Also new here... and question
by Old Account · in General Discussion · 04/28/2004 (4:31 pm) · 11 replies
I too discovered this site through game informer. I'm in 10th grade, and plan to develop games after im done with school. I know some C++ and a little DirectX, but I really want to be the real mastermind behind the games.
And I have a question... what's the difference between the designer and director? Which one actually makes the game his/her own?
And I have a question... what's the difference between the designer and director? Which one actually makes the game his/her own?
#2
04/28/2004 (5:01 pm)
Err.. IMO that has no connection at all. Professional game studios hire people to do these kinda things, and the people who does it doesn't own sh*t :P
#3
designer designs the game. you can be both in a small gig.
04/28/2004 (5:09 pm)
Director runs the company financialy stuffdesigner designs the game. you can be both in a small gig.
#4
I say it depends on who you ask. A director in one studio may not have the same responsibilities as a director in another studio. Same goes for designer.
(BTW, Bryant's last name rocks)
04/28/2004 (6:06 pm)
I could see how someone could argue that director and designer are one and the same. At the same time, I can see the validity in Bazz's definitions.I say it depends on who you ask. A director in one studio may not have the same responsibilities as a director in another studio. Same goes for designer.
(BTW, Bryant's last name rocks)
#5
That it does :)
But isnt the producer that does the financial stuff?
04/28/2004 (8:21 pm)
Quote:(BTW, Bryant's last name rocks)
That it does :)
But isnt the producer that does the financial stuff?
#6
And yeah, Stefan pretty much hit the nail on the head. MOST of the time. There are exceptions.
In a company I worked for that had both a designer and a director. The director was USUALLY the lead designer as well. The designers were in charge of the initial design of the game. The Director was then in charge of the creative side of implementing the design. (If you think that the design process is "done" when the entire design document is complete and delivered.... heh heh heh heh heh. Not in my experience. It's more like you've got your PLAN for designing a game done...)
The producer, on the other hand, was kind of the "left brain" of the operation... while the designer was in charge of the creative side of things, the producer was in charge of the nuts-and-bolts, dollars-and-cents, scheduling, and all the other zillions of activities necessary to get a team working together.
As far as who is the "real mastermind" behind the games... that's a loaded question. Some people might naively answer, "The Designer", but most professional game designers only like to pretend they are the masterminds. More often, they are the "hired guns" (One famous game designer, formerly of LucasArts, had a lecture series at GDC I attended called "The Designer as a Mercenary"). Like everyone else, they have a job to do on whatever game they are assigned. If they are very lucky, they are brought in at the beginning of a completely new franchise and get to help define its course. The unbelievably lucky ones - usually guys with a great track record (or the ones who've given it all up to become an indie) get to come up with a completely new and original title whole cloth.
But even so, do they really mastermind it? Not unless they are carrying the entire game on their back. Heck, I've put in about ten times more hours than the entire rest of my team combined on my project, yet there's still a significant amount of the game that has evolved out of the creativity of the other team members. Game developers are a creative lot, and its foolish not to take advantage of that.
04/28/2004 (9:47 pm)
Quote:And I have a question... what's the difference between the designer and director? Which one actually makes the game his/her own?Job title depends upon the company you work for.
And yeah, Stefan pretty much hit the nail on the head. MOST of the time. There are exceptions.
In a company I worked for that had both a designer and a director. The director was USUALLY the lead designer as well. The designers were in charge of the initial design of the game. The Director was then in charge of the creative side of implementing the design. (If you think that the design process is "done" when the entire design document is complete and delivered.... heh heh heh heh heh. Not in my experience. It's more like you've got your PLAN for designing a game done...)
The producer, on the other hand, was kind of the "left brain" of the operation... while the designer was in charge of the creative side of things, the producer was in charge of the nuts-and-bolts, dollars-and-cents, scheduling, and all the other zillions of activities necessary to get a team working together.
As far as who is the "real mastermind" behind the games... that's a loaded question. Some people might naively answer, "The Designer", but most professional game designers only like to pretend they are the masterminds. More often, they are the "hired guns" (One famous game designer, formerly of LucasArts, had a lecture series at GDC I attended called "The Designer as a Mercenary"). Like everyone else, they have a job to do on whatever game they are assigned. If they are very lucky, they are brought in at the beginning of a completely new franchise and get to help define its course. The unbelievably lucky ones - usually guys with a great track record (or the ones who've given it all up to become an indie) get to come up with a completely new and original title whole cloth.
But even so, do they really mastermind it? Not unless they are carrying the entire game on their back. Heck, I've put in about ten times more hours than the entire rest of my team combined on my project, yet there's still a significant amount of the game that has evolved out of the creativity of the other team members. Game developers are a creative lot, and its foolish not to take advantage of that.
#9
04/29/2004 (7:59 pm)
Wow. What a bunch of uninformed suits. (And yes, I'm aware that's a judgment call. But it's my judgement call!)
#10
05/07/2004 (7:18 pm)
Lol i got this out of my Game Informer the Halo 2 Issue, that i got with getting my gamestop card.
#11
Here's what I think a good system for this would be... the designer should be the mastermind, but also have a fair understanding of programming, a good ear for music, a feel for modeling and animation, and some storywriting skills. The people that like to do mainly one of these will do the "dirty work" by doing just the programming, music, etc. Luckily, these people want to do these parts. The designter tells them what to do, like, to the 3D artist, "Make a sniper rifle made in about year 2440, black, and slightly worn from use." The modeler will make one, and the designer will say if any changes should be made to fit his vision.
05/09/2004 (3:01 pm)
Ya know, Im starting to see what a gigantic task making a game is... its like, one person has the vision for the game, but can't do it all by his/her self. I mean, not only does it take too long, but one person cant have enough talents and training to do everything. So there has to be a number of people working on it. Problem is, multiple people dont have the same vision. This shows how games are MASSIVE tasks, but with great rewards, and most likely a great game. This means that games are the ultimate form of art.Here's what I think a good system for this would be... the designer should be the mastermind, but also have a fair understanding of programming, a good ear for music, a feel for modeling and animation, and some storywriting skills. The people that like to do mainly one of these will do the "dirty work" by doing just the programming, music, etc. Luckily, these people want to do these parts. The designter tells them what to do, like, to the 3D artist, "Make a sniper rifle made in about year 2440, black, and slightly worn from use." The modeler will make one, and the designer will say if any changes should be made to fit his vision.
Torque Owner Chris