1. Animator
Animators in video games are responsible for portraying and showing
movement and behavior within video games. They bring the characters
to life through movement and they do this through developing 2D & 3D
images and making them work within a game engine and the limitations
of the platform that the game will be released on.
3 things that a successful animator will be able to do is;
- They will be able to accurately interpret emotion, expressions and
feeling from watching video clips, seeing actors perform. They will be
able to directly capture this performances and turn them into animation
sequences for a video game.
- A good animator will know when to improve the animation of certain
movements say an actor didn’t perform as well as they did. Without
taking anything away from the the actor, more just clarifying an actors
movements.
- A good animator will also have the ability to act very well on his own
initiative and be able to be creative when working solo on a certain
project or part of a project. That links into being able to accurately
interpret what is asked of you in a brief.
In terms of ways to make it into game animation, you don’t really hear of
many cases where people have entered into it without some form of
degree level knowledge of software for animation. Unlike music or audio
where more people have entered in with more of a self taught
background.
However there is a few ways to gain experience within the industry. You
can either enter into some sort of degree graduate program or you gain
experience creating more independent games where instead of a team
of animators its more just you working on your own.
You can refer to the case study spoken about above about Edmund
McMillen, as he also was the art/animator for Super Meat Boy.

2. Audio Engineer
An audio engineer is the guy who controls the mood of a video game,
arguably movies can apply to this statement as well. Basic skills needed to be
an audio engineer is an understanding of music theory and song structure.
Other things needed is the ability to record sounds and mix them down
effectively. These are the basic things needed to an audio engineer.
3 Things needed to be a ‘Good’ engineer though are as follows;
- An audio engineer should be able to translate whatever is described by a
client or written in a brief accurately into a solid project.
- A good engineer will have a very extensive knowledge of music to draw
influence from all kinds of sources.
- Most importantly a good engineer will sometimes not follow certain rules
when it comes to mixing & structure. These little things set yourself apart
from other producers & engineers.
There are no specific ways to get into audio engineering. As there have been
so many ways that people have broke into the business. If you refer to my
case study on Noisia detailing their involvement in the game DmC 5. There
background came from a very self taught method progressing into gaining
popularity in the underground Drum & Bass scene. But they come from a very
different path that the composer for The Last of Us took, Gustavo Santaolalla.
He came from producing film scores, in the process winning Oscars for his
work. But they both ended up producing video game scores. This shows the
variations in the paths you can take.
Alternatively you can go completely academic and complete college courses/
degrees or anything of that ilk.

3. Game Designers devise what a game consists of and how it plays. They plan and define
all the elements 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. Once the game is devised, the Game Designer communicates this to the rest of the
development team who create the art assets and computer code that allow the game to
be played.
3 Key Qualities a Game Designer Needs:
- Able to communicate effectively: Games Designers need to be able to express their
visions with the art directors, programmers and lead designers within the development
team. You may have the greatest, unique ideas but if you cannot implement them into
the game due to a lack of communication skills with the others in the development
team, your ideas will not matter.
- Have decent knowledge and experience in 2D and 3D animation programs: An
important part of communicating your vision with other people in the development team
is to be able to visually show your ideas. It is also helpful to understand how your ideas
can be implemented into the game through knowledge of the programs used.
- Have excellent understanding of game play theory, storytelling and narrative
development skills: A Game Designer must be able to know what aspects make a
game’s gameplay enjoyable. You also need to be able to create well structured stories
to implement into the game to make the game interesting.
How to approach the job role:
There are a number of approaches to this job role, there is no set route. However, this is
no entry level job. Game development is a highly complex, intensive process which can
last up to two years or more, requiring teams of programmers, artists, project managers,
writers, musicians and many others.
- The main way is to gain a degree. You will also need to have gained a reasonably high
level of industry experience and knowledge. Employers will expect to see your portfolio of
work, which can take the form of completed game projects or written game design
documents and proposals.
- Another way is to work up within the games industry. A number of Game Designers
started within the QA section of the development process as a Game Tester. This can
give you a good grounding in the development process, access to software and tools,
and an insight into the different job roles.
GAME DESIGNER

4. Existing Game Designers
AAA Game Designer - Ricky Cambier
Ricky Cambier is one of the main game designers at Naughty Dog that was involved in
The Last of Us. He spent a lot of my time in the crafting environment, figuring out what
parts the characters would go to, what places they would visit. He also worked on some of
the script writing to overall make it better. Cambier was heavily involved in the story, level
design and motion capture of the game. He wanted to make The Last of Us a more
grounded, emotional experience for the player than it has been in previous games he has
worked on by the way the story is structured, the movements of the characters through
motion capture and also through the excellent level design. Cambierʼs contribution to The
Last of Us helped the game become one of the most memorable story-based games of the
current gaming generation.
Indie Game Designer - Edmund McMillen
Edmund McMillenʼs most well-known games are the Flash-based game Meat Boy, and its
much-lauded sequel Super Meat Boy, which has been released for the Xbox 360 platform
and PC. McMillen is also known for the award-winning games Gish, Aether, The Binding of
Isaac and Coil. Gish won Game Tunnel's 2004 Adventure Game of the Year, as well as
Indie Game of the Year. McMillen was the gamer designer as well as the artist and
animator when creating Super Meat Boy. His duties involved how the game mechanics
feel, level design, creating the assets/content of the game, animations and storyboard
designer. His unique visual style is very cartoon-like and flat, rarely does he create 3D
artwork. His visual style is very “flash game” style, simple 2D textures and visuals that are
repeated throughout the game. His concepts and ideas are usually quite dark and graphic,
but many people enjoy his games for those reasons.
GAME DESIGNER