Biography
Leo Crocker Rogers (LeosArticles.com) is a metaphysicist and physicist. As an inventor, he holds six
patents. His publications include works in German,
Portuguese, Japanese, Norwegian, English and braille,
and several audio books. His other writings include The
Handbook of Semiconductor Silicon Technology Polycrystalline
Silicon; articles in Electronics West, Photovoltaic
International,and Christian Science Herald; “Open Doors”
in Ukraine; and “Youthful Insights.” His topical articles
appear in three newspapers including the world
renowned Christian Science Monitor.
Career Paths in the
Game Industry
Mark Baldwin
University of Advancing Technology
Mr. Rogers is a multiple recipient of Dan Noble Fellow
awards, the highest honorary award that can be
received by a technologist within Motorola. It recognizes outstanding technical creativity, innovative ability
and productive achievements.
From those building with the LBB and the LAM to
those who speak the Seven Speaks, local and world
projects will emerge that will bless mankind in a
peaceful manner. These projects will couple people,
unite scientists, connect companies and link countries
and cultures to wend mankind to peaceful coexistence.
This evolvement will be natural and non-forced, and
will flow from the advanced communication of individuals with each other, worldwide. Soon, it will be seen
that the Seven Speaks are not the most important part
of education, they are the only important part of
education that will advance mankind.To this end, the
halls of future universities will burgeon with
committed individuals.
It is my assertion that the Seven Speaks educational
model, supported by a Lego Block Box and Lego
Assembler Machine society, will bring peace to the
world. Seven Speaks education is about communication within and without one’s self, nothing more.The
more Speaks one can understand and share, the
greater a person’s moral contribution to the world
will be.The more the Seven Speaks are spoken worldwide, the greater will be the advancement of
mankind, not only in the non-technical and technical
fields but also in the social arenas as well, even to the
understanding of all mankind’s needs and the fulfillment of those needs—peace.
Invitation to Instruct:
Individuals who would like to pursue the
Seven Speaks educational model for higher
education are invited to contact Mr. Rogers at
[email protected].
35
A look at the evolving
multitude of jobs
and careers in the
Computer Game Industry
The computer game industry has evolved a great deal
over the last twenty years.As a result, what were once
just one or two career paths and job qualifications have
split and split again into a plethora of career paths and
jobs. For those who are willing to work hard to educate
themselves and to prove themselves in the industry, a
fantastically enjoyable and financially successful career
is available to them for the rest of their life. It’s an
exciting and wonderful industry in which to build one’s
life—an industry that is constantly changing and
reinventing itself.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was only
one job title for those who wanted to create games,
and that title was “game author.”Actually, that wasn’t so
long ago or far away—it was less than twenty years
ago. The total number of career paths in the entire
industry was an astounding number of about two: the
aforementioned game author and, on the business end,
Career Paths in the Game Industry
“game publisher.” But that was it—the game author
was the designer, writer, programmer, artist, musician,
sound technician and tester for the game! The business
model was similar to that of a book author in that the
game author would hide away in a dark and dingy room
with Jolt Cola for six months and a game would come
director of marketing, effects artist, engine
programmer, game designer, game programmer, game
tester, hardware manager, human relations manager,
tools engineer, network game programmer, online AI
programmer, particle artist, producer, production
coordinator, quality assurance analyst, scenario
instead act as a guide to current needs. If you are a
game engine programmer and a project needs some
network coding, you may end up doing network
coding, or, as a level designer, you might end up
writing dialogue. This tradition arose for several
reasons. The first is that, twenty years ago, one individual did, in fact, do everything. So even when
technology created a need to divide labor into skill
sets, individuals still tried to maintain a diverse understanding of the whole process.Another reason is tied to
the creative process involved with games: unlike other
software where most of the components are understood before the first line of code is written, game
software is a creative work involving many unknowns.
These unknowns change both process and product
continually during development, requiring flexibility
in the members of the development team.The ability
of all members of a team to shift their resources and
skills to adapt to these unknowns is a survival trait of
any good development team.
The creative nature of computer games leads us to a
second common characteristic of working in the game
industry. The computer game industry is a highly
technical discipline that creates art and entertainment.
In other words, it makes extreme use of both “right
brain” and “left brain”—the creative and the technical,
respectively—to create computer games. And while
any single job may stress one aspect or the other, both
parts are a necessity for every member of a team if the
final product is to succeed.
out the other side, then he would earn royalties based
on the number of copies the publisher could sell.
