Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

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TO
assist you to further define your goals in game development, I’ve put
together a simple career worksheet with some suggestions by category.
These are not intended to be rules, they are simply guidelines, and results will vary.
I hope you find this material valuable. Hopefully, this can serve as a starting point for
you to help determine where you would like to go within the game industry.
IF YOU WANT TO EXPLORE PRODUCTION
� Most producers get their start as game testers in QA. They are rarely (if
ever) hired into a production role without some solid QA experience.
� A few game companies out there like producer candidates to have MBAs,
because there is an obvious business component to the job, but this is by no
means a requirement and there is no general agreement among developers
or publishers looking to hire producers. Most game producers do not have
MBAs or need them.
� I recommend getting a solid liberal arts degree. This is a common pattern
among game producers I’ve met.
� Find other developers with a similar level of experience and start making
games with your new friends! Everyone involved will benefit from the
experience. In my game development classes, students take on development
team roles (programming, art, design, audio, production) to start learning
not only about the different roles but, more importantly, about how to deliver
as a team. Learn how to manage simple game projects, solve problems, make
design trade-offs, and multitask.
� As a producer, it helps to have a comprehensive knowledge about industry
trends, patterns, and motivations. You must constantly do industry research.
Work your way out of QA and into a production capacity.