The Games Game

Traditional Career Paths Not So (December 2006)

Dear Tom,

For each of the main top-of-your-career roles in games dev:

• lead programmer
• specialist programmer (rendering, physics, networking, audio)
• lead designer
• QA lead
• producer
• technical director
• development director
• (others?)

...what are the "obvious" or "traditional" career routes to get there? Outside of the games industry, it's common for companies to help their staff work towards an ultimate position by shaping their career from year to year and project to project. It seems to me that in the games industry this process largely stops once you get your first serious job. After that, it's a combination of random events and employees asking for a different role at the start of each new project pretty much off the top of their head, with practically no long-term direction from their managers and HR.

I know of quite a few "classic" paths, such as: Tester -> Test Manager -> Assistant Producer -> Producer - but what others are there?

Adam Martin

Hi Adam,

I've been scratching my head over your question for days. I tried a couple of times to write these "obvious/traditional paths" you asked for. But the more I thought about it and tried, the more I saw that it comes down to a simple, basic truth.

The employee doesn't need to target any particular "traditional" position, and he can't necessarily have a realistic expectation of attaining a particular position along a path to get where he wants to go. As long as he applies himself assiduously and professionally, working hard and well, intelligently and earnestly, he should get opportunities to move up. But these things take time.

Each person is unique, with his own particular talents and proclivities. His uniqueness may or may not dovetail with the situation he finds himself in. Every situation is unique. Perhaps someone else is already filling a role. Sometimes a project ends and people are let go. The employee needs to have the patience to deal with situations he can't control, and the wisdom and foresight to grab the opportunity when one arises.

I could have just said "to become a CTO, start as a programmer, then become a lead programmer, then a tech director." But not every CTO followed an identical path, and although this straightforward answer may have been what you were looking for, it probably wouldn't have been all that insightful or helpful.

Now let me respond to the rest of what you wrote.

You said, "Outside of the games industry, it's common for companies to help their staff work towards an ultimate position by shaping their career from year to year and project to project." Really? Could you give an example of that for me? Do they do that in television, the film industry, the publishing industry, or the music industry, for example?

Most large game companies have an annual employee review process. If administered effectively by both the reviewer and the reviewee, such a process can help foster an employee's career growth.

(Editor's Note: Jump to Tom's personal site to read ongoing discussion on this question between Tom and Adam...)