Work for play: Careers in video game development ideo games aren’t only for play; they Full-featured games, such as those made also provide work. The workers, for consoles, have more complex program- V known as game developers, make a ming and, therefore, take longer to develop— living creating the games you enjoy playing. usually between 18 and 30 months. By com- Making video games is a serious—and parison, most games that are played on social big—business. According to the Entertain- media and mobile devices require simpler ment Software Association, in 2009, the video technology, which results in a quicker devel- game industry had sales in excess of $10 bil- opment process of a few months. lion and employed more than 32,000 people in 34 states. Preproduction Creating these games is complex and Work completed during preproduction lays requires the collaboration of many developers, the foundation upon which a game is built. In who perform a variety of tasks, from produc- this phase, the lead designers outline a game tion to programming. They work for both concept with the help of lead artists and pro- small and large game studios to create games grammers. Lead designers also might select that can be played on many different devices, a feature, such as an innovative gameplay including console systems, computers, and element or powerful graphics, that makes the Drew Liming cell phones. game unique. This article covers career options in video and The different design teams flesh out a game development. The first section provides specific part of the game, such as its mechan- Dennis Vilorio an overview of the development process. The ics and storyline. The designers then compile second section describes four groups of video their ideas in a game design document, which game occupations: designers, programmers, describes the game and its features in detail. artists, and others. The third section covers the skills and training workers need for these From this document, programmers create Drew Liming is jobs. The fourth section discusses the benefits a prototype game. Designers use feedback an economist and challenges of working in the video game on the prototype to revise game features. in the Office of industry. And the fifth section provides job- Many game studios also use the prototype to Occupational seeking tips for a career in video game devel- secure financing from publishers, allowing the Statistics and opment. Suggested resources for additional designers to continue developing the game. Employment information are at the end of the article. Once the game receives funding, pro- Projections, BLS. grammers begin building its technological He is available at framework. Meanwhile, artists create concept (202) 691-5262 art, such as character illustrations, that helps Lifecycle of a video game or liming.drew@ designers visualize the game. Completion of The concept for a video game can come from bls.gov. a variety of sources. Many games start as a the prototype signals the start of the produc- tion phase of development. new idea for a story or technology the devel- Dennis Vilorio opment team would like to explore. Others is an economist come from an established property, such as a Production in the Office of novel or film. Still others attempt to perfect In the production phase, teams of designers, a style or formula found in another genre or artists, and programmers use the design docu- Occupational game. ment as a guide to create the game. The teams Statistics and But whatever the impetus for its creation, collaborate to make the most of each other’s Employment almost every game follows a similar develop- expertise. “Art isn’t displayed correctly until Projections, BLS. ment process: preproduction, production, and an engineer makes it work, and it doesn’t work He is available at postproduction. The length of this process until a designer defines how it should work,” (202) 691-5711 or is often determined at the beginning of the says Louis Catanzaro, creative director for vilorio.dennis@ preproduction phase and depends on a game’s BeachCooler Games in Waltham, Massachu- bls.gov. size and programming needs. setts.

