In this unit I will be providing knowledge and understanding of how the computer games industry operates. I will analyse organisations, financial issues and legal constrains, and prepare career development material. I will also practice formal project management techniques.
Game publishing is an enormous business. The computer games industry has become one of the fastest growing forms of media entertainment. Those planning to work in this industry must develop an appreciation of how the industry operates and all aspiring entrants need an awareness of the role of each organisation in game publishing. No matter what job you want to take, you must learn about the organisational behavior and how to perform in both a corporate environment and in a smaller independent concern. All those working in games are affected by, and should understand, the legal constraints, professional considerations and ethical obligations particular to the computer games industry.
The learning outcomes for this unit are:
- Understand organisational structures and job roles within the games industry.
- Understand financial issues and current market trends affecting the games industry.
- Understand contractual, legal and ethical obligations in the games industry.
- Be able to use project management techniques commonly used in the games industry.
- Be able to prepare personal career development material.
Learning Objective 1
In this section I must understand the organisational structures and job roles in the computer games industry. I will need to independently work and develop a blog based of research I have carried out.
Organisational Structures
Type of company:
Development studio:
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain console such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii or PC. Most developers specialize in certain types of games such as Role Playing, First Person Shooters or Racing. These studios bring the most up to date technology created for playing and developing games on many different platforms. Some examples of development studios include Square Enix, the producers of Final Fantasy, which has sold over 92 million units worldwide and Tomb Raider. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics, IO Interactive and Beautiful Game Studios. Capcom are also a very well-known development studio. They are the producers of the Resident Evil series. In 2008, Capcom was one of the fifty largest software companies in the world.
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain console such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii or PC. Most developers specialize in certain types of games such as Role Playing, First Person Shooters or Racing. These studios bring the most up to date technology created for playing and developing games on many different platforms. Some examples of development studios include Square Enix, the producers of Final Fantasy, which has sold over 92 million units worldwide and Tomb Raider. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics, IO Interactive and Beautiful Game Studios. Capcom are also a very well-known development studio. They are the producers of the Resident Evil series. In 2008, Capcom was one of the fifty largest software companies in the world.
Publishing house:
A video game publisher is a company that publishes a video game that they have either created internally or have had developed by a video game developer. As with book publishers or film producers, video game publishers are responsible for their product’s manufacturing and marketing, including market research and all aspects of advertising. They usually finance the development, paying the staff of developers, called a studio. Numerous video game publishers are traded publicly on stock markets. EA (Electronic Arts), Capcom, Ubisoft and many other publishing companies even develop the games themselves because of how large they are.
Independent studio: Independent studios are not owned by a publisher. The independent developers take care of their companies, pipelines and organizations. The companies can range from a solo developer to a company with 100's of employees. The UK's largest independent studio is 'Jagex', a company based in Cambridge founded in 2001. They produced a game called "Runescape" which is a web based Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). Along with Runescape, Jagex have developed over 40 casual games on a site called 'FunOrb'. There are currently over 500 people working for Jagex, who provide content development, employee management and customer support. Not all of their games have become a success. They released a beta version of a game called 8Realms, but when it was fully released, the game didn't reach their expectations, so they took it down.Departments:
Design: A game designer is responsible for creating what the game contains and how it works, such as platforms to jump on, and animation if they are planned to move. They take concept from the artists and create it into a 3D environment. If the game project is large, the design process will be shared between multiple people doing certain parts to the game, this will be run by the lead designer. Chris Degnan was a Lead Designer working for Vicarious Visions, an old game development company. Using IGDA.org, I was able to find some information about him and some advice he gives to people wanting to be a game designer. A couple of points he made were:
- Be able to look at games analytically. What makes a good game good and more importantly what makes a bad game bad? What makes a player frustrated? What do players (in general) really like? How does a game encourage you to play more?
- Understand other points of views. Learn as much as you can about all areas of game development - from art and programming to marketing and management. Learn the rhetoric, jargon and the semantics that each group uses.
Production: A production department in the games industry
Marketing:
Job Roles and types:
3D Modeller:
Scriptwriter:
Management:
Working Patterns:
Office Hours:
Freelance:
Staff:
Learning Objective 2
In this section I must understand current market trends within the Computer Games Industry.
