LO1 1 Understand What Production Job Roles Are Available Within a Chosen
Part of the Media Sector
Task 1
Research
Research
Job roles within the games industry include:
Task 2
I have chosen the games industry and shall be
looking into two of the roles within that industry. These are a Game producer
and a Game developer.
Game Producer
A Game Producers job is to oversee
development of the video game. They would be on the job from the initial
concept right through to shipping.
They would generally be responsible for
leading and organising multiple projects at once coordinating the departments,
they would also help maintain the budget and making sure the projects are on
track.
Their job involves managing people within the
team like game artists, keeping them motivated and on the right track. At Sumo
Digital Ash Bennett is a technical director, which is a form of game
production.
Duties
Duties include:
- Negotiation (licensing etc.)
- Communication between developer and
publisher.
- Scheduling and budgeting
- Overseeing art and design and game
programming
- Setting milestones/deadlines
- Quality assurance
- Beta testing
- Localization
- Pitching
Contribution
A game producer has massive contribution to
the game and its development. However it is quite minimal to the creation of
the product and more behind the scenes, like licensing issues and general
management of the staff. It does include some development to the product like
Beta testing but is very minimal in comparison to other roles within its
creation.
Equipment
Standard equipment for all staff within the
industry is a PC. This means the whole team can both produce the product and
interact with each other, in general creating a smooth working environment for
all staff. For the producer specifically the use of computers will be more
directed towards reports using software like Microsoft word as apposed to
software like Maya used for actual development for the product.
Skills
Like any other job you require specific
skills to carry out that job. In this case it is quite broad. Main skills would
be to be able to read, write, spell and use grammar correctly. This would also
fall under the skill to be able to communicate and write reports. Though less
prevalent visual communication through drawing could also be a useful skill,
for example to present ideas.
Team work is another skill required this is
due to the heavy amount of management required to do this job, for example the
communication between the developer and publisher.
Knowledge of the subject is also a skill
required. If you were not familiar with the product (in this case game
knowledge) then you would not be able to do the above roles and other job like
quality management, as you would not be able to judge the quality of the work.
Though significantly less prevalent skills in
relevant software is also a useful skill as it would be useful during
management and quality assurance if they’re of minor errors needed to be
changed however verbal communication would be the most suitable form of input
in this case given the job description.
Experience though briefly mentioned before is
a vital skill. This is so the duties like overseeing, beta testing and quality
assurance can be fulfilled obviously reinforced through knowledge of the
sector.
As mentioned in the roles of a product
manager working for SEGA it is stated that you must have “Strong knowledge” for
software (specifically for this job of mobile UI/UX). It is also stated that
you must be able to “plan, manage and communicate” as well as having a strong
passion for games. These are vital attributes that are needed when working
within the games industry throughout any role.
Skills such as you would require “Several
years’ professional experience” when looking at jobs like Technical Artist (at
Goodgame studios). This is another key skill that would be required throughout
any of the job roles within this industry. Especially looking at a job as an
artist where you can prove your talent through your experience.
Games Developer
A Games Developer is involved in the creation and
production of games for. Their job involves either design or programming. This
includes art and animation.
Depending on your specialism you can also do various
other jobs like generating scripts and storyboards, porting etc.
At Sumo Digital Steven Zalud is the director of
development, which is a form of game development.
Duties
Duties include:
- Quality assurance tester
- Programmer, (network, engine, tool chain and
artificial intelligence)
- Audio engineer
- Artist (including concept artist, animator and 3D
modeler)
- Producer
- Editor
- Designer
- Special effects technician.
Contribution
A game developer is vital to the creation of
the final product. Being both the closest form of management to the main team
of creation, and to physically making the product. A game developer is more
involved within the creation having duties such as
audio engineer, special effects technician,
designer and many other roles directly involved with the final product. The
game developer does not work behind the scenes unlike a producer.