Fall 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 3 Postproduction and beyond Postproduction focuses on playing the game to test it for errors, called bugs, and on tweaking it to eliminate unwanted elements. The quality assurance staff tests the game by playing it and attempting to do things the development staff never considered. As the game testers find bugs, they document the errors and assign them to a programmer, designer, or artist to fix. Testers might also find that parts of the game are inconsistent or imbalanced. Fixing these issues might require tweaks to existing features and content. Dealing with bugs and tweaks can make postproduction time-consuming. The process may take as long as production, especially for more complex games that have bigger budgets. When a game is released, it is distributed for sale to players. However, the work does not end there. Games often need patches, which are frequent updates that might include bug Artists use concept art to create textures, fixes, tweaks to the game’s balance, and new Video game developers models, and animations for the characters, content. And a game’s success might persuade carry a concept from levels, objects, and environments that will the studio to develop an expansion—a large preproduction through populate the game world. Programmers final- content and feature update that usually is sold postproduction. ize the game engine—a video game’s physics separately as an addition to the original game. and graphics systems—and tools. They also write the code that dictates everything from the game’s rules to how its visual elements are Occupations in video displayed on the screen. Designers meet with workers from the game development other departments to ensure that the game’s Making a video game requires many different design document is being followed. Feedback workers. Developers have diverse specialties, during production helps the designers revise including game design, programming, and the document as needed—for example, to art. Depending on the size of the studio in improve a game’s mechanics or remove an which they work, developers may have varied unfeasible feature. roles; smaller studios might have one worker Throughout production, developers con- performing multiple tasks, and larger studios tinually build improved versions of the game. might have multiple workers for each task. “The goal is to add more dimensions to the Game developers make the most of their game,” says David Sirlin, lead designer for different skills to collaborate on a shared goal: Sirlin Games in Emeryville, California. “That creating the best game possible. is, to create more content that is better looking within a design that is more refined.” Designers At the conclusion of the production phase, Designers are video game dreamers. They the fully playable game includes art, music, imagine almost everything about and in a and sound effects. This milestone is referred game. To develop a game, teams of designers to as “content complete.” write detailed descriptions of their ideas for

4 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2011 all of its parts, including plot, characters, and Creativity is important for these designers, but gameplay. The teams hold regular meetings their work must fit within a game’s world. For and select the best concepts. example, when writing for a realistic strategy When a game is in production, designers game set in the Medieval Age, content design- work closely with programmers and artists to ers ensure that no anachronistic objects or ensure that their designs are being followed. references are included. Content designers Designers frequently use scripting languages, do much of their writing when the game is in a type of programming language that controls preproduction, but changes during develop- applications, to view their ideas within the ment require them to edit their work to match prototype game. Scripting languages do not the altered product. require extensive coding and allow design- Game mechanic designer. Game ers to test various concepts as they arise in mechanic designers focus on specific, vital gameplay. Then, designers choose the concept pieces of gameplay. Consequently, their they like best. If issues arise during produc- tasks—and job titles—depend on the genre of tion, designers might have to go back and edit the video game on which they’re working. For or review the game design document. example, when working on a fighting game, The different design teams focus on dif- these designers are called combat designers; ferent parts of the game, under the direction of they plan and document how the combat sys- a lead designer. Some designers craft engross- tem should function. ing plots and characters. Other designers work Level designer. Level designers create on the mechanics of the game. the game’s fantastic or realistic environments, Lead designer. Lead designers collect selecting the objects and characters that and organize the design teams’ ideas into a inhabit them. To immerse players in the game, cohesive game design document. They also these designers choose the most appropriate manage the teams’ work tasks, schedules, and settings for the type of game. For example, documentation. Lead designers meet with level designers for a horror game create dark, their staff and other departments to discuss shadowy environments to make players feel new ideas, solve problems, and ensure that a apprehensive as they explore the levels. Level game is built according to the design docu- designers also map the location of objects and ment. opponents in a level. Content designer. Content designers Writer. Writers create the text and dia- develop the game’s plot and its characters. logue that immerse players in the game. The

Under the direction of a lead designer, design teams focus on different parts of game development.

