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Encyclopedia > Game producer

A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game. Game development - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ...


The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982. His vision—influenced by his relationship with Jerry Moss—was that producers would manage artists and repertoire in the same way as in the music business, and Hawkins brought in record producers from A&M Records to help train those first producers. William M. Trip Hawkins III (born 1953) is a Silicon Valley American entrepreneur and co-founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company and Digital Chocolate. ... Electronic Arts (EA) (NASDAQ: ERTS) is an American developer, marketer, publisher, and distributor of computer and video games. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Jerry Moss founded A&M Records with trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert. ... In the music industry, Artists and Repertoire (A&R) is the division of a record label company that is responsible for scouting and artist development. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A&M Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Universal Music Group. ...


Although the term is an industry standard today, it was dismissed as "imitation Hollywood" by many game executives and press members at the time. Over its entire history, the role of the game producer has been defined in a wide range of ways by different companies and different teams, and there are a variety of positions within the industry referred to as producer.


There are relatively few superstars of game production that parallel those we know in film, in part because top producers are usually employed by publishers who choose to play down publicizing their contributions. Unlike many of their counterparts in film or music, these producers do not run their own independent companies.

Contents

Types of producers

Most video and computer games are developed by third-party developers. In these cases, there may be external and internal producers. External producers may act as "executive producers" and are employed by the game's publisher. Internal producers work for the developer itself and have more of a hands-on role. Some game developers may have no internal producers, however, and may rely solely on the publisher's producer. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


For an external producer, their job responsibilities may focus mainly on overseeing several projects being worked on by a number of developers. While keeping updated on the progress of the games being developed externally, they inform the upper management of the publisher of the status of the pending projects and any problems they may be experiencing. If a publisher's producer is overseeing a game being developed internally, their role is more akin to that of an internal producer and will generally only work on one game or a few small games.


As games have grown larger and more expensive, line producers have become part of some teams. Based on filmmaking traditions, Line Producers focus on project scheduling and costing to ensure titles are completed on time and on budget. A Line Producer is a key member of the production team for a motion picture. ...


Responsibilities

An internal producer is heavily involved in the development of, usually, a single game. Responsibilities for this position vary from company to company, but in general, the person in this position has the following duties:

In short, the internal producer is ultimately responsible for timely delivery and final quality of the game. To licence or grant licence is to give permission. ... Game design is the process of designing the content and rules of a game. ... Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. ... A Spanish kilometre stone A milestone on the Boston Post Road in Harvard Square, Massachusetts, USA Slate milestone near Bangor, Wales A milestone or kilometre sign is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road at regular intervals, typically at the side of the road or in... Quality assurance (QA) is the activity of providing evidence needed to establish confidence among all concerned, that quality-related activities are being performed effectively. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Game testing. ... In software engineering, development stage terminology expresses how far through the development sequence things have progressed and how much further development a product may require. ... A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. ... Internationalization redirects here. ...


For small games, the producer may interact directly with the programming and creative staff. For larger games, the producer will seek the assistance of the lead programmer, art lead, game designer and testing lead. While it is customary for the producer to meet with the entire development staff from time to time, for larger games, they will only meet with the leads on a regular basis to keep updated on the development status. A game programmer is a software engineer who primarily develops computer or video games or related software (such as game development tools). ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ...


For most games, the producer has a large role in the development of the game design. While not a game designer, the producer has to weave the wishes of the publisher or upper management into the design. They usually seek the assistance of the game designer in this effort. So the final game design is a result of a cooperative effort of the designer and the producer. Game design is the process of designing the content and rules of a game. ...


In general, the producer is not the "boss" of the people on the game development team, but the "boss" of the game. So while a programmer may answer to a programming director, where matters of the game are involved, they answer to the producer. Producers may issue reprimands or issue accolades, but usually the fate of the developer's employment is not in the hands of the producer. So while they may recommend termination or promotions of certain employees, the producer normally cannot fire or promote team members single-handedly.


Notable producers

Mark Cerny (born 1964) has worked on many computer and video games in his career as a designer, programmer, producer, and business executive. ... Jak and Daxter is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2 that is named after its own protagonists. ... Spyro the Dragon (1) PlayStation cover Spyro the Dragon is a popular platform game series starring the video game character Spyro, which was originally released for the Sony PlayStation. ... Ratchet and Clank is a popular video game for the Playstation 2 developed by Insomniac Games, creators of the Spyro series for the original Playstation. ... Brad Fregger (born May 31, 1940 in Billings, Montana) is an American entrepreneur, author and former game producer publisher, and book publisher. ... Hacker is a 1985 computer game by Activision. ... Richard Garriott in Lord British attire Richard Allen Garriott (born July 4, 1961; nickname Lord British) is a significant figure in the video game industry. ... It has been suggested that Mongbat (Ultima) be merged into this article or section. ... Hideo Kojima Hideo Kojima , born August 24, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer originally employed at Konami. ... For other uses, see Metal Gear (disambiguation). ... Zone of the Enders, also known as Z.O.E., is a video game that was developed and published by Konami in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. ... Shigeru Miyamoto , born November 16, 1952) is a Japanese video game designer. ... For the Nintendo DS enhanced remake, see Super Mario 64 DS. Super Mario 64 ) is a top-selling platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ... The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a video game released in 1998, and the first Zelda game for the Nintendo 64. ... Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi (坂口 博信, born 1962) was the Director of Planning and Development for Square Co. ... This article is about the Final Fantasy franchise. ... Bruce Campbell Shelley is a computer game designer who helped design Sid Meiers Civilization and Railroad Tycoon with MicroProse and the 1997 hit real-time strategy game Age of Empires with Ensemble Studios. ... This article is about the Age of Empires computer game series. ...

See also

  • List of video game producers

Below is a list of game industry people, people who work or have worked in the video game industry, on video or computer games. ...

External links

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  Results from FactBites:
 
Game producer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (720 words)
A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video or computer game.
External producers may act as "executive producers" and are employed by the game's publisher.
Producers may issue reprimands or issue accolades, but usually the fate of the developer's employment is not in the hands of the producer.
Arcade game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1064 words)
The first popular "arcade games" were early amusement park midway games such as shooting galleries, ball toss games, and the earliest coin-operated machines, such as those which claim to tell a person their fortune or played mechanical music.
By the late-1980s, the arcade video game craze was beginning to fade due to the reputation of arcades as being seedy, unsafe places as well as the advances in home video game console technology.
An alternative interpretation(one which includes fighting games, which continue to thrive and require no special controller) is that the arcade game is now a more socially-oriented hangout, with games that focus on an individual's performance, rather than the game's content, as the primary form of novelty.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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