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Executive Producer Barry Caudill offers insight on the life of a video game producer
So You Want To Be A Game Producer
An artist makes art for the game, a programmer writes the code, and the producer makes sure the game stays on schedule and on budget, serves as the cheerleader for the team, and maintains the delicate balance between achieving design goals and managing resources. The producer’s role is critical to the success of a game.
What a Producer Does A producer’s day-to-day tasks change depending on where a game is in the development cycle. During the prototype and pre-production phases, a producer will help the designers iterate (play and improve, play and improve…) the gameplay towards the final design. The producer also helps draft the production schedule and scope of the game and collaborates with the marketing and PR teams to help prepare a strong marketing campaign for the title.
Once a game is in production, the producer ’s primary focus is on keeping the game development on schedule, which requires strong skills in managing and leading teams. The stress that accompanies deadlines is legendary, and a producer needs strong communications skills, good working relationships with the team members, and patience to keep everyone persistent and focused right up to when the game ships. And between fighting fires that threaten to delay development, the producer manages the creation of the game manual and strategy guides, must work closely with the QA (Quality Assurance) team to eliminate any bugs they discover in testing, handle localization of the game and present game demos at all marketing and PR events that have been planned.
The Producer Skillset Even though a producer wears many hats, there are certain skills that all good producers must have, and strong communication skills top that list. A producer needs to write well, listen patiently, speak clearly, report concisely, and present engagingly. Analytical and critical thinking are also crucial, especially in breaking down complex tasks for scheduling and identifying what works (or doesn’t!) in the game. Organization and discipline are vital because the producer juggles so many responsibilities at once.
A producer has to be passionate about games. That means more than having fun playing games – it means being able to think analytically about them and recognizing what makes a game truly fun and engaging.
So how do you get to be a producer? What does a good producer do?
Get a Good Education: Work hard to earn a college degree that will prepare you for a career in game production. Two of our Firaxis Producers offer some great insight into this topic at the end of this article – check it out!
Get Some Experience: Many game companies offer internships, part-time QA testing positions and beta-testing groups that provide opportunities to get an inside look at how games are made. Any experience you can gain through these types of opportunities is invaluable when applying for jobs. You may also consider making a game that you can show to potential employers. Find a programmer and artist and work together to create a game prototype. Demonstrating that you understand the process of making a game, and being able to show a rough, but fun prototype speaks volumes to potential employers.
Be Detail-Oriented: The producer is the person who has the most detailed view of the entire game development process. You’ll need to know exactly where tasks stand for each of the development milestones and how the team is progressing towards the final delivery date. You’ll need to know exactly what each member of the team is working on and how their work is affecting the rest of the team. This is critical to anticipating obstacles and removing them before they cause problems that could lead to missed deadlines.
Be Inquisitive and Versatile: You’re going to need to learn and be comfortable with an incredible variety of software. You’ll also have to understand the complex details of the game development process, from graphics to programming, so that you can effectively communicate with your team and company management.
Be Professional: Communication is critical to being a good producer. You’ll be talking to all kinds of people – your team, executives, marketing, media outlets, contractors, vendors, and competitors. You’ll need to know how to share information appropriately and effectively with each audience.
Tools of the Trade Producers need to become proficient in the use of project management software like Hansoft or Microsoft Project, as well as revision control software – the software that keeps the game code up-to-date for the team. And it never hurts to know how to find your way around the artists’ modeling software, the programmers’ favorite dev environment, the bug tracker, and all of Microsoft Office! Remember that a producer is the person sharing information between groups, so the more tools you can use, the better-informed you can be!
We asked two of our newest Associate Producers, Michelle Menard and David McDonough, about how their education prepared them for production work. Here’s what they had to say.
Michelle: Personally, I think producers becomes more effective with each different facet of understanding they bring to the position, and to that end, should diversify their knowledge and education as much as possible. Learning effective business strategies is of course a good thing, but it won’t give you the inside knowledge of what it is your team does on a day to day basis. I attended Brown University for my undergraduate, where I double majored in Music Theory and Composition and Applied Mathematics, concentrating in Differential Equations and computational modeling. Then for my graduate work I received an M.F.A from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Game Design, while also taking many courses in 3D modeling and interface design. While I didn’t specialize in just one field or a business-related major, which some may criticize, I can now relate to every department and member of my team, speak the same vocabulary, and even help them work out solutions to issues that crop up - which I find infinitely more valuable than having pursued a degree in only one area.
David: I found myself falling into production unexpectedly. Few if any students interested in game development consider production while they are in school, and few programs offer courses that explicitly teach the principles of production. In my case, simply being curious and branching out led to a breadth of study that has proven well suited to the life of a producer. Both in my undergraduate and graduate studies I majored in art, but I found plenty of opportunity to study in other departments and to take classes that broadened my understanding of games and allowed me to consider the field from many different perspectives. These courses also helped me build a strong body of skills and understanding in lots of different disciplines. The result was that by the time I was finished, I had average-to-excellent understanding of many of the aspects of game development including modeling, texturing, animation, programming, game design, interface design, and even writing and marketing. These are the kinds of skills that can come in very handy in a catch-all role like production.
Even more than the coursework, student life provides enormous opportunity to try out new activities and responsibilities in low-risk situations. Student projects and collaborations of all varieties are like practice rounds for the professional world -- they require the same sorts of roles and specializations as a AAA project, including leadership and management. For any student who thinks they might like the producer's life, I recommend giving it a try on a student project. I found lots of chances to try out being a team lead or manager while in college by grouping up with my friends to work on our own game ideas, and these small projects have proven to be remarkably similar to the experience of being a professional producer. And indeed, I may never have known production was a good fit for me without having tried it while in college. Therefore, my best advice to students is simply to explore, to study and think about new things, to broaden your understanding of the field, and to find ways to test whether or not production is the place for you.
David and Michelle are both recent graduates of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Michelle won the 2008 award for best Master’s Thesis and David won the 2009 Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. |