Fall 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 5 role of a writer varies with the genre of the programmers. Some programmers work on game. Some genres, especially role-playing the game engine, the foundation upon which games, rely heavily on dialogue and need the game runs. Other programmers have more writers to prepare scripts for all in-game specific tasks, such as crafting the game’s conversations. Other genres, such as puzzle difficulty. “Almost any programmer can make games, have little need for writers. a human player lose,” says Bert Bingham, a producer at Gas Powered Games in Redmond, Programmers Washington, “but a truly good programmer Programmers see a video game differently knows how to make a player barely win.” from the way its players—or even their fel- Lead programmer. Lead programmers low game development team members—do. assign work to and develop schedules for To programmers, a video game consists of the programming teams. Although they are numerous lines of code that dictate how the skilled in writing code, lead programmers computer should handle everything from the often spend most of their time on supervisory game’s rules to its graphics. Under the guid- duties. They also meet frequently with the ance of the lead development team, program- art, design, and production team leaders to mers build video games from the ground up: address issues that arise during development. writing code, line by line, in computer pro- Artificial intelligence programmer. grams. Artificial intelligence programmers dictate Programmers use different types of cod- how computer-controlled opponents and allies ing languages. Each language has different react to a player’s actions. Artificial intelli- capabilities, and programmers choose the gence enables computer-controlled characters language that best suits their needs. The type to respond realistically and strategically. Some of language that programmers select also is video games, depending on the genre, require determined by the type of platforms—com- more complex artificial intelligence than oth- puters, consoles, or mobile devices—on which ers. the game will be released. Graphics programmer. Graphics pro- Creating a full-featured video grammers create tools that allow artists to game requires many different types of bring their work to the screen. Using their knowledge of advanced mathematics, graph- ics programmers implement complex algo- Programmers build rithms to produce 2D and 3D graphics. These video games from programmers also work closely with artists to the ground up: writing determine the best way to incorporate artwork code, line by line, in into a game. Network programmer. Many video computer programs. games are played online, allowing players across the globe to compete against or cooper- ate with one another. Network programmers write the code that enables this online play. They also develop security measures to pre- vent players from cheating. Physics programmer. Video games aren’t constrained by the real world, so physics programmers write the code for any natural laws, such as gravity, a game should follow or ignore. Guided by the designers’ vision, phys- ics programmers create rules that are either realistic or stylized. They also determine how

6 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2011 the different objects in a game will interact, such as two cars colliding in a racing game. Artists may use modern And physics programmers usually write the tools, such as a graphics code that dictates how particle effects, such tablet, to create a game’s as explosions and splashes, appear in video visual style. games. Tools programmer. Tools programmers write code to automate some tasks, making game development easier for less technical team members. For example, tools program- mers might write a program that simplifies the process of creating new levels or for importing art into the game. Tools differ from one game to another, based on designers’ needs. User interface programmer. The graphi- cal menus in video games range from simple, two-button commands—“play” and “quit”— to complex series of menus with options. User interface programmers also build heads-up displays, which provide vital information to team and plans its method and tools for creat- players. Collaborating with designers and art- ing artwork. Lead artists also ensure that their ists, user interface programmers ensure that team’s art is consistent in quality and style. these systems are intuitive and as straightfor- Concept artist. Following the game’s ward as possible. aesthetic direction, concept artists envision landscapes, objects, structures, characters, Artists and key moments in a story. Concept artists Artists breathe life into games. They design a produce a variety of art, including drawings, game’s aesthetic, or visual style, and create all paintings, sculptures, and storyboards. This of its artwork, including environments, char- artwork helps designers visualize their ideas acters, and objects. Artists also may design and guides other artists. the game’s manual, packaging, and promo- Modeler. Modelers build 3D charac- tional material. ters and environments that are based on the Some artists use traditional methods, concept art. To create the models’ surfaces or such as sculpting and freehand drawing, to skins, they paint and wrap 2D textures on a illustrate their ideas. Preliminary artwork digital frame. Modelers also create character helps game designers visualize their ideas and skeletons, which animators then control. serves as a guide for other artists to create Animator. Animators manipulate models computer art. Digital artists use modern tools to create movements for objects and charac- that include 3D modeling, software created by ters in the game. They digitally control the the programmers, and motion-capture tech- model as if it were a puppet and perform nology. animations that dictate how the character or Art director. The art director coordinates object will move in any given instance. For with the lead development team and manages example, there might be an animation for a the art department, including its budget and palm tree moving with the breeze or a charac- schedule. By consulting with key designers ter running. and programmers, the art director also defines Other artists. Other artists are involved the game’s aesthetic. in the development process, depending on the Lead artist. A video game may have one game. For example, motion-capture artists or more lead artists, each of whom manages a record the movement of real objects or people,

