4 June, 2024

In 2023, the UK gaming sector was worth £7.8 billion and is growing at an average rate of 4.4% per year​. When compared to the UK film industry (£4.8bn) and the Music industry (£1.4bn) it's clear that the sector offers young people amazing career opportunities.

Innovation is, of course, key. New game releases are crucial for the gaming industry as they drive significant revenue growth and maintain consumer interest giving companies that crucial competitive edge.

Let's take a look at what roles are involved in developing a new game. Hover over the job titles for links to specialist sites to learn more:

CREATING IT

Designers

Lead Game Designer: Oversees the overall design vision, ensuring coherence and consistency throughout the project.

Level Designer: Creates the levels, ensuring they are engaging and challenging.

Narrative Designer: Develops the storyline, dialogue, and character development.

Systems Designer: Designs the core mechanics and systems, such as combat, progression, and economy.

Programmers

Gameplay Programmer: Implements the game mechanics, controls, and player interactions.

AI Programmer: Develops the behaviour of non-player characters (NPCs) and enemies.

Network Programmer: Handles online features, multiplayer functionality, and server-client architecture.

Tools Programmer: Creates and maintains the software tools used by other developers, such as level editors and asset importers.

Artists

Concept Artist: Creates initial visual representations of characters, environments, and other elements.

3D Modeller: Builds 3D models of characters, objects, and environments.

Texture Artist: Applies textures to 3D models to give them colour and detail.

Animator: Brings characters and objects to life with movement and animations.

UI/UX Designer: Designs the user interface and ensures a seamless user experience.

Visual Effects Artist: Develops special effects such as explosions, weather, and magical effects.

Voice Actors: Provide voices for characters.

Sound and Music

Sound Designer: Creates sound effects for various actions, environments, and events in the game.

Composer: Writes the musical score to set the tone and atmosphere.

Audio Engineer: Mixes and masters the game’s audio to ensure balance and clarity.

Writers

Scriptwriter: Writes the dialogue, voice-over scripts, and other textual content.

Technical Writer: Produces documentation for the game’s development process, manuals, and user guides.

CHECKING IT

Quality Assurance (QA) Testers

Functional Tester: Tests the game to find and document bugs and issues.

Compliance Tester: Ensures the game meets platform-specific requirements and standards.

Playtester: Plays the game to provide feedback on gameplay, difficulty, and overall experience.

MAKING IT

Producers and Project Managers

Executive Producer: Oversees the entire development and manufacturing project, manages budgets, and ensures deadlines are met.

Associate Producer: Assists the executive producer in managing day-to-day tasks and coordinating between teams.

Project Manager: Plans and tracks the project schedule, ensuring milestones are achieved.

SELLING IT

Marketing Manager: Develops and executes marketing strategies to promote the game. Campaigns may include digital advertising, social media engagement and promotion at events.

Advertising Executive: Working as part of a creative agency, they will put together a campaign: developing the creative concept with a planner,  art director and copywriter, making the ads and working with media planners and buyers to place the ads. They will work with sales promotion, event planners, and  PR specialists to ensure seamless communications across all media.

Community Manager: Engages with the game’s community, handles social media, and gathers player feedback.

Public Relations Specialist: Manages the game’s public image and handles media relations.

Technical Support and IT

IT Support Specialist: Maintains the development team's hardware and software infrastructure.

Network Administrator: Manages servers and network infrastructure, especially crucial for online games.

So, you can see that the development of a video game is a collaborative effort requiring a diverse range of skills and expertise. Each role is crucial in ensuring that the game is not only fun and engaging but also polished and functional. From initial concept to final release, every team member plays a vital part in the creation of a successful video game. 

Tips for research: Look for people doing these roles on www.LinkedIn.com. Learn how their careers developed, who they have worked for and what qualifications have they done.

For insight into live job vacancies: www.indeed.com

 

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