Financial:
Business Models:
Budgetary Systems:
Financial Responsibilities:
Preparing A Budget:
Evaluating Performance Against Budgets:
Budgeting Periods:
Management And Reporting Systems:
Break-even Analyses:
Funding Groups:
Milestones:
Licencors:
Franchises:
Market Trends:
Products and Services:
Vision Of Organisation:
Objectives And Plans Of Organisation:
Competitors:
Customers:
Organisation’s Attitude To Risk:
International And National Market Trends:
Industry Trends:
Franchised Intellectual Property:
Original Intellectual Property:
Sequels:
Discount Sales:
Comparison With Film Industry:
Outsourcing:
Mergers And Acquisitions:
Learning Objective 3
In this section I must understand contractual, regulatory and ethical obligations in the Computer Games Industry.
Contractual:
Types Of Contract:
Format Holders: (licencors, naming conventions, look and feel)
Negotiating Contracts:
Commissioning Processes:
Costing:
Scheduling:
Time Management:
Risk Management:
Subcontracting:
Outsourcing:
The outsourcers provide a variety of services to developers and publishers including art, animation and design; rendering graphics and programming audio/visual aids such as sounds design and localization. They can mainly be called a back support for video game developers as they help rendering and enhancing the graphics, sounds, animations and resolution.
Working To A Brief:Legal:
Regulatory Requirements:
Compliance:
Copyright Trademarks:
Intellectual Property Rights:
Pan European Game Information (PEGI):
British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC):
Implications Of Franchising:
Licencors:
Health And Safety Policy:
Ethical:
Policies And Procedures:
Ethical Requirements:
Emerging Social Concerns And Expectations:
Professional Bodies:
The Entertainment And Leisure Software Publisher’ Association (ELSPA):
The Independent Games Developers Association (IGDA):
Women In Games:
British Academy Of Film And Television Arts (BAFTA):
Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF):
Learning Objective 4
For this section I must understand and know about employment opportunities in the Computer Games Industry.
Working individually I need to research and present the following details in my blog:
· How this industry is structured.
· The technology used in this industry.
· Who owns what in this industry?
· How the industry is funded.
· Examples of working practices in this industry.
· Roles and responsibilities in this Computer Games Industry.
Techniques:
Project Life-cycle:
Milestones:
Agile Methods:
Software (e.g. Microsoft Project)
Management Tools:
Burn-down Charts:
Risks And Contingencies:
Identifying And Managing Potential Risks:
Contingency Planning:
Communicating Information:
Processes for evaluating Success.
Learning Objective 5
In this section I needed to be able to prepare personal career development material within the Creative Media Industry. As an individual seeking employment in the computer games industry I needed to produce the following:
· Portfolio of research of how and where vacancies are advertised
- Sample letters of application
- Important interviewing skills
- Presentation skills
- Self-presentation
· Electronic show reel including a curriculum vitae. This could be on a CD, DVD or personal website/blog.
Methods of Recruitment:
National Press: This is a large sector that provides the journalistic output, reviews and analysis for both trade and consumers. It includes working along with magazines, websites and television. Press and media play a very important role in publishing and the advertisement of a video game. People get attracted towards the way the games are presented in.
Trade Press:
Internet:
Word of Mouth:
Personal Contacts:
Internal Promotion:
Networking (IGDA Membership, Conferences and Trade Fairs):
Skills and Qualifications:
Education and Training:
Full-time, Part-time, Level 2, Level 3, Graduate:
Skills Analysis (Personal Skills, Technology Skills, Training Needs, Personal Development Plan):
Sources of Information (Sector Skills Councils, Trade Unions, Careers Service):
Career Development:
Training On The Job:
Continuing Professional Development:
Self-training:
Transferable Skills:
Personal Attributes:
Knowledge and Skills:
Commitment:
Efficiency:
Reliability:
Punctuality:
Self-Presentation:
Functional Skills (ICT, Mathematics, English):
Application for Employment:
Portfolio (Digital Gallery, Show-reel, And Personal Website):
Application Documents (Curriculum Vitae, Letters of Application, References):
Job-seeking and Interviewing Skills:
Presentation Skills:
Self Presentation Skills (Linguistic Codes, Dress Codes, Interpersonal Skills):
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