71.1.3. Game Designers
The game designers’ job is to design the interactive portion of the player’s
experience, typically known as gameplay. Diff erent kinds of designers work
at diff erent levels of detail. Some (usually senior) game designers work at the
macro level, determining the story arc, the overall sequence of chapters or lev-
els, and the high-level goals and objectives of the player. Other designers work
on individual levels or geographical areas within the virtual game world, lay-
ing out the static background geometry, determining where and when en-
emies will emerge, placing supplies like weapons and health packs, designing
puzzle elements, and so on. Still other designers operate at a highly technical
level, working closely with gameplay engineers and/or writing code (oft en in
a high-level scripting language). Some game designers are ex-engineers, who
decided they wanted to play a more active role in determining how the game
will play.
Some game teams employ one or more writers. A game writer’s job can
range from collaborating with the senior game designers to construct the story
arc of the entire game, to writing individual lines of dialogue.
As with other disciplines, some senior designers play management roles.
Many game teams have a game director, whose job it is to oversee all aspects
of a game’s design, help manage schedules, and ensure that the work of indi-
vidual designers is consistent across the entire product. Senior designers also
sometimes evolve into producers.
1.1.4. Producers
The role of producer is defi ned diff erently by diff erent studios. In some game
companies, the producer’s job is to manage the schedule and serve as a hu-
man resources manager. In other companies, producers serve in a senior game
design capacity. Still other studios ask their producers to serve as liaisons be-
tween the development team and the business unit of the company (fi nance,
legal, marketing, etc.). Some smaller studios don’t have producers at all. For
example, at Naughty Dog, literally everyone in the company, including the
two co-presidents, play a direct role in constructing the game; team man-
agement and business duties are shared between the senior members of the
studio.
1.1.5. Other Staff
The team of people who directly construct the game is typically supported by
a crucial team of support staff. This includes the studio’s executive manage-
1.1. Structure of a Typical Game Team