Times have changed.While initially the industry was a
garage hobbyist industry—an industry that produced
t-shirts that said “It’s hard to believe grown-ups do this
for a living”—today, it is no longer an anti-establishment garage industry but is instead a mainstream
multi-billion-dollar industry demanding a multitude of
degreed individuals with engineering, programming,
art, writing and management skills. Universities and
colleges all over the world are now trying to turn out
qualified individuals for this demanding industry.
If you go to any game industry employment site, the
amount and type of job titles boggles the mind. A
sampling of job titles include 2D background artist, 2D
game programmer, 3D animator, 3D modeler,
animation engineer, art director, audio programmer,
brand manager, character artist, cinematic animator,
community services specialist, composer, content
designer, content programmer, creative director,
designer, script writer, sound designer, storyboard
artist, test tools engineer, texture artist, user interface
artist, user interface designer, and even world artist!
And this is just a sampling of the possible jobs in the
industry.
What are all of these titles and how does one design an
education or career to evolve with them? In this article,
I will attempt to boil down the job titles one finds in
the game industry to a set of archetypes or idealized
models of the various fields in the game industry to
make it a bit more manageable. Finally, I will touch on
what this might imply to a student seeking an education
to prepare for entry into the game industry.
Commonality
While there are a great variety of careers and skills in
the game industry, I would first like to touch on a
couple of commonalities. The first of these is the
tradition of flexibility and blurring of the lines between
job descriptions. In the game industry, job descriptions
do not act as barriers to accomplishing the job, but
by individuals new to the industry. The proven game
designer is much in demand, but to get that experience
is a hard row to hoe.
What does it take to be a great game designer? In no
other career area does an individual need to master by
turns the creative and the technical. Certainly, the need
to be creative—or right-brained—is obvious: the
designer is creating entertainment and possibly even
fine art in his game. But what about the left brain? Why
is that important? The reasons are tied to how games
create their entertainment through both story and
game play.
Let me touch on a definition here first. In the game
industry, when we speak of story, we are not talking
about a narration that the game player may see in the
form of cut scenes between game play. Story is
actually the end result; it is the unique experience that
each game player has with the game. It is the combination of both the narration and game play that the
designer provides and the interactions and decisions
that exist between the game player and the game. In
this way, games are uniquely different than other
media in that the player is an integral part of the storytelling process.
What does this imply for the game designer and the left
brain, that part that forms logical connections and
structures? Because the designer cannot control the
What does it take to be a great game
The General Archetypes
We can divide jobs in the game industry
designer? In no other career area does
into ten different archetypes or
idealized professions: the Designer, the
an individual need to master by turns
Writer, the Programmer, the Visual
the creative and the technical.
Artist, the Audio Artist, the Manager,
the Tester, the Businessman, the
Journalist and the Educator.Within these archetypes, story directly, he creates structures and relationships.
one may find a great diversity of jobs and specialization, He cannot just describe the adventures that Odysseus
but, by examining each in turn, one may get a compre- will have in his travels, but instead must invent an interesting universe populated by interesting people and
hensive feel for the industry as a whole.
creatures such that when the game player interacts
with the game world, an epic story is then created. My
The Designer
Just as the movie director is the center of creativity in own definition of a game designer is that individual
the film industry, so the game designer is the center of who creates a universe, and the items in it with which
creativity in the game industry. From the designer’s the game player will interact to create interesting
vision emerges the entertainment, in the form of game entertainment and story.The inventors of chess accomplay and story. The star system in the game industry, plished this millennia ago, and game designers have
such as it is, puts the game designer on a pedestal. been doing it ever since.
People like Sid Meier,Will Wright, Richard Garriott,
Chris Crawford,Brian (“Professor”) Moriarty and John Amazingly, almost all famous designers have first been
Carmack are all famous game designers. As such, the programmers, the pinnacle of logic and relationposition of game designer is the position most desired ships. While I am sure there have been some
37
Career Paths in the Game Industry
successful designers who arose from right brain arts
such as visual arts or writing, they have been far
fewer in number.The left brain ability to assess relationships is a critically important trait. Thus the
game designer needs to be a Renaissance man or
woman—they must be able to understand people
and story and character, and also to understand logic
and sequence and interaction in a very precise way.
