1. Knowledge and Skills
You must be able to inspire artists, programmers, producers and marketing staff to
make the highest quality product possible. Be able to make tough decisions that affect
the game's schedule and budget as well as the look and feel of the final product.
Have a good understanding of the bigger picture of game development, including the
impact of their decisions with respect to financial outcomes. Understand what makes
a game appealing to different audiences. Possess excellent imagination, creativity
and problem-solving skills. Have excellent communication and presentation skills.
Have a good understanding of the financial and managerial aspects of game
development. Have knowledge of the requirements of the relevant health and safety
legislation
CREATIVE DIRECTOR - COMPUTER GAMES
Career Roles
The Creative Director is the key person during the game development process,
overseeing any high-level decisions that affect how the game plays, looks or sounds.
Not all game companies employ Creative Directors. Some companies prefer to
continue to split the duties between a game's Lead artist, Lead Programmers,
Designers and Producers. Where the position is used, each game development team
has its own Creative Director. Some highly experienced and talented Creative
Directors oversee multiple projects. They are responsible for the overall look and feel
of a computer game. The position is a relatively new one within the games industry. It
has evolved out of the producer's role, which has shifted towards managing the
process of completing a game on time and on budget.
Training and Qualifications
You donʼt need a formal qualification to be a Creative Director. However, to be
successful in the role, you will require a combination of experience, artistic vision and
the ability to inspire others. You will need to have experience at a senior level of game
development and an enthusiasm for and detailed knowledge of the games industry.
Most Creative Directors are graduates, with common areas of study including visual
and technical arts.
Example of Contribution
For example, Neil Druckmann has been in the industry of creating big AAA games
since 2004 with Naughty dog, his first game he helped create was Crash Bandicoot,
The previous game he was the Creative director role, for the game “The Last Of
Us” Before entering the video games industry, Druckmann was majoring in
criminology. It was while attempting a course in programming that he realized
“people make games”, thus inspiring him to find a job based in game design.
Deciding to switch majors, he then enrolled for the Entertainment Technology
masters in Carnegie Mellon University and sought an internship at video game
development studio Naughty Dog. Following the success of the the game Drakeʼs
fortune he had also programmed for them, Neil was then given the role of co-lead
game designer for the game Uncharted 2, along side Amy Hennig. Once this game
was made in 2010 they began to make the video game “The Last Of Us” which role
he was given was the creative director. This shows that it takes along time to get to
be a creative director with a lot of skill and knowledge needed.