Equipment
Like a producer a PC is the most useful and
mainly used tool. This time however the use is towards development software
like Maya, Mud box etc. having hands on involvement with production. Other equipment would be standard stationary
for physical drawing if needed.
Skills
The skills of the developer heavily overlap
with that of the producer, but like mentioned earlier the skills needed are
more hands on with the actual development of the final product rather than
licensing and other jobs. Due to this creative skills like the ability to draw
and programme are significantly more prevalent, needing heavy knowledge of a
variety of different skills due to the demands of the job.
Comparison
When comparing these job roles we can see the
importance of the jobs and duties and which one is the most vital to the games
success. A games producer responsibilities mostly handle negotiations and the
behind the scenes of the production dealing with the publishers and costing.
Though details like quality assurance overlap with the a games developer but a
developer handles more roles in the actual production of the product overseeing
production and also hands on work on the final product having responsibilities
as designer and artists as well as the other jobs that specialise in that
department.
When looking at the contribution it seems
clear that the developer job carries more weight in the creation of the product
and therefore takes a higher importance as a job over a producer. Though the
game would not be able to be producers without a producer without a developer
there would be no hierarchy and would not have a stricter form of management.
LO2 Understand The Skills They Will Need To
Carry Out A Chosen Media Production Role
Task 3
My Suitability To Be A Games Producer
As I have a keen interest in video games and
their development as a long term gamer I have various knowledge and skills
required to the aforementioned jobs. My
skills fit more towards psychical development rather than the behind the scenes
though I have some of the required skills to do the duties.
Like previously mentioned written
communication is one of the key areas required for this specific job, being
able to write reports and such. I have
the ability to read, write spell etc. and have formed multiple reports in the
past over my studies. For example for unit 19 as an analysis of five audio
media products. Which was a long and comprehensive report that was very
detailed.
However verbal communication is heavily
required. As many of the duties require Team work and other communication in
overseeing and such, skills that I said needed to be backed up with prior
knowledge and experience which I have both.
As someone who has stuck with the education system I have built
knowledge and confidence throughout years that have given me the skills to be
able to communicate with a variety of different people and form opinions and
such which make me suitable for this job. An example would be when I presented
my unit 60 games pitch to Sumo Digital that was a smooth and well-received
presentation where we presented in a group allowing changes in pace and clear
presenting.
Since I am studying a course in “Creative and
digital media” I have gained skills across multiple pieces of software and have
lots of creativity along with the skills and knowledge I have gained in former
education. Which furthers my reasons for
my suitability towards this job. Developing these practical skills over
creating such content as a trailer, video game level, website and others
software that are all diverse software to use and create content. Also all this
content requires a huge difference in creativity for
such content as creating an original game
idea and scripting and storyboarding a trailer. Which would require an
imaginative/creative mind that can create and develop ideas.
However my skills do have gaps in them. Since
the majority of the software I have used to create content at my time at UTC
Sheffield I have not used before; meaning that I lack experience in the
software and could be called an amateur based on the content produced.
Experience is were I lack the most skills based on the fact that all content
that I have produced has not been produced in a realistic time frame or
environment. Skills that I lack are mainly to di with using software and the
lack of experience and knowledge in using them. For example Autodesk MAYA is a
software I find difficult to use and lack experience in but is a paramount
software in games development and would need to improve these skills to become
suitable for a role in games production.
To resolve these gaps from my current state
in education the most logical path given my circumstances is to enter Sheffield
Hallam University and do a course named “Games Design” in full time education.
From their I have required qualification to become a Producer, and then I would
need experience to back that up possibly from starting in a smaller role within
the industry and working my way up to eventually become a producer unless I am
fortunate enough to get the job first time.
My Suitability To Be A Game Developer
As previously mentioned I have many qualities
that would fit the job roles suitably to work within the games industry,
however I said my skills are more towards psychical production.
This is because of my skills within actual
creation of ideas and creating concept art, which would be more suited to
developers skills as he works hands on with the team and directs ideas.
The skills required are essential the same as
a producer but with less written communication and more verbal along with
visual communication through drawing and other visuals.
