Task 2 - Job Roles

Creative Development

Level design

Environment Design or game mapping is a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using a level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however, some games feature built-in level editing tools. Level design is both an artistic and technical process.

Lead Artist

A lead artists job consists of being responsible abut the overall look of the game, Also devising the games visual style and directing the production of also visual material throughout the games development. Finally they are also given the task to mange an art and design team.

Technical Artist

 Technical Artist acts as a bridge between the Artists and Programmers working on a game. They ensure art assets can be easily integrated into a game without sacrificing either the overall artistic vision or exceeding the technical limits of the chosen platform.The role is a relatively new one for the games industry, but is becoming increasingly important as consoles and PC hardware becomes more complex.Despite their technical knowledge, the Technical Artist works part of the art team, working closely with the Lead Artist and the Creative Director, as well as the Lead Programmers.Their main areas of responsibility include setting up and maintaining the art production workflow, and making decisions about which art packages and tools a studio should use.They are also charged with investigating new techniques and implementing them. The job often includes a teaching element, with the Technical Artist sharing their knowledge via training and mentoring sessions with other Artists.The Technical Artist is not typically directly involved in the creation of game art assets. Instead they act in more of an advisory position,The setting up the systems of production as well as dealing with problems as they arise.One large part of the job involves keeping up to date with changes in technology, both hardware and software, as well as new techniques. They are expected to be able to create custom tools to improve the efficiency of their team. This is usually carried out using the scripting languages included in the main modelling and animation packages.

Artist

Artists create the visual elements of a game, such as characters, scenery, objects, vehicles, surface textures, clothing, props, and even user interface components. They also create concept art and storyboards which help communicate the proposed visual elements during the pre-production phase.Some games try to look as realistic as possible while others aim for a more stylised look. It is the Artist's job to model and texture characters and objects to achieve the desired result. The look of a game is often a significant factor in its success, second only to its play-ability.

Animator

Animators in the games industry are responsible for the portrayal of movement and behaviour. 
Most often this is applied to give life to game characters and creatures, but sometimes animations are also applied to other elements such as objects, scenery, vegetation and environmental effects.
Specialist software packages are used to create the animations, which are used for both automated or in game behaviors and predefined sequences or cut scenes.
Animators must portray movement and behavior in an efficient and effective way which makes best use of the game engine’s technology, within the platform’s limitations. It is often necessary to restrict the number of key frames used or the number of characters that can appear on the screen at a time. Animators work closely with Programmers and Artists to create the best balance between smooth seamless movement and optimized performance on the target platform.

Audio Engineer

The Audio Engineer creates the soundtrack for a game. This might include music, sound effects to support the game action (such as gunshots or explosions), character voices and other expressions, spoken instructions, and ambient effects, such as crowd noise, vehicles or rain.Audio Engineers work for development studios. The size of the audio department depends on the company, but can consist of just one or two people who are sometimes required to work very long hours. Audio Engineers also work for specialist outsourcing companies and localisation services that re-version games for different territories.

Technical Development

Programmers

Game Programmers work at the heart of the game development process. They design and write the computer code that runs and controls the game, incorporating and adapting any ready-made code libraries and writing custom code as required. They test the code and fix bugs, and also develop customised tools for use by other members of the development team. 

Lead Programmer

The Lead Programmer leads the programming team responsible for creating all the computer code which runs and controls a game. Programmers have various roles and specialisms including AI (artificial intelligence), game engine development, user interface, tools development and physics. The Lead Programmer oversees all of this. They are responsible for the technical specification of the game and manage the overall code development process. It is also their job to make sure that the team delivers on time and within budget. 

Project Implementation

Project Manager/ Producer 

The Project Manager, also known as the Producer, is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of a game, on time and within budget.They control the financial and other resources needed for a project and co-ordinate the work of the production team, making sure that the quality and vision of the game is maintained, whatever problems may arise. They understand everybody’s contribution to a game and keep an overview of the entire process from start to finish.

Assistant Producer
he Assistant (or Junior) 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 co-ordinating work on some of the project's key processes such as managing the outsourcing of art assets
Assistant Producers are employed by publishers as well as development studios. Working within a development studio often involves managing communications between different teams such as design, art and programming.

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.
The External Producer works closely with the game's internal producer, who is part of the on-site development team. While the internal producer focuses on the staff management tasks of getting a game finished on time and on budget, the External Producer is concerned with broader issues

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, Designers 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.

QA Tester
Quality Assurance Technicians, or Testers, perform a vital role. They test, tune, debug and suggest the detailed refinements that ensure the quality and playability of the finished game. They play-test the game in a systematic way, analysing the game’s performance against the designer’s intentions, identifying problems and suggesting improvements.
They test for bugs in the software, from complete crashes to minor glitches in the program. They also act as the game’s first audience, reporting on its playability and identifying any aspects which could be improved.

Business Development

Product Manager/PR

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. The Product Manager may also work with a Brand Manager, who is responsible for developing long-term plans for individual game franchises and providing a strategic overview of how a game brand should change over time.
Product Managers typically work for game publishers or inde
pendent marketing companies who work with publishers. They will have to manage the marketing budget in a responsible manner and demonstrate an effective return on investment. The tasks carried out by a Product Manager are varied and change as a game's release approaches. 

Marketing Executive

As a marketing executive, you would promote your employer's products, services or ideas. If you love using your communication skills in a creative way, this could be the ideal job for you.

You would need organisational skills to plan product launches, market research and public relations events. Using your confidence and creativity you would also market your products across TV, radio and the press.

Marketing Manager

As a marketing manager, it would be your job to plan the best ways of promoting your employer's products, services or brand. If you’re organised and love communicating messages and ideas, this could be the job for you.

You will need to have the management skills to lead and motivate a team. You would also need to handle pressure well when you're working to tight deadlines.