are confused game designers’ job profiles with that of level designers’, or designers’ with artists’. In order to clear up all the confusion, we’ll take a look at all the roles in an organisation. We’ll delve into each role in detail for you, so that you also get a clear idea of the kind of job you would be more suited / qualified for, and thus be more focused with your applications to such companies. All jobs in game industry are basically divided into a few paths that you can specialise in:
Ω Design: This includes Game Designers, Level Designers, UI Designers,
Systems Designers and at higher levels, also includes the Game Director, Creative Director, etc.
Ω Programming:This includes programmers skilled in the art of game
programming, AI, graphics, networking and more
Ω Game art and animation:2D/3D Animators, Concept Artists, UI Artists
Ω Production:Producers and Executive Producers
Ω Quality Assurance:Quality Testers and Software Engineers
Ω Audio:Audio often makes a game, and audio artists are essential to the
process. Some talented souls here.In this chapter, we’ll look at each of these six varying roles in much greater detail to help you plan your way.designGame development requires a lot of creative processes to happen and thus needs design expertise. Designers include Game Designers, Level Designers, UI Designers, Systems Designers, etc. Higher level positions include Game Directors, Creative Directors, etc.game designers“Working as a game designer is like the mouse on your computer; some days it clicks and some days it drags.” - Alan Emrich, Game Designer
Game development is a highly complex, intensive process, so the Game
Designer must be able to work closely with teams of Programmers, Artists,
Project Managers, Writers, Musicians and many others.
What does a game designer do?
• Develop game concept, systems and content
Game designers collaborate with the Creative Director and the
design team to develop core concepts, game systems, and game con-tent. They are responsible for devising what a game consists of and
how it plays and appeals to the player. They plan and define all the
elements and components of a game, including its theme, architec-ture, rules, progression, set-up, story flow, characters, objects etc
available to the characters; interface design; and game modes etc.
• Design documentation
Game designers are required to write and maintain detailed game design
documentation throughout the project duration. Game designers are
required to write pitch documents, high-level design documents so that
they can convey the game vision to all involved in the game process.
• Conduct design reviews
Game Designers conduct periodic reviews of the game in progress and
then balance and adjust game play experiences to ensure the product’s
critical and commercial success. They make adjustments to the original
specification to respond to technical constraints and to be aligned with
new programming/art developments in the game.
• Manage design teams
Game Designers also manage the design team to successfully meet
project objectives.
• Workflow and scheduling
Game Designers coordinate workflow, scheduling and assignments with
other team leads and ensures the information flow between both the designers
and to other disciplines. It is the Game Designer’s responsibility to ensure
that the whole team understands the game concept and vision as outlined by
the Creative Director. The Game Designer also trains testers to play the game,
making sure that they understand what is expected of the finished product.
Must-have skills for a game designer
Ω Writing skills and professional documentation
Ω Thorough understanding of gameplay theory(What makes a fun game)
Ω Basic visual design and drawing skills (Paint, Basic knowledge of
Photoshop etc)
Ω Designers must be good presenters and should have excellent com-munication /presentation skills.
Ω Storytelling and narrative development skills.
Ω Reasonably fluent in a range of 2D and 3D graphics and animation
packages, such as 3D Studio Max or Maya.
Ω Good technical knowledge is required, with some programming skills
at least at ‘scripting’ level.
Ω Knowledge of a game’s target audience and market.
Ω Understanding of the capabilities and benefits of different hardware
platforms (e.g., PC, console, mobile devices), as well as familiarity with
software technologies and techniques appropriate to each platform.
Ω They must be able to work both as part of a team and independently.
Ω Originality, imagination and creativity.
Ω Systematic and strategic thinking.
systems designers
The Game Systems Designer is responsible for creating the game systems.
He or she refines and maintains a variety of game systems.
What does a systems designer do?
Ω Design Systems:Create and design game systems covering a wide range
of gameplay elements such as combat, user interface, levels, win/lose
conditions and player objectives.
Ω Define requirements:Help define the requirements for the design of
tools, pipelines, formulas and schemas.
Ω Work with Production Team:Work closely with members of the Pro-duction Team to execute design and work through design revisions as
needed. They are responsible for aggressively prototyping and imple-menting new abilities, systems, and content.
Ω Work with the programming team:Define AI requirements for NPCs,
mobs and bosses.
Ω Review systems of the game:Iteratively review, tweak and balance
game systems.
Ω Documentation:Generate clear and understandable design documenta-tion so that the documentation acts as a clear, stand-alone implementation
guide to the entire team.
Ω Presenting your ideas:Present ideas in a concise manner, to audiences
that are both technical and non-technical.
must-have skills for a systems designer
Ω Experience with scripting languages such as Lua etc.
Ω Must be able to communicate well to their team.
Ω Strong mathematics background.
Ω Experience in pipeline and tools design.
Ω Proficient with Excel and Vision.
Ω Passion for implementing core game mechanics and game systems.
Ω Strong communication and technical writing skills.
