1. Animators in the games industry are responsible for the portrayal
of movement and behaviour. Most often this is applied to give life
to game characters and creatures, but sometimes animations
are also applied to other elements such as objects, scenery,
vegetation and environmental effects.
Animators work for development studios, both publisher-
owned and independent, and also for specialist outsourcing
companies. Unlike other sectors, where work is often on a
project-by-project basis, Animators in the games industry are
usually permanently employed.
Animation is painstaking work requiring patience and
attention to detail. Animation for a game also requires
working in a technically efficient manner, taking into
account the constraints of the game engine.

2. Artists create the visual elements of a game, such as characters,
scenery, objects, vehicles, surface textures, clothing, props, and
even user interface components.
Artists also create concept art and storyboards which help
communicate the proposed visual elements during the pre-
production phase.
Some Artists specialise in the design of human figures and
characters, others in buildings and landscapes, and some in
textures for 3D objects. Artists must be aware of the technical
constraints and capabilities of the platform that the game will
be played on.

3. The Assistant (or Junior) Producer works with a game's
production staff to ensure the timely delivery of the highest
quality project possible. Typically, they will focus on specific
areas of the development process.
This could involve handling the communications between the
publisher and developer, or coordinating work on some of the
project's key processes such as managing the outsourcing of
art assets.
The Assistant Producer assists the production team with
the day-to-day running of projects, as well as internal and
external communication throughout the game
development process, ensuring the highest quality
product is delivered to the agreed schedule.

4. The Creative Director is the key person during the game
development process, overseeing any high level decisions
that affect how the game plays, looks or sounds.
Creative Directors are employed by development
studios, both publisher-owned and independent, but not all
game companies employ Creative Directors. However, some
companies prefer to continue to split the duties between a
game's lead artists, programmers, designers and producers.
The Creative Director is responsible for the overall look
and feel of a computer game. The position is a relatively
new one within the games industry and has evolved out
of the producer's role as this has shifted towards
managing the process of completing a game on time
and on budget.

5. Game Designers are responsible for devising what a game
consists of and how it plays. They plan and define all the
elements and components of a game: its setting; structure;
rules; story flow; characters; the objects, props, vehicles, and
devices available to the characters; interface design; and
modes of play.
Game Designers formulate the concept and vision for a game.
They devise the world, setting, story, characters, and all other
game elements and design details, and then communicate
this to the rest of the development team who create the art
assets and computer code which allow the game to be played.

6. the External Producer is responsible for ensuring the
successful delivery of a game, while working externally from
the development team.
External Producers are almost always employed by a game
publisher. Working out of the publisher's head office, they will
liaise between the publisher's sales and marketing
departments and the game developer, which may be located
hundreds of miles away. Large developers may also employ
External Producers; for example, if they are subcontracting
projects to smaller developers.
The External Producer works closely with the game's internal
producer, who is part of the on-site development team. While
the internal producer focuses on the man management tasks
of getting a game finished on time and on budget, the External
Producer is concerned with broader issues.

7. The Lead Artist is responsible for the overall look of the game.
A Lead Artist’s day to day work can vary greatly according to
how far down the development path the project has
progressed.
The styling is often communicated through concept art, and
the Lead Artist will supervise, if not actually undertake, the
production of illustrative material which indicates the visual
atmosphere and graphical design for the game.

8. The Lead Programmer leads the programming team
responsible for creating all the computer code which runs and
controls a game. Programmers have various roles and
specialisms including AI (artificial intelligence), game engine
development, user interface, tools development, and physics.
These are all overseen by the Lead Programmer who is
responsible for the technical specification of the game and
manages the overall code development process. It is also their
job to make sure that everything happens effectively and on
time. Lead Programmers are employed by development
studios, either independent or publisher-owned. This is one of
the highest paid roles in the games industry, reflecting the
responsibility that goes with the role and the skills and
experience required. This high pressured job can involve hard
work and very long hours. The Lead Programmer must also
inspire the creativity and technical excellence at the heart of
game development.

9. The Level Editor defines and creates interactive architecture for a
segment of a game, including the landscape, buildings, and objects.
They must be true to the overall design specification, using the
characters and story elements defined by the Game Designer, but they
often have considerable scope to vary the specific look and feel of the
level for which they are responsible.
The Level Editor also develops the game play for the level, which
includes the challenges that the characters face and the actions they
must take to overcome them. The architecture helps to define those
challenges by presenting obstacles, places to hide, tests of skill, and
other elements to explore and interact with.
The setting and atmosphere devised by the Level Editor can also give
the player clues as to different ways of progressing though the level
and the game as a whole

10. The Product Manager's role is to help create and implement
marketing campaigns to maximise the sales of the games they are
working on. Operating as a part of a marketing team, they support
the senior marketing managers who organise international or global
campaigns.
The Product Manager may also work with a Brand Manager, who is
responsible for developing long-term plans for individual game
franchises and provides a strategic overview of how a game brand
should change over time. The tasks carried out by a Product
Manager are varied and change as a game's release approaches. In
the earliest stages of game development, they may liaise with
development staff to provide some input into initial decision such as
characters and scenarios.

11. Programmers work at the heart of the game development process.
They design and write the computer code that runs and controls
the game, incorporating and adapting any ready made code
libraries and writing custom code as needed. They test the code
and fix bugs, and they also develop customised tools for use by
other members of the development team. Different platforms
(games consoles, PCs, handhelds, mobiles, etc.) have particular
programming requirements and there are also various specialisms
within programming, such as physics programming, AI (artificial
intelligence), 3D engine development, interface and control
systems.
The Lead Programmer translates the design into a technical
specification for the game and then delegates tasks to the
programming team. Some work as general Programmers on a
whole range of tasks, often working with code that other
Programmers have written.

12. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring the successful
delivery of a game, on time and within budget.
They control the financial and other resources needed for a
project and co-ordinate the work of the production team,
making sure that the quality and vision of the game is
maintained, whatever problems may arise.
Project Managers ensure that a game project is completed on
time, within budget, and using the right resources. Prior to
production they carry out a detailed analysis of the game design
specification and work out the project ‘milestones’ (specific
targets that have to be met by certain dates), agreeing these
with the key technical and creative managers, such as the
Game Designer, Lead Artist and Lead Programmer.

13. The Technical Artist acts as a bridge between the artists and
programmers working on a game. They ensure art assets
can be easily integrated into a game without sacrificing
either the overall artistic vision or exceeding the technical
limits of the chosen platform.
The role is a relatively new one for the games industry, but is
becoming increasingly important as consoles and PC
hardware becomes more complex.
Despite their technical knowledge, the Technical Artist works
part of the art team, and coordinates closely with the lead
artists and the art director, as well as the lead programmers.
The main areas of responsibility for Technical Artists include
setting up and maintaining the art production workflow as
well as making decisions about which art packages and
tools a studio should use.