The two roles that I am going to be looking at are
games tester and Creative direction.
Games Tester
Key function/Duty
The main job of a games tester is to find bugs,
glitches and suggest improvements to the game.
A games tester has to play the same part of a game
over and over in different ways to see what happens if he/she finds a bug or
glitch they have to document in detail how it happened and then suggest what
the problem could be and possible ways to fix it. As a Games Tester you need to
be able to do repetitive tasks as you may (depending on the game) have to play
the same level or section of a game for days or weeks on end, you also have to
be able to document your entire finding in detail. This is done in different
ways some tests make a journal of them playing the game and have a table of the
feature that they are looking at. The norm thing to do after is to convert
there finding into a report and then send it off to the coding team.
Equipment needed
A games tester will use all of the consoles that the
game will be released. At this moment in time it could be the new gen consoles
(Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U) and any of the hand held (DS, PSP and Switch Blade)
they would most likely have a custom built Computer. The computer would use to
play the games and then use it for they’re other need like making reports and
normal office activities. They would need a very powerful computer if there are
testing something like an MMO. They would need any of the accessories attached
to a product like the Kinect and PlayStation move. If you look at a game such
as Skyrim they will need a high-end computer because this game is very
demanding in the processing power and graphics, for something like Skyrim they
would need a graphics card such as a GeForce GTX 980 TI, which will be able to
run pretty much any game on the highest speck.
Skills needed
There are a lot of skills need to be a games tester.
You pretty much need a back ground in all aspects of games production coding,
level deign, physics you will need to have a competent understanding of all
aspect so that you can evaluate the glitch or bug properly and give possible
fixes. Other skills that you will need are perseverance, as you will be
performing the same task over and over. If you have a short attenuation span or
get board easily this is not the job for you. In this job role you will be
responsible for the over flow and feel of the game you will also need to fix
any problems with the game.
Reference: I did not use any reference materiel for
this section
Games Programmer
Key function/Duty
A games programmer main purpose and role is to make
the game. They work primarily with the code of the game but they do work in
other places like level deign, animation and every thing else. This is because
if there is a problem with a game they are the ones who have to fix it, as the
problem is nearly always something to do with the code. They work hand in hand
with game testers, the tester s find the problem and the programmers fix it. If
you or one of the team leaders for programming you will have to be good at
organizing and talk to other team leaders in different departments.
Equipment needed
A Programmer will use a very high-end computer, as the
soft ware they will be using is very demanding. They will most likely have multiple
monitors as making a game is very complicated and they will require a large
work space so that can have a tidy work space that is not clutter. They can use
stylus depending on what they are doing.
Skills needed
If you what to get in to the role of a games
programmer you will need qualification in games programming such as computer
physics, maths or computer science. It will also help to if you have a sample
of your programming skills to show an employer. Other skills you will need are
persistence and dedication. This is because you will be spending years of your
life making one thing. This can be anything from 3 to 7 years. You may also be
work on the same thing for hours, days or even weeks. This is because depending
on the game you make you can easily brake a game by doing the smallest thing is
because every thing is
Comparison
The two job roles are very different in the skill-set
that is needed but the personality and dedication of the person have to be the
same. The initial contribution starts with the programmer, as they have to make
the basis of the game. Though out the games design the games tester will be
playing every aspect of the game and giving the programmers their opinion on
how the game could be improved and if there are any bugs or glitches that need
to be fixed. It is the responsible of both to make the product as good as it
can be, but both need each other to do this as one does not work with out the
other. One is responsible for finds the problem and the other is responsible
for fixing it. Both are very time consuming and need dedication.
Reference:
Creative skill set (2014) Available: online Accessed:
19/12/2014
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