Fall 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 7 which then helps animators create more development costs within budget. Producers realistic movement in the game. Cinematic also help to ensure that a game is released on artists produce marketing videos to promote schedule, and they serve as liaisons between the game. And a photographer snaps pictures developers and executives. to inspire the game’s concept art. Quality assurance testers. During post- production, quality assurance testers identify Other major occupations and report problems with the game. These Many other workers contribute to a game’s problems may include software bugs, art development. These workers add sounds to the glitches, and issues arising during gameplay. game, handle the studio’s business concerns, A lead tester oversees the quality assurance and test the game for bugs. team and notifies other departments of prob- Audio workers. Workers in the audio lems that must be fixed. department develop, record, and process all of the game’s sounds, including music, dialogue, and all other noises, both real and fictitious. Skills and training Occupations include audio designers, audio Video game developers need skills and train- engineers, audio programmers, composers, ing specific to their job tasks, but they share and musicians. some common aptitudes. For example, the Executives. Studio executives, such as the ability to work well as part of a team not only chief executive officer and president, oversee is expected of game developers but may be the company and establish its philosophy, cor- required. “Successful work on a collaborative porate structure, and business plan. They also project is something we look for in hiring new negotiate business contracts and communicate employees,” says Ben Bell of Salt Lake City, with stakeholders. Utah, executive producer of The Sims 3 Pets. Producers. Producers manage the admin- Of course, a big part of collaborating istrative details of the studio’s products and is being able to articulate ideas clearly to departments. Responsibilities include calling other team members. This skill is especially meetings, maintaining schedules, and keeping important in game development, where teams

Workers in the audio department develop, record, and process all of a game’s music, dialogue, and other sounds.

8 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2011 comprise members from several diverse Many programmers, especially those who departments. “You communicate with your create vector graphics, have knowledge of lead artist, designers, and programmers—all high-level math. Other skills vary by spe- usually very different types of people with cialty. For example, network programmers very different points of view,” says Catanzaro. should have expertise in server security issues, “It’s absolutely critical that you understand the and graphics and user-interface programmers art of communication.” usually have some training in art. Most workers also should be adaptable to making changes and work well under Artists pressure. And those in leadership roles may Educational requirements for video game benefit from having basic business skills in artists vary, but most artists have attended management, budgeting, and scheduling. art school. In addition to teaching art theory, Highlighted next are the particular skills these schools introduce artists to different or training that different types of developers art styles and methods. This background is need. important because all game artists must first master traditional art techniques and their Designers basic principles—such as form, line, and color There are no educational requirements for theory. They also need to understand modern video game designers, but a college degree in artmaking tools, such as modeling and editing game design, game development, or computer software. science is helpful. Experience in other roles But an artist’s most important asset is in video game development is also beneficial. the portfolio, which showcases his or her For example, some workers become designers experience and talent. And formal instruction after being promoted from other teams, such improves the artist’s work, says Catanzaro: as quality assurance, programming, or art. “Your education sharpens your skills and Game designers also need some back- refines your portfolio.” ground in programming and knowledge of scripting languages, especially Lua and Other major occupations Python. In addition, designers might need to Other occupations are diverse, so their edu- be experts in other computer software. Level cational requirements vary. Audio workers designers, for example, frequently use 3D need technical training, which can require an modeling programs. associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Executives and producers usually need at least a bach- Programmers elor’s degree. And quality assurance testers Almost all programmers must have a bach- sometimes need no more than a high school elor’s degree in computer science or computer diploma. engineering. Some colleges and universities have specialized programs that focus on video game programming. Rewards and challenges Most importantly, programmers must be Working in video game development has experts in the programming languages and both advantages and disadvantages. One of operating systems used in game development. the advantages is earnings. The U.S. Bureau Nearly all programmers are skilled in C or of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not collect C++, computer languages that are commonly data specifically on the video game industry, used to create video games. Depending on but anecdotal information suggests that most their specialty or the game platform, program- of these workers earned more than the BLS mers also might need to know other lan- median annual wage estimate of $33,840 for guages, such as Perl, Assembly, or Lua. all workers in May 2010.