A couple of subfields within the realm of game design
are those of level designer and content designer.
universe creates a story, there is often a specific need to
integrate a rich narrative into the game, both as prose
and dialogue to advance the story. These require the
right brain creative skills of the wordsmith.
Contrary to their roles in other media, such as movies
and plays, writers are not (typically) the first step in
creating a game.Narrative and complex story,the tools
of the wordsmith, are for the most part subordinate to
game design and game play. Few games have succeeded
when the story has been given priority over game play.
The Programmer
The programmer is the oldest profession in the game
industry. In the bad old days when one individual
created a game, that individual had to be a proficient
(if not outstanding) programmer above all else. Even
today, the game programmer cannot be a “turn the
crank”-style programmer. Although game play and
story are vitally important to computer games, the
technology that presents the game to the game player
has always been critical. For better or worse, the
audiences want their games to push technology to
extremes. They want faster games, better AI, higher
resolution graphics, better special effects, and so on.
In addition, games, by their very nature, are almost
always unique in how they process the game play and
story.This requires that innovative methods be incorporated into almost any new game. This constant
innovation in the code for a game requires the
programmer herself to be constantly innovation.
Besides the “typical” game programmer, there are a
number of other specialties among programmers
these days: 3D and graphics programmers who
specialize in putting the game scenes on the screen;
engine developers who specialize in the foundations
that the game is built on; tools programmers who
games these days. Gone are the days of presenting the
entirety of game play through text.Typically, 25-50%
of the cost of a game is for the visual art.When I first
started writing games, I was my own visual artist.And,
if you look at those old games, it shows. But very
quickly, it became apparent that game designers and
programmers shouldn’t be making their own art.
When I hired my first employee to help me with my
games, I hired a visual artist.
Before 3D graphics, the visual artist was typically
concerned with background 2D scenes and the design
of characters/pieces that would move across the
screen. But 3D changed art drastically: instead of
creating 2D images that represented a 3D world like a
painter might, the artist actually had to become a parttime architect, designing and painting 3D objects in a
3D world, much more like the sculptor.
These days there are a number of specialties for visual
artists: 2D painters who are still creating 3D scenes in
a 2D environment; concept and storyboard artists who
specialize in creating representations to assist in the
design process—often, these are not even created on a
computer, but are instead created using traditional
paint and paper; animators (2D and 3D) who are
39
Games are very complex constructs. Not only do they have
to perform as successful and relatively bug-proof software,
but they also must succeed as entertainment.
Although there are some differences between the two
job titles, both design specific game play details
within the framework of the overall game design.The
level designer is concerned with a specific level or
world or scenario, while the content designer is more
concerned with adding detail to the world to support
the themes, quest and back-story. Another design
subfield is that of interface designer, who is responsible for how the game communicates with the game
player and how the game player communicates with
the game.
The Writer
Closely related to the designer—and often found
working hand-in-hand with one—is the writer.While
the game designer knows how to assemble a universe
such that the interaction between game player and the
As such, the writer creates his work in support of the
game designer and the game play.Yet, as games become
more complex, and the need for rich narrative and
dialogue increases, the importance of the creative
writer in the game design and development process
likewise becomes more important.
There are also other opportunities for the wordsmith
in the game industry: probably the next most
important writer on the team is the manual writer.
For this, a writer needs to have the ability to understand a complex piece of software and then be able to
communicate it clearly to the consumer. Likewise,
composing internal documentation that communicates clearly with the development team requires a
skilled writer as well.
build tools in support of developing the game;
interface programmers who specialize in code that
supports the communication between the game and
the game player; network and multiplayer programmers who are interested in how parts of the game can
exist on more than one computer, and communicate
between them—this is especially hot (currently)
because of the demand for network game play; AI
programmers who specialize in writing artificial intelligence for games; audio programmers who
implement the sounds and music created by the audio
artist; physics programmers who are concerned with
how objects move and interact in a consistent physical
world; and quality assurance programmers who
develop the tools and means to test and ensure quality
in the game software.
The Visual Artist
Visual art—what is displayed on the screen during a
game—is a critically important part of almost all
concerned with how objects and people move within a
world; special effects artists who create all the fun
explosions and magic spells; 3D modelers who are
basically architects creating 3D objects—from houses
to spaceships—to go into the world; texture artists
who create 2D images that then map onto 3D models,
giving the world and characters their depth and
richness; character artists who create the characters we
want to relate to; user interface artists who are
concerned with how to aesthetically present the vast
amount of information a game needs to communicate
with the game player.
