Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The game producer
The producer is responsible for keeping the project on time, in budget, and top quality.
The term producer was introduced by Trip Hawkins to Electronic Arts in the 1980s.
His vision was to bring some of the qualities of music and video producers to the video
game industry. Today, a producer manages schedules, costs, and resources, keeping
the team on track. The producer will take the design document and build a timetable
with milestones, as well as a list of assets needed to complete the game. He is also
responsible for getting what the team needs in a timely manner.
Typically, the producer is the liaison between the team and any corporate entities,
such as a publisher, marketer, and financier. This may involve negotiating contracts,
licensing, and the like. The producer coordinates the actions of the dev team to hit
milestones, he checks the quality of work, and manages the testing team. He will
oversee any localization that is needed.
Even if no third-party publisher is involved in a project (as it usually is for a mobile
indie team) the producer covers a vital role for the success of the game.
Indie development is subjected to the most unexpected events: other paid jobs could
take time away from game development, money could be scarce until the game is
shipped, the game could fail for some reason and not provide income, team members
could become undisciplined if they are not hired with a contract, difficulties could arise
when working remotely if an office for all team members to work together is not avail-
able, and so on. If the producer can deal with such issues, only then can an indie team
can reach its goal of making games for a living. The producer should be prepared to
live in crisis management mode: he is the chief fire fighter and train's the engineer,
keeps the project on track by fighting fires as they arise and preventing them as much
as possible.
Keeping things organized
A good spread sheet or database program will help with this task. Microsoft Excel and
Filemaker both can serve in this purpose. Another option is to use a project planning
program, such as Microsoft Project. If you are working remotely, with team members
in different locations, be sure to pick a software package that allows you to publish to
the web.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search