To become a developer I would go down the
same route choosing games design at Hallam is it is very likely that the skills
and qualities to become a developer are also featured in this course and would
require you at the end of education to apply for that specific role.
LO3 Be Able To Carry Out A Specific
Production Role For A Chosen Media Production
Task 4
Role And Responsibilities
My role within my games industry unit (Unit
60 – Games Industry) was the concept artist. This role required me to create
the initial concepts for the game, along with further developed ideas and final
concept for the production of the game. This meant that I had to created
designs based on the ideas spawned from details like the plot synopsis and
other descriptions of the game and how the producer intended it to be. Below is
the link to my blog where all the pitches content and details are uploaded: http://unit6008poolem.blogspot.co.uk/
This also required me to produce these ideas
before deadlines so that other planning documentation and further decisions
about the game could be decided. For example if I created the concept to use a
car in the game with would require the development of a car within the game
adding more work to the load for the production team which could heavily
effects the final outcome of the game and its scheduled release.
Additional tasks I undertook was to organise
all the work that I made, to easily define what each image was and its
relevance to the final product, this meant I had to label my images and
organize them into categories, for example an image of a person would fall
under character design.
After these processes are completed I then
need to report this to the other member of my team (being the story writer,
concept creator and other roles) and make sure he was happy with the concept I
created and point out if any further improvements needs to be made or whether
the whole concept should be redesigned.
Contribution To Media Product
My contribution to the product meant that we
had a broad range of high quality art (some rendered) to show the concept of
the game in most aspects so that we could show our audience exactly what we are
thinking and presenting.
My contribution also meant that the initial
ideas where also expanded upon and made more advanced in some areas making the
overall concept more impressive, for example the ideas of a vehicle was not
included in the initial concept until we decided its suitability to the game
and how it would improve player experience and general look of the game.
My skills in drawing meant that we had high
standard images that clearly presented our ideas to the audience and was done
so in time for the final product so that all other elements could be included
and produced in the final concept.
My skills/qualities in organisation as
previously mentioned meant that we had enough time to go back over our concept
and improve upon any ideas and change any possible errors or contradictions.
Additional tasks I undertook also include the
creation of the pitch, organising the content produced into a clear and
understandable structure that could be presented to Sumo Digital.
Interaction Within My Team
Me and my other team member worked side by
side when working. We worked on our independent part though, but being together
(most of the time) allowed use to be constantly comparing, reflecting and
improving upon our current work, even if these were minor errors. This meant
that we could get through work quickly due to this communication instead of
having to arrange meetings and having other inconveniences where we could not
communicate.
As seen as my role had heavy use of visual
communication, we both new in our heads what we wanted the final product to
look like. This meant that we did not need constant visual communication, and
other ideas could be spoken about. However when I did create a piece that I
could show my team it always sparked discussion and clarified our thoughts on
the matter, and allowed that particular section to be completed and move onto
the next.
Like I previously stated me and my other team
member when working were always together, this meant that our meetings where
essential held during that time, despite not following what a conventional
meeting would be like. We conducted these meetings usually after completing a
particular part of piece, whether this is a single sketch or a short word
document. My contribution to these often went on the visual element of
presenting the work and explaining what I have done, which we both essentially
did when in these meetings. However when looking over my co-workers work this
often meant me reading documents. This contrast meant that there was diversity
in the group meaning we were working on very different elements but as a team.
As a small team of two we were very effective
as a group. As my contribution being a concept artist built the main element of
our pitch being the visual communication, as I could produce these images very
quickly this meant that we could move onto the next area easily. My co-workers
contribution despite being slow at times got his part completed and to high
standard in enough time for me to deconstruct it into a presentation. Sometimes
since the my co-worker was slow I had to fill in and produce some of the
content that was assigned to him for example in the planning documentation I
produced production plans and wrote target audience and other pieces of
documentation that were original assigned to him. My initiative to react to his
slow progress shows my dedication to the project and that I have gone beyond my
assigned duties.