The Audio Artist
Remember Pac-Man? The first sounds in games were
beeps and boops that emanated from cheap speakers
which were often more annoying than enjoyable.
Today, music and sound are critical to drawing the
game player into the game world that supports the
narrations and story. In addition, sound and music may
Career Paths in the Game Industry
be critical to the interface design as well. The sound
artist gives us this exquisite audio.
Because of game interactivity, game sound and music
design differ slightly from the film industry: music and
sound are not fixed constants in a game, but are
instead variable and dependent on the actions and
decisions of the game player. Thus, the audio artist
must be directly involved with the minutiae of the
game design and structure.
Within this archetype, we find the composer who
writes, the musician who performs the music and the
sound effects artist who creates the audio environment
that enriches the world. Additionally, we have one
additional artist (often outsourced): the voiceover
artist who provides vocal narration and voice to the
characters we love.
The Manager
The resources needed to create a computer game have
grown enormously since the advent of computer
games.While, initially, creating a game may have cost
half a man-year with a budget of under $50,000,
today’s games typically cost 10-100 man-years with
budgets in the multi-millions of dollars. Some of the
skills, a task that takes a uniquely skillful individual. In
support of this, the software industry has developed a
complete discipline on managing software development called software engineering. These skills and
methodologies are now coming into high demand in
the game industry.
and how it succeeds as entertainment.This requires a
general knowledge of both the theory and practice of
creating games.
The critic or reviewer is important to any entertainment industry, but especially so in the game industry.
Creative director, lead designer, lead artist, lead
programmer, technical director and many other leadership roles across the game industry spectrum also
need to access their management skills and knowledge.
The Tester
Games are very complex constructs. Not only do they
have to perform as successful and relatively bug-proof
software, but they also must succeed as entertainment.The job of developing software that works well
is handled by the quality assurance and testing team,
and one can draw a great deal from software engineering training in general to develop methods and
techniques for testing game software.
But just as important (if not more so) is how well the
game provides the entertainment that was originally
envisioned.Think of the painter who has a vision for a
great work—he plans it in his mind and even in draft
drawings. But as he starts to paint his
masterpiece, the very process of creating
3D changed art drastically:
the painting—the smells and textures and
interactions of the paint—feed back to the
instead of creating 2D images
painter; he changes his plan as he goes,
adapting to what he is actually creating.
that represented a 3D world like
Creating a game is a similar process. The
a painter might, the artist actually designer can plan every detail of a game, but
the process of actually building it creates
had to become a part-time
interactions he never planned for. He needs
to understand these changes and adapt his
architect, designing and painting
design throughout the development
3D objects in a 3D world, much
process. Much of this feedback—the
designer’s information on what works and
more like the sculptor.
what doesn’t and where the problems in the
game play and entertainment are—comes
largest games—Halo II, for instance—have had from the testers.
reported budgets of $40 million for over 100 team
members. Games are not cheap to create; if the game
Testing as a profession does not get the respect it
is not completed successfully or on time, companies
deserves. Many people think that anyone can test or do
can be (and have been) destroyed.This creates a need quality assurance, but it takes a great deal of detailed
for individuals who are skilled at managing large, work and engineering skills to be effective in identicomplex projects.
fying and communicating the problems involved.
The producer is the primary management leader of a
development team. It is her responsibility to ensure
that the project is completed successfully, on time and
on budget.To do this effectively, the producer needs to
master a great number of management and personnel
Within this sphere, there are also jobs in such
business-related areas as management, marketing,
sales, manufacturing, human relations, packaging,
public relations and customer support. In addition,
there are support careers in such areas as law and
financial analysis.While not specifically a member of
The Businessman
The game industry is a business. Product must be
created, produced and sold, and someone must be
responsible for finding the money and resources to
allow all of this to happen. Enter the businessman.
41
the creative team from whom games are fashioned,
the businessman is still an exciting role within an
industry in which where there is continual innovation and change. Consider the fact that twenty years
ago, a publisher might have spent $50,000 to develop
a game.These days, game budgets can run in excess
of $10 million—World of Warcraft was rumored to
have had a budget of over $40 million—and a
company’s life and death depends on making such a
large investment pay off. Despite the risks, it’s a good
time right now to be the businessman—the game
industry has been an innovator in sales and marketing
in the information age and other industries follow its
model (in fact, the whole concept of stealth
marketing developed out of the game industry).