Fall 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 9 According to Game Developer magazine, specialist for Electronic Arts in Salt Lake which surveys the industry each year, average City, Utah. salaries for video game development workers But creating games isn’t all fun. Although in 2010 ranged from about $49,000 for quality a good game might receive critical or popular assurance testers to $107,000 for business pro- acclaim, a bad game could mean financial fessionals, such as executives. Audio workers, trouble for a studio and its employees. Con- artists, and designers earned an average of at sequently, the pressure to succeed is often least $68,000, while programmers and pro- intense. ducers averaged more than $85,000. As with Limited time and resources can frustrate salaries in other industries, salaries for video developers who have ambitious game ideas. In game developers vary by occupation, experi- some cases, the final game might not perform ence, and location. the way the designers originally envisioned. For many people in the video game indus- Even more demoralizing is a game concept try, though, their jobs are more about passion that works only on paper. “We are trying to than pay. “We work on something we love,” catch lightning in a bottle,” says Sirlin of Sir- says Bingham. “When we leave the office, we lin Games. “It can be soul crushing when you go home and play games.” find out that your game really doesn’t work.” Working in a game studio provides an Even when a concept does work, turning it opportunity to interact with others who share into a full-featured product is a daunting pro- that passion. The workers who contribute to cess. Developers work long hours to release making a video game foster a fun and creative a game on schedule. And if studio executives community. “I love being able to work along- fear that the game might miss production side people who do amazing things every deadlines, they usually increase the hours and day,” says Rachel Steinberg, a public relations days the staff will work—often for months at a time. This period, known as “crunch time,” is tough on workers and their families. Most video game Despite the challenges of developing developers enjoy video games, many workers say they’d still playing games even choose their jobs over others. “You’re not in their free time. sitting at a desk pounding away at numbers all day,” says Denny Chiu, a corporate com- munications manager at Electronic Arts. “We make fun.” Finding work in video game development As the costs of producing a video game have increased, many large studios are choosing to focus their resources on creating higher quality, but fewer, games. To maximize qual- ity, these studios usually seek experienced employees to work on their most lucrative projects. Because of the difficulty of getting an entry-level job at a large studio, many pro- spective workers enter the industry through alternative paths. For example, as the tools for

10 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2011 making games become more accessible, aspir- ing developers are better able to build portfo- lios. A designer might make a small, original game or modify an existing one. And an artist might create artwork in the style of his or her favorite game. “You don’t have to wait to be discovered,” says Sirlin. “The barriers to entry are lower than ever before.” But getting a job at a large studio isn’t the only option for working in game develop- ment. More developers now work for the small studios that create the increasingly popular games for social media and mobile devices. These games are usually shorter and sim- pler to make, providing workers an excellent opportunity to become developers. Another useful strategy for breaking into the video game industry is to visit the web- sites, blogs, and online forums that develop- ers frequent. “Developers often post open positions and ask for portfolios through those venues,” says Catanzaro. Contributing to these online resources can also help increase your exposure. Exposure is important because it helps with networking, which is a great way to find public libraries, career counseling offices, and video game work. “I wrote about game design job centers. on my blog and on large gaming websites,” For general information about the video says Sirlin. “My posts increased my visibility, game industry, contact opened doors for me, and allowed me to meet Entertainment Software Association the right people.” 575 7th St., NW The rules for finding work in today’s Washington, DC 20004 video game jobs may not apply to the jobs that www.theesa.com emerge tomorrow. But that’s one more thing For more information about the salaries video game developers find exciting about and benefits of video game professionals, their work. “Gaming is morphing into some- contact thing unknown,” says Bingham. “The possi- Game Developer Magazine bilities are endless.” 600 Harrison St. 6th Floor San Francisco, CA 94107 For more information www.gdmag.com Video game development is a lengthy process For more information about video game that involves many different types of work- artists, contact ers. This article describes the major occupa- Graphic Artists Guild tions involved in creating a video game. Most 32 Broadway of these occupations and hundreds of others Suite 1114 are described in the Occupational Outlook New York, NY 10004 Handbook, online at www.bls.gov/ooh. The (212) 791-3400 Handbook also is available in print in many www.graphicartistsguild.org

Fall 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 11