Level designers
Level Designer ensures that the game’s levels deliver an unforgettable interac-tive experience for the player. Deciding the level flow, worlds, difficulty levels
and variation among different levels of the game is the responsibility of the
level designer. He understands the game vision, concept and mechanic to
design interactive, balanced and fun levels for the game.
A level designer is part game designer, part 3D artist, part programmer, part architect.
-Tom Sloper, Sloperama Productions
What does a level designer do?
Ω Create game environments:Level Designers use design tools to create
2D/3D environments.
Ω Design level gameplay: The Level Designer develops the gameplay for
the level, defines challenges that the player will face and allowed actions
for the player. The Level Designer also implements game mechanics
using different objects, places to hide, skills, weapons etc.
Ω Leverage proprietary tools to ensure all levels perform well on the
target platform.
Ω Work closely with the Creative Director to understand, communicate
and implement major game play systems and features into all levels.
Ω Review level difficulty and balance.
Ω Participate and host creative sessions, development meetings, reviews,
and planning sessions.
Ω Clearly communicate to project leaders on current level layouts and
status of level development.
Ω Create and maintain industry-standard design documentation, including
specifications for level overviews, world building metrics, storyboards
and flow charts for all or portions of levels, etc.
Ω Discussing with the programmers and artists to lay down a detailed
inventory of level ‘assets’
must-have skills for a level designer
Ω Solid understanding of Physics, Geometry, Geology, and Classical Art.
Ω Working knowledge of design systems in order to build levels in 3D space,
place enemies and completely understand the relationship between
gameplay elements within the level and the overall game.
Ω Experience with level editors such as Unreal Editor, Radiant, Hammer,
Scrolling Game Development Kit etc.
Ω Experience on art software such as 3D Studio Max, Maya or any other
3D world building software, Adobe Photoshop etc.
Ω Knowledge of Scripting Languages such as Lua , Python , Unreal etc
Ω Level and play-flow planning.
Ω Excellent writing and communication skills.
Ω Knowledge of level optimisation techniques such as portailing.
Ω BSP block-out
Ω Knowledge of detail geometry and lighting.
Ω Terrain creation and sculpting, unwrapping and normal map creation
Ω Mutli-player and single-player level creation.
Ω Modding’ experience by making mods of already published games.
Programming
“The concept for PITFALL took less than 10 minutes. The difficult part was sitting at
the computer, for over 1,000 hours, and making it happen.”
- David Crane
Video Game Engineering is an intellectually demanding and challenging job. The programming problems involve physics ranging from collision
detection, gliding movements, forces to complex physical transformations,
from making more realistic characters using AI techniques to path finding,
from advanced rendering techniques to optimisations including memory
needs and size/platform issues.
game Programmer
“A game programmer is someone who actually implements the game on the computer,
turning the ideas and designs into an actual program. Despite often having to work
long hours and rarely getting their photographs in games magazines it is a fun job
and can be very rewarding.”
- Marc Vaughan
However, as you’re the one who actually implements each and every
feature of the game, it’s on you to give an experience to the player that a
designer imagined, taking it from a mere idea in theory to a game .
What does a game Programmer do?
Ω Working with existing game engine code to implement various gameplay,
AI, mechanics and rules of the game.
Ω In case of a fresh product, may be you need to write the core engine
from the scratch.
Ω Debugging and optimising console and PC performance.
Ω Specifying testing procedures, taking feedbacks and making requisite
changes in the code.
Ω Managing a team of game programmers to create immersive and
engaging game play experiences in case of larger teams if in a role of
Lead Game Programmer.
Ω Developing well designed software within project schedule to team
standards and schedule.
Ω Responsibility of documenting code features.
Ω Safeguarding of the company’s assets including source code, art work,
tools, In-House engines etc.
Ω Defining game frameworks and architecture.
Ω Keeping up to date with the market, scan new development tools and
try innovative technologies.
Must-have skills for a game Programmer
Ω Experience with build tools (SVN, Maven etc).
Ω Excellent cross-platform, multi-language programming skills (or choose
a platform/language you’re comfortable in)
Ω Strong technical background preferably a computer science/IT degree.
Ω Expertise in at least one programming track (graphics, animation, AI,
sound etc)
Ω Experience in translating game design into technically feasible goals.
Ω Ability to adapt to quickly changing project requirements and
iterative feedback.
Ω Knowledge of modern game content production process/ tools/ engines.
Ω Strong 3D and mathematics skills, sharp logic and strong problem
solving skills..
Ω Familiarity with bug-tracking systems.
Ω A passion to make and play games.
Ω Demonstrated knowledge of good software engineering practices.
Ω Good communication and writing skills.
Ω Demonstrate continuous learning and growth.
I know this article was a bit lenghty but to clearly illustrate the topic i have to do so.Now you may be thinking how can i write this much about games . The clear answer to this is I am myself a game developer .I have build over 5 HTML5 environment games and 3 windows 2D game and 1 3D game for windows .I have also created an mod myself for the well known GTA4.So please all i want in return is ur precious replies .If u have read this much why dont u reply Please.HUH?
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