Game Production: What Skills Do You Need To Be a Game Producer
pThere are several skills a game producer must possess leadership skills communication skills project management skills problemsolving skills time management skills and programming art and design knowledge skillsp
Game production is a large field that involves a lot of responsibilities. One mistake can ruin the entire game. A game producer must possess specific skills to ensure everything is seamless in production. This article is informative enough to help you learn about the skills of a game producer.
There are several skills a game producer must possess; leadership skills, communication skills, project management skills, problem-solving skills, time management skills, and programming, art, and design knowledge skills.
As you read on, learn more about a game producer's skills and responsibilities. Also, get to know more about their career paths and different types of game producers.
Game Production: What Skills Do You Need To Be a Game Producer
Establishing a career in games is exciting, but at the same time, it can be worrying especially if it's about being a game producer. There's a lot involved, like learning about software development and trying out different things to see which works well in gaming. But then, it's not as challenging as you may think, you know why? Because extensive technical skills are not a must to be a game producer unless you fancy being in a technical role. But you must be creative enough because games should be exciting and creative. It's an essential skill when it comes to being a game producer.
Okay, so let's assume you lack extensive technical skills but are creative. You have no reason to worry, as being a game producer is about being a leader and ensuring things run smoothly. It may seem like an easy task, but you need to understand a few aspects of gaming development and ensure things run smoothly by working with the other people in the game development setup and, above all, have a great passion for games. Here are more skills a game producer should possess in the table below.
Skills of a game producer | About |
Leadership skills | A game producer is a leader that guides a team of other experts in game development like designers, programmers, etc. They should act as team players. Leadership skill is a significant skill that any game producer should possess. |
Communication skills | They should be able to communicate, listen and give feedback. Their communication should be top-notch to provide the other team members with clear instructions. |
Project management skills | A game producer is in charge of the whole project from the start to the end. They should keep track of everything in the project, i.e., the objectives, stakeholders, schedules, etc. Being familiar with project management tools and methods also comes in handy. |
Problem-solving skills | In case of any issue in the game's production, everyone will run to the producer. How well they can solve the problem is what matters, their problem-solving skills should be excellent so that the team members won't lose their trust in them. |
Programming, art, and design knowledge skills | They aren't necessarily involved in the game design or programming process, but knowing about it is a plus. They should understand the game design and development cycle well to support and lead the team. |
Time management skills | Deadlines are crucial in any game project. The game should be ready and released on time as the target audience already knows about an upcoming game. A slight delay may make them lose interest or ruin the producer's reputation for failing to meet deadlines. |
What Are the Responsibilities of a Game Producer?
A game producer has a vast responsibility when it comes to game development. Why? They are the team leader. Their responsibilities may vary depending on the company's specialization, scale, size, and style. Their typical duties, however, are;
- Working with the head designer and director on the game project
- Finding freelancers to fulfill last-minute requirements
- Planning up teams to ensure they meet deadlines
- Deliver creative input throughout the whole process
- Filling in other roles when need be
- Ensure the team has all the tools they need to deliver the best
- Knowledge of rights and licensing
- Handle a significant budget and work toward it
What Are the Career Paths for a Game Producer
If you are interested in majoring in a game producer career, you should know there are four primary careers you can choose. However, you don't have to stick to one career path, and it's good to diversify. You can start with one and use it as a path to get to the others as time passes. Below are the career paths of a game producer;
- Working solo-You can decide to develop a small-scale game on your own, whereby you choose the title of the game producer by default, and so is every other role. Mostly, this is how most game producers start-up; up by producing small games and adding them to their portfolio for more prominent companies to see what they are capable of.
- Working in a small/indie company- Examples of popular indie games are shovel knight, cave story, super meat boy, undertake, etc. Working for an indie company is fantastic, more so when it comes to building up your career. An indie game producer oversees a minor team than a more significant company producer.
- Working in a large company- This path is a great one, and most game producers aspire to achieve it and work for a more extended period. It builds up your career in that you build a name for yourself and develop well-known games on multiple platforms.
- Working freelance-After building a name for yourself and being recognized in the industry, you may decide to take the last career path in game production; work in a freelance mode. In this path, game companies will pay you on a commission basis for your services.
What Are the Different Types of Game Producers?
As you've read above, producers work with a large team to ensure everything goes as planned, meet deadlines and schedules, and create fantastic games. They also manage schedules, budgets, plus resources. There are different types of game producers, as shown in the table below;
Types of game producers | About |
External producer | They help the publishers manage the whole development cycle. The producer works with the publisher to hire programmers, writers, testers, etc. And they can work remotely at times. |
Internal producers | They manage the development team. Working closely with the developer to ensure everything is perfect, they are always present in the studio and work on one project at a time. |
Associate producers | They are experts who focus ar tasks like designing, writing, testing, etc. They work with senior producers to help them manage their roles. |
Senior producers | They oversee various game productions at the same time. They have vast experience and have several titles in their name. |
Conclusion
A game producer should possess all the crucial skills to ensure that a game is excellent and the project runs smoothly. As mentioned above, they should be able to communicate and love what they do, more so games. They can't create what they don't love. And the game production industry is vast; the career path is also something to marvel at, as it's exciting. This article is an excellent guide for anyone who wants to venture into a game production career and those who want to hire a game producer. We offer excellent professional game producer services. If you need help, feel free to reach out to us.