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A producer's guide to decision-making. Written by Iain Angus, development manager at Total War developer Creative Assembly Decision-making is a phrase you hear a lot and will regularly see on job descriptions for senior roles in the games industry.

A producer's guide to decision-making

Despite this, it isn’t often explored in any serious depth, which is strange as it will determine the success or failure of any project. In this article we’ll look at what decision-making really means, and how we can make better decisions. I’ve experienced the disaster we all hope to avoid, having worked on a cancelled project (Fable Legends) that led to a studio closure (Lionhead). Upon reflection of this experience, what I learned is that there was not one single wrong turn that had been made. When developing a game, you start at the very beginning with nothing but a vague idea. One thing is immediately obvious, if you make no decisions at all, or if you make them very slowly, your project goes nowhere and that is a fast track to disaster.

People Automation Choices Choosing Heuristics. Producer Bootcamp: High Performance Producers. How to be a Producer the Hard Way. Producers: What do they even do? Develop sat down with producers from studios of all sizes to discuss their central – but seldom discussed – role in a game’s development, and ask what’s next for their ever-changing responsibilities When Lana Zgombic of UK studio Chilled Mouse is asked by friends or family what her job is, the answer isn’t as simple as she would hope.

Producers: What do they even do?

The majority of Develop readers will have a general understanding of what an associate producer does, but beyond that? “I tell them it’s mostly a manager position,” she says. “It’s so much more but for them to understand, it’s simpler to say you’re in charge of things rather than listing all the little ways you help. They think all you do is Excel spreadsheets – which sometimes, yes, I do, but there’s so much more.” Zgombic is one of seven producers Develop and Testronic invited to Brighton last month to discuss their role. Auroch Digital producer Peter Willington adds: “It’s about helping talented people do their very best work. “Being positive helps.

Mark Kilborn's Blog - What I've Learned About Management. The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.

Mark Kilborn's Blog - What I've Learned About Management

The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. I've been the Audio Director at Raven Software for about two years now. At 32, with about 7 years of experience in the industry, I'm one of the youngest Audio Directors I know. Prior to my position here I'd been in an audio lead position on a project before, but "lead" really meant "only person. " I was never managing a team. So I've been making it up as I go along: absorbing ideas I see in books, getting tips from other department directors and Audio Directors at other studios, and generally just trying to follow my instincts.

I am not the grizzled veteran Audio Director with two decades behind me, so I’m sure there are other perspectives and better ways out there. I'm ripping a quote from the leaked Valve handbook. Blizzard Entertainment:Career Opportunities. Producers make Blizzard games and services the best they can be.

Blizzard Entertainment:Career Opportunities

Producers keep creators from disparate backgrounds speaking the same language, and monitor complex efforts that span multiple regions across the globe. A producer’s primary goal is to keep fellow team members free of impediments that could impair their work. Blizzard producers aren’t “in charge”—instead, with project management tools, tremendous empathy, and team-wide communication, they’re the life-saving handhold in the hurricane of game development. Producers make sure no stone is left unturned, no checklist is left ignored, no deadline is missed or rushed. Blizzard production prides itself on keeping engineers coding, artists drawing, and designers making fun game systems. When they’re polishing the fourth pass of a level or the latest UI revision, they’ll thank you for it. Kain Shin's Blog - About Entry-level Producer Positions... About Entry-level Producer Positions...

Kain Shin's Blog - About Entry-level Producer Positions...

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. I sense a disturbing trend amongst some of the fresh graduates lately. A lot of kids are coming my way that fit a specific archetype: nice, smart, passionate, and utterly screwed by the false expectations fed to them by their educational institutions. “The Door Problem” “So what does a game designer do?

“The Door Problem”

Are you an artist? Do you design characters and write the story? Or no, wait, you’re a programmer?” Game design is one of those nebulous terms to people outside the game industry that’s about as clear as the “astrophysicist” job title is to me. It’s also my job, so I find myself explaining what game design means to a lot of people from different backgrounds, some of whom don’t know anything about games. The Door Problem I like to describe my job in terms of “The Door Problem”. Matt Powers's Blog - Producerland (part 2 of 3) The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.

Matt Powers's Blog - Producerland (part 2 of 3)

The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. Welcome to Producerland - a three part series sharing tips on being a producer and stories from the field. Producerland defines "10 Rules" for producers and shares stories that cover "easpouse", Unreal, Medal of Honor, Infinity Ward, and many more. This is the second part of three. Matt Powers's Blog - Producerland (part 1 of 3) The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.

Matt Powers's Blog - Producerland (part 1 of 3)

The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company. Welcome to Producerland - a three part series sharing tips on being a producer and stories from the field. Producerland defines "10 Rules" for producers and shares stories that cover "easpouse", Unreal, Medal of Honor, Infinity Ward, and many more. The 3 parts of Producerland will be posted over the next week. PRODUCERLAND - PART 1 of 3 In the movie Zombieland our hero creates "rules" to assist in his survival during the zombie apocalypse. Ernst ten Bosch's Blog - What Makes a Good Game Producer? Part 1. Ernst ten Bosch's Blog - What Makes a Good Game Producer? Part 2.