Game Designer – Game designers have one of the most important roles within the game development process, as they are responsible for communicating the initial idea and vision to the other members of the development team. It is their job to fully explain and project the game idea into the other developers’ minds in a universal way, which is understood by all team members in a very similar way, as some people may interpret ideas differently, even if they are told the exact same thing. The game designer is responsible for scheduling the project over the entire development process, as well as allocating various tasks to different people in the most efficient and effective manor.
Level Designer – Level designers are responsible for bringing the game to life, and actually creating a playable 2D/3D world. They are responsible for deciding where various items are placed within the world, as well as how the world itself looks and feels. Another major responsibility of the level designers is making sure that certain paths works, and the general game play is adequate. The general tools of the level design trade are 3D modelling packages, and game engines, such as Autodesk 3ds Max, and CryEngine 3 respectively.
Producer – The producer of a game has the responsibility of making sure that the project is feasible throughout it’s life. The producers of the design team is responsible for the correct scheduling of the game. Whereas the producer on the publisher side, is mainly responsible for the marketing of the game.
Programmer – The programmer of a game is responsible for the key game mechanics, and how the game runs on the chosen console. The programmers are amongst the most important members of the development team, as the game would not be playable without them. The programmers can use a variety of programming languages in order to alter the game physics, as well as many other aspects, such as which files load when the game first starts.
Quality Assurance Tester – QA testers are an important part of both Alpha and Beta testing. These testers are usually in-house testers which make sure that the game is to suitable standards. QA testers must be able to play games for long periods of time, and be able to describe bugs and game defects in a clear manor for the programmers and level designers to be able to fix them with haste. They are responsible for making sure that all of the major bugs are noticed, and fixed, before the game is shipped to shops.
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