Game Development Job Positions for Graduate Students

I am taking a class about video games in order to develop interactive design skills specific to video games. I have been an avid gamer since I was a teenager, and I enjoy a wide spectrum of games from casual games to classic point-and-click adventure games to single-player role-playing games to massively-multi-player MMO’s. I am interested in creating educational video games for museum exhibits and websites. Video games are some of the best examples of interactive design in the field. Games are a great way to engage people in fun and meaningful ways.

For graduate students looking to get into the game industry, there are many entry-level jobs that enable them to get a foot into the door. One of these is I.T. support. I.T. staff are responsible for maintaining computers so that the artists, programmers and engineers can keep doing their jobs. Quality assurance is another entry-level position. Q.A. testers test the games for bugs and glitches. They play the games systematically, exposing issues that the programmers may not have expected. Another entry-level position to consider is render wrangler. Render wranglers monitor and control the computers where rendering is being done and manage the render farm. They continually check the machines so that the artists don’t waste time on technical issues and watching render output, even working 24-hour shifts.

There are also entry-level programming positions in most game companies. Programmers tend to specialize in different areas: network programming for online play, security, graphics, A.I, interface programming, engine programming, database, game play and optimization programming.

By obtaining an entry-level job, a person has a chance of moving up into a higher position. Engineers are more experienced than programmers; engineers create the structure of the game as well as the tools that the artists and level designers use to design the game. Higher-level jobs can open up in the art department as well. The art team creates the look and feel of the game and user interface. Positions here include concept artists, 3D-modelers and animators. I like coming up with the ideas for games and designing user interfaces, so this area appeals to me the most.

A person might even move up to a management position in the engineering or art department. The engineering manager and art director in turn report to the producer or production manager. This person oversees the entire production of the game, communicating between the artists and the programmers. He or she creates schedules and prioritizes tasks for the art and engineering teams, keeping a clear picture of the shape of the game. This person also knows a lot about game design, and usually some programming and art skills.

The marketing department holds additional roles in a game design company. The marketing department creates the image of the company that the public sees. It is responsible for promoting the company’s image and products. They develop marketing campaigns, create ads, websites and more to generate public interest in the games. I do have some experience in marketing, and I am very aware of the role of marketing in a game’s success. I have come across several great games that suffered from poor marketing: Okami and Beyond Good and Evil. Both are exceptional quality games. Sometimes game sales can suffer if a less-known title is released among many blockbuster titles. Sometimes a good game doesn’t get enough publicity. The marketing department has many factors to keep track of.

Some marketing departments may have a user community administrator. This person interfaces with the public via the company website. He/she manages the forums on the company website or other user communities related to the company’s products, and gathers feedback.

Business administration is an area unto itself. Several roles in a multi-department game design company lie in business administration. Accountants track and maintain the company finances. In a small company, a certified public account may be hired for these tasks. A lawyer may be retained for the company, or it may have it’s own legal team. Copyrights, trademarks and patents are issues that all game companies must deal with. The lawyer or legal team protects the company’s intellectual property from copyright infringement and ensures that the company is not violating others’ copyrights. Although these aren’t the roles most game design students see themselves in, these functions of a game company are worth noting.

At the very top of the corporate structure of a game company–other than a sole proprietorship or partnership–presidents, general managers and CEO’s oversee the company. They have strong interpersonal and organizational skills and keep projects on track. They either have business management experience or years of specialized knowledge and skills related to the industry. I do not see myself in a management role in a game company. If I create a company, I see myself as the sole proprietor.

There are many aspects to game development, reflected by the different departments–engineering, art, business administration–and corporate hierarchy. A graduate student may be able to find an entry-level position in his or her desired area, or start off in a support position such as I.T. or Q.A. Filling one of these positions may help him or her land a higher position in the company. I don’t see myself working for a large company but it’s important to understand the structure of companies that I may be working with. Someday I may wish to create games of a larger scope than I can handle all production of myself.