Professions in the Games Industry
Roles in game development include engineers, producers, designers, artists, testers, composers, musicians, localizers, marketers, community managers, customer support, IT technicians, legal counselors, business administrators, accountants, facility managers, HR Reps, Recruiters, etc. All these people come together to build an experience that the masses can enjoy.
Four Sectors:
- AAA Studios and AAA Publishers
- Indie Studios and Indie Publishers
- External Development & Contract Studios
- B2B and SaaS companies
- Merchandising
Differences
Large AAA and support studios are mainly focused on finding specialized talent to satisfy the business and development needs for a big budget title. Smaller indie and support studios, are looking for talented individuals, employees often act in a more generalized capacity and fulfill multiple roles. Even though you might see companies use the same job title for their job listings, the duties and requirements for the job may vary from studio to studio.
Most AAA studios and publishers expect working onsite. Though some studios might operate on a over hybrid work schedule. Splitting your work week with working-from-home and working onsite.
Some studios operate entirely remote and employ people all over the world. Thanks to highspeed internet and collaboration software, teams can operate entirely home and collaborate online,
There are also plenty of professionals that make a living being self-employed, especially artists, writers, and audio. They provide their services via consulting, temporary contracts, or freelance commissions.
Types of Companies
Game Studios
Main developers of a video game. Development may be entirely in-house, or some combination of in-house and contract work.
Publishers
Provides legal, financial, and marketing support to studios. Expectation is that the studios abide by a production and release schedule.
Contract Studios
Company that focuses exclusively on providing one or more services. Most commonly for Art Assets, Cinematic Trailers, Quality Assurance, and Localization. Some studios also offer general or specialized game development services.
B2B Company
Provide software or service that is used in the creation of video games.
Esports Organizations
Dedicated to the Professional Player, Coach, Shout caster, A/V & Live TV or Streaming Production.
News Outlets
News articles of the latest press releases from video games. Game reviews Walkthroughs and wikis Exclusive interviews
Content Creation Groups
Let's Play videos, No commentary videos, video essays analyzing games, game trailers and ads.
Higher Education Institutions
Professors, TAs, and faculty that create and teach the curriculum.
Merchandisers
Create products based on the Licensed-IP. Products include clothes, stickers & magnets, keychains & jewelry, figures, special physical collections, artbooks, etc.
Departments in the Game Industry
There are many departments in the games industry than just game programming and art. But, there are plenty of other roles within a game studio that most people might not be aware of. Or, people might need more insight into what are the roles available within a certain discipline.
Administration
- Business Executive
- Administrative Assistant
Business Intelligence
- Data Scientist Engineer
- BI Analyst
- Psychologist
Accounting / Finances
- Accountant
- Tax Specialist
Human Resources
- HR Representative
Recruiting / Talent Acquisition
- Recruiters
- Hiring Manager
Legal
- Lawyer
- IP Specialist
- Patent Specialist
Customer Support
- Customer Support Representative
IT / DevOps
- IT Specialist
- DevOps Specialist
- Software Engineer in Test
AV
- Audio / Video Technician
- Audio Editor
- Video Editor
Broadcasting
- Speaker / Host
- Broadcasting Coordinator
- News / Script Writer
Art / Animation
- Tech Artist
- Concept Artist
- Environmental Artist
- 3D Artist
- Texture Artist
- Pixel Artist
- Graphic Artist
- VFX Artist
- Cinematic Artist
- MoCap Actor
Audio / Music
- Musician
- Composer
- Voice Actor
- Sound Engineer
- Folio Artist
Design
- Game Designer
- Level Designer
- UI/UX Designer
- Mission Designer
- Combat Designer
Writing
- Scriptwriter
- Lore Writer
- UI Writer
- Technical Writer
- Localization Writer
Programming / Engineering
- AI Programmer
- Network Programmer
- Engine Programmer
- Tools Programmer
- Physics Programmer
- Graphics Programmer
- Audio Programmer
- Data Programmer
- UI Programmer
- Input Programmer
- Web programmer
- Monetization programmer
Production / Directing
- Director
- Producer / Manager
Facility
- Receptionist
- Security Personel
- Facility Manager
- Janatorial
Marketing
- Marketing Manager
- Marketing Copywriter
- Market Research Analyst
- Video Editor (Trailers)
- Social Media Marketer
Sales
- Sales Representative
Public Relations
- PR Representative
- Community Manager
Supply / Logistics / Retail
- Supply Chain Specialist
- Truck Driver
- Warehouse Worker
- Store Manager
- Retail Worker
Testing
- QA Tester
- QA Producer / Software Test Engineer
- QA Engineer / Software Development Engineer in Test
- QA Analyst
- Test Lead
Sources:
Video game development: Roles
Hitmarker - The complete list of gaming jobs