As we were working in our time in the
beginning we spent lot of time communicating verbally bouncing our ideas of
each other and developing them. This meant that we were certain what we both
thinking and could work independently on our tasks. This clarity at the
beginning of the project was very effective.
Development Of Skills
From the very beginning of the project when
deciding out roles we instantly knew what areas we specialised in. In my case I
had skills in drawing and other forms of visual communication so I opted for
the concept artist role. As I already had skills in drawing having worked on
previous projects in the past and having developed these.
When drawing I found that I can quickly
create images using pencil and paper due to my experience in the sector having
qualifications in art this meant I could show my adept skill in the area. This
also meant that I could utilise my skills in IT, being able to put together a
presentation and adding all my drawings to the presentation and other work we
did collaboratively.
During the project I developed my skills in
drawing coming to the realisation that my work is not consistent in style size
and quality, which is an area I worked to develop during the project by
creating multiple template for my self and using previous elements from
previous work I’d done. This meant that by the end of the project I had a set
of drawings that were all similar in
style, size and quality due to the skill I
developed over this project, and would not have developed if I had not
participated in this project.
Other skills I developed were how to
communicate with other quickly and effectively through multiple methods (verbal,
written and visual) something I had not done in such depth previously. Overall
this project allowed me to develop skills that I would need if I were to enter
the industry and a worthwhile experience.
Areas For Further Development
The gaps in my skills and knowledge are
mostly in software; as if I was to become a game developer or producer I would
not skills in certain programs such as MAYA and Autodesk etc. These are skills
that I would learn either through purchasing the software and learning myself
or attending courses in possible games development, at either university of an
apprenticeship.
Also my skills in drawing would possibly need
to be of higher standard, which is something I also may need to gain
qualifications in or build a portfolio in order to develop my skills further if
I wanted to work in the industry permanently.
To develop my skills in software a possible
development would be to attend Hallam University and take their course in
“games development” where I would learn how to develop games using advanced
software, as opposed to hand drawing. One
of the possible courses could be “MComp Games Software Development” at
Sheffield Hallam University being a five years full time course.
Another route if I wanted to develop skills
in drawing would be to take “BA (Honours) Fine Art” at Hallam University (3
years) or maybe even there course in “MArt Animation” full time for 5 years.
Each of these courses would require me to be
in education for 3 or more years that would help me develop those skills
needed, some being less relevant than others to work in the game industry.
After this I could apply straight for jobs or further my skills in knowledge in
higher education as a post-graduate.
Overall Suitability
Overall I feel I have suitable skills in this
role as content artist using hand drawing. However If I wanted to take my role
to a higher level I need experience/knowledge in advanced software if I wanted
to do this as a profession. However for this particular role in this particular
project I feel my skills are of a satisfactory skill.
My experience as a concept artist within unit
60 I feel covers elements of the two roles I looked at in my research. As when
looking at the skills required for the job I have proven that I have some of
the qualities like being able to communicate using multiple methods, being able
to check quality and being able to draw to a satisfactory standard and finally
having knowledge of video games and a vague idea of how they are produced. If I
were to attend the course at Hallam University I believe it is possible to take
one of those roles as a future career choice.
References
AGCAS (2014) Games Developer job description,
[Online], Available:
[March 2014]. Accessed 19.12.14
H3llkn0wz (2009) Video game development,
[Online], Available:
[6 April 2009]. Accessed 19.12.14
JustinH (2007) Video game producer, [Online],
Available:
[12 January 2007]. Accessed 19.12.14
Frecklefoot (2004) Video game developer,
[Online], Available:
[3 February 2004]. Accessed 19.12.14
James Brightman (2014) Product manager,
[Online], Available:
[6 October 2014].Accessed 21/12/14
Future PLC (2014) Technical Artist – Unreal
Engine 4 (m/f), [Online], Available:
[19 December 2014]. Accessed 21/12/14
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