The consumer, upon examining a product before
purchase, has very few clues as to whether a game will
entertain them or, more importantly, if it will do so at
a reasonable level of quality. Game play, one of the
most important qualities of a game, can remain hidden
when looking at the product, so the reviewer is a
critical component in communicating this information
to the consumer.
The Journalist
The journalist—as mass communicator and
evaluator—is one of the more exhilarating and
important roles within the game industry. It is up to
her not only to be able to look at a game, evaluate it and
communicate that evaluation in prose to both the
industry and to the game customer, but the journalist
must also understand the intricacies of what a game is
The Educator
The computer game industry is relatively new, but, as
we have seen with the other archetypes, there is a huge
breadth and depth of knowledge and skill involved in
the industry, knowledge and skill that have been
created through trial and error. For the most part,
much of this knowledge has been preserved culturally
and in the memories and experiences of the “old
In addition, the journalist also evaluates the industry.
She acts as the line of communication that allows the
industry to learn and progress. Like many other roles
in this industry, and perhaps even more so, a breadth of
knowledge about how the industry works and succeeds
is a necessary tool in her job.
Career Paths in the Game Industry
than job openings.This makes for a very competitive
process so having a game degree puts an individual at
the front of the pack.
But I also pointed out that academia has only recently
stepped in to provide students with this education.
Which means academia is being forced to learn
quickly, as well.To my knowledge, some of the professions I have described so far are not even being taught
at any college or university yet. This puts a bit more
responsibility on students to manage their own careers
and design their academic path to prepare themselves
for the specific career they wish to follow. If you are a
student, remember this: you are hiring the school to
provide you an education, so, like any purchase, make
sure you are getting your money’s worth!
Biography
After earning a Master’s degree in Engineering, Mark
Baldwin initially had a successful career working on the
Space Shuttle as a flight designer. Jumping careers
during the mid-1980s, he moved from being a rocket
scientist to a game designer. Since then, he has written,
programmed, designed, directed and/or produced
over 30 commercial computer games and has won
numerous awards for his games, including “Game of
the Year.” He is currently a consultant in the game
industry as well as a computer games teacher. One of
his current related interests is virtual railroading and
railroading history, which can be found at his website
http://gilpintram.com
It was not my intention in writing this article to
describe every job and career path possible in the
computer game industry, but instead to give the
readers a broad sweep of the possibilities that are
available for someone who wants to enter this
exciting industry. I hope that I have given you a little
feel for this diversity.
43
The game industry is a sexy industry. Would you rather write
games or sell pork bellies?
timers” of the industry, but, because of the rapid
expansion of the industry and the retirement of the
old timers (like myself), a more formalized system
of knowledge preservation and transfer is needed.
In response to this need, academia has assumed its
proper role in recent years and stepped up to the
plate: while a degree in computer games would have
been laughable ten years ago, in 2006, it is almost a
requirement to enter the industry. That means that
there is a demand for individuals who understand
the game creation process and who can teach it to
the next generation of game designers, artists,
programmers and all of the other archetypes. It also
means that there is a demand for individuals who
will take up other aspects of academia and
education, such as research.
The educator is possibly the newest archetype in the
game industry. I’ve entered into it in the last couple of
years because I find it to be a new challenge for myself
after being a designer for twenty years. It has brought
me new challenges in understanding this field which I
have spent so much of my life in, and I am having a blast
developing and communicating my ideas to new
people. In addition, because the whole field of game
education is brand new, it is a frontier where everything is open to the innovative educator.
Educational Paths to the Game Industry
As mentioned previously, I’d like to discuss the
educational paths available to those wishing to enter
the game industry. In the past, education supporting
the game industry was available through other
fields—e.g., computer science or fine art—and
much needed to be learned on the job. However, as
specific knowledge in the all of the fields I’ve
described multiplied, there arose a need for passing
this wealth of knowledge to new individuals.
Academia has stepped in to fill this need and to
prepare the prospective student by offering various
game degrees. This has become vital to someone
wishing to enter the industry.The game industry is a
sexy industry (would you rather write games or sell
pork bellies?). Although the industry is huge, and
there are thousands of new hires every year, the very
allure of the industry creates more desire for jobs