On The Collaboration

The overall concept of the game is developed in collaboration between Game Director, Game Designer, Project Manager, Art Director and Lead Game Programmer.

The concept includes decisions on theme and plot, genre, platform, interaction and principles of game logic, aesthetic principles governing the game universe and its characters, and production schedules

Subsequently, it is the job of the Game Director to make sure that the overall concept is implemented. The Game Director is responsible for the game as a whole and performs his or her duties via dialogue with the other participants, listening to their ideas and views and adjusting the overall game experience as necessary. The Game Director’s decisions are made in consultation with the Game Designer, who is responsible for maintaining an analytical eye on the development of gameplay and game-mechanics. Consideration for the gameplay pervades every decision and order made by the Game Director, and all subsequent decisions made by the Art Director, Animator, Audio Designer, CG Artist, Level Designer and Game Programmer.

After the initial concept development phase – the preproduction – it is the Project Manager’s job to provide the production framework by way of a production schedule and a formalized analysis of the working methods to be employed for the production. The Project Manager bears the overall responsibility for ensuring that the schedule is adhered to and for making the decisions necessary to ensure that the production process runs as required within the given framework. The Project Manager works closely with the Game Director, the Game Designer, and the other leads, and continually revises the schedule according to the production’s needs.

Note that the production must be implemented in a way that maximizes the benefits to all participants with regard to coursework and skills. The experience of working in a team and the insight into computer game production gained are regarded as the most important dividends of these joint productions.