The document provides job descriptions for several roles in the games industry, including animators, artists, assistant producers, creative directors, game designers, external producers, lead artists, lead programmers, level editors, product managers, programmers, project managers, and technical artists. It describes the key responsibilities and tasks for each role.

1. Animators in the games industry are responsible for the
portrayal of movement and behaviour. Most often this is
applied to give life to game characters and creatures, but
sometimes animations are also applied to other elements
such as objects, scenery, vegetation and environmental
effects.
Animators work for development studios, both publisher-
owned and independent, and also for specialist
outsourcing companies. Unlike other sectors, where work
is often on a project-by-project basis, Animators in the
games industry are usually permanently employed.
Animation is painstaking work requiring patience and
attention to detail. Animation for a game also requires
working in a technically efficient manner, taking into
account the constraints of the game engine.

2. Artists create the visual elements of a game, such as
characters, scenery, objects, vehicles, surface textures,
clothing, props, and even user interface components.
Artists also create concept art and storyboards which help
communicate the proposed visual elements during the pre-
production phase.
Some Artists specialise in the design of human figures and
characters, others in buildings and landscapes, and some in
textures for 3D objects. Artists must be aware of the
technical constraints and capabilities of the platform that the
game will be played on.

3. The Assistant (or Junior) Producer works with a game's
production staff to ensure the timely delivery of the highest
quality project possible. Typically, they will focus on specific
areas of the development process.
This could involve handling the communications between
the publisher and developer, or coordinating work on some
of the project's key processes such as managing the
outsourcing of art assets.
The Assistant Producer assists the production team
with the day-to-day running of projects, as well as
internal and external communication throughout the
game development process, ensuring the highest
quality product is delivered to the agreed schedule.

4. 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.
Creative Directors are employed by development
studios, both publisher-owned and independent, but not all
game companies employ Creative Directors.
However, some companies prefer to continue to split the
duties between a game's lead
artists, programmers, designers and producers.
The Creative Director is responsible for the overall
look and feel of a computer game. The position is a
relatively new one within the games industry and has
evolved out of the producer's role as this has shifted
towards managing the process of completing a game
on time and on budget.

5. Game Designers are responsible for devising what a game
consists of and how it plays. They plan and define all the
elements and components 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.
Game Designers formulate the concept and vision for a
game. They devise the world, setting, story, characters,
and all other game elements and design details, and then
communicate this to the rest of the development team who
create the art assets and computer code which allow the
game to be played.

6. the External Producer is responsible for ensuring the
successful delivery of a game, while working externally from
the development team.
External Producers are almost always employed by a game
publisher. Working out of the publisher's head office, they
will liaise between the publisher's sales and marketing
departments and the game developer, which may be
located hundreds of miles away. Large developers may also
employ External Producers; for example, if they are
subcontracting projects to smaller developers.
The External Producer works closely with the game's
internal producer, who is part of the on-site development
team. While the internal producer focuses on the man
management tasks of getting a game finished on time and
on budget, the External Producer is concerned with broader
issues.

7. The Lead Artist is responsible for the overall look of the
game.
A Lead Artist’s day to day work can vary greatly according
to how far down the development path the project has
progressed.
The styling is often communicated through concept art,
and the Lead Artist will supervise, if not actually undertake,
the production of illustrative material which indicates the
visual atmosphere and graphical design for the game.

8. The Lead Programmer leads the programming team
responsible for creating all the computer code which runs and
controls a game. Programmers have various roles and
specialisms including AI (artificial intelligence), game engine
development, user interface, tools development, and physics.
These are all overseen by the Lead Programmer who is
responsible for the technical specification of the game and
manages the overall code development process. It is also their
job to make sure that everything happens effectively and on
time. Lead Programmers are employed by development
studios, either independent or publisher-owned. This is one of
the highest paid roles in the games industry, reflecting the
responsibility that goes with the role and the skills and
experience required. This high pressured job can involve hard
work and very long hours. The Lead Programmer must also
inspire the creativity and technical excellence at the heart of
game development.

9. The Level Editor defines and creates interactive architecture for a
segment of a game, including the landscape, buildings, and
objects.
They must be true to the overall design specification, using the
characters and story elements defined by the Game Designer, but
they often have considerable scope to vary the specific look and
feel of the level for which they are responsible.
The Level Editor also develops the game play for the level, which
includes the challenges that the characters face and the actions
they must take to overcome them. The architecture helps to define
those challenges by presenting obstacles, places to hide, tests of
skill, and other elements to explore and interact with.
The setting and atmosphere devised by the Level Editor can also
give the player clues as to different ways of progressing though the
level and the game as a whole

10. The Product Manager's role is to help create and implement
marketing campaigns to maximise the sales of the games they
are working on. Operating as a part of a marketing team, they
support the senior marketing managers who organise
international or global campaigns.
The Product Manager may also work with a Brand Manager, who
is responsible for developing long-term plans for individual game
franchises and provides a strategic overview of how a game
brand should change over time. The tasks carried out by a
Product Manager are varied and change as a game's release
approaches. In the earliest stages of game development, they
may liaise with development staff to provide some input into
initial decision such as characters and scenarios.

11. Programmers work at the heart of the game development
process. They design and write the computer code that runs
and controls the game, incorporating and adapting any ready
made code libraries and writing custom code as needed. They
test the code and fix bugs, and they also develop customised
tools for use by other members of the development team.
Different platforms (games consoles, PCs, handhelds, mobiles,
etc.) have particular programming requirements and there are
also various specialisms within programming, such as physics
programming, AI (artificial intelligence), 3D engine
development, interface and control systems.
The Lead Programmer translates the design into a technical
specification for the game and then delegates tasks to the
programming team. Some work as general Programmers on a
whole range of tasks, often working with code that other
Programmers have written.

12. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring the
successful delivery of a game, on time and within budget.
They control the financial and other resources needed for a
project and co-ordinate the work of the production
team, making sure that the quality and vision of the game is
maintained, whatever problems may arise.
Project Managers ensure that a game project is completed
on time, within budget, and using the right resources. Prior
to production they carry out a detailed analysis of the game
design specification and work out the project ‘milestones’
(specific targets that have to be met by certain
dates), agreeing these with the key technical and creative
managers, such as the Game Designer, Lead Artist and
Lead Programmer.

13. The Technical Artist acts as a bridge between the artists
and programmers working on a game. They ensure art
assets can be easily integrated into a game without
sacrificing either the overall artistic vision or exceeding
the technical limits of the chosen platform.
The role is a relatively new one for the games industry,
but is becoming increasingly important as consoles and
PC hardware becomes more complex.
Despite their technical knowledge, the Technical Artist
works part of the art team, and coordinates closely with
the lead artists and the art director, as well as the lead
programmers.
The main areas of responsibility for Technical Artists
include setting up and maintaining the art production
workflow as well as making decisions about which art
packages and tools a studio should use.