[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-259695-105":53,"doc-detail-259695-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","work-for-play-careers-in-video-game-development","Work for Play - Careers in Video Game Development","","Video game development is presented as a serious, large-scale industry that turns play into careers. It explains how game developers create playable experiences through collaborative roles across preproduction, production, and postproduction. The document outlines key job groups—designers, programmers, artists, and others—and describes how the development process uses design documents, prototypes, funding, and ongoing revisions. It also covers quality assurance testing, bug fixing, content completion milestones, and the industry’s major benefits and challenges.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":11,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/presentations/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/work-for-play-careers-in-video-game-development/259695/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/work-for-play-careers-in-video-game-development/259695.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Mary Man","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-07","2026-09-13",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",23,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"What stages make up the lifecycle of a video game?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"Most games follow a similar process: preproduction, production, and postproduction. Each stage supports the next, from defining concepts to building the engine and then testing and fixing bugs.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"How do preproduction activities influence the final game?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"During preproduction, lead designers outline the concept and assemble a game design document with detailed features. Programmers build a prototype, designers revise features using feedback, and the prototype can help secure financing before full production begins.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What happens during postproduction?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"Postproduction focuses on testing the game for bugs and improving it by tweaking or removing unwanted elements. 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The workers,  \nknown as game developers, make a living creating the games you enjoy playing.  \nMaking video games is a serious—and big—business. According to the Entertainment Software Association, in 2009, the videogame industry had sales in excess of $10 billion and employed more than 32,000 people in 34 states.  \nCreating these games is complex and requires the collaboration of many developers, who perform a variety of tasks, from production to programming. They work for both small and large game studios to create games that can be played on many different devices, including console systems, computers, and cell phones.  \nThis article covers career options in videogame development. The first section providesan overview of the development process. The second section describes four groups of videogame occupations: designers, programmers, artists, and others. The third section covers the skills and training workers need for these jobs. The fourth section discusses the benefits and challenges of working in the video game industry. And the fifth section provides jobseeking tips for a career in video game development. Suggested resources for additional information are at the end of the article.  \nLifecycle of a video game  \nThe concept for a video game can come from  \na variety of sources. Many games start as anew idea for a story or technology the development team would like to explore. Others come from an established property, such as a novel or film. Still others attempt to perfect a style or formula found in another genre or game.  \nBut whatever the impetus for its creation, almost every game follows a similar development process: preproduction, production, and postproduction. The length of this process is often determined at the beginning of thepreproduction phase and depends on a game’s size and programming needs.  \nFull-featured games, such as those made for consoles, have more complex programming and, therefore, take longer to develop—usually between 18 and 30 months. By comparison, most games that are played on social media and mobile devices require simpler technology, which results in a quicker development process of a few months.  \nPreproduction  \nWork completed during preproduction lays the foundation upon which a game is built. In this phase, the lead designers outline a game concept with the help of lead artists and programmers. Lead designers also might select a feature, such as an innovative gameplay element or powerful graphics, that makes the game unique.  \nThe different design teams flesh out a specific part of the game, such as its mechanics and storyline. The designers then compile their ideas in a game design document, which describes the game and its features in detail.  \nFrom this document, programmers create a prototype game. Designers use feedback on the prototype to revise game features. Many game studios also use the prototype to secure financing from publishers, allowing the designers to continue developing the game.  \nOnce the game receives funding, programmers begin building its technological framework. Meanwhile, artists create concept art, such as character illustrations, that helps designers visualize the game. Completion of the prototype signals the start of the production phase of development.  \nProduction  \nIn the production phase, teams of designers, artists, and programmers use the design document as a guide to create the game. The teams collaborate to make the most of each other’s expertise.“Art isn’t displayed correctly until an engineer makes it work, and it doesn’t work until a designer defines how it should work,”says Louis Catanzaro, creative director for BeachCooler Games in Waltham, Massachusetts.  \nDrew Liming and  \nDennis Vilorio  \nDrew Liming isan economist in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS. He is available at (202) 691-5262 or limi","cbCainRnNUOXJTT8","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainRnNUOXJTT8","pdf",1250070,10,"English","# Career Options in Video Game Development\n## Lifecycle of a Video Game\n## Preproduction\n## Production\n## Postproduction and Beyond\n## Roles and Skills","[{\"question\":\"What stages make up the lifecycle of a video game?\",\"answer\":\"Most games follow a similar process: preproduction, production, and postproduction. Each stage supports the next, from defining concepts to building the engine and then testing and fixing bugs.\"},{\"question\":\"How do preproduction activities influence the final game?\",\"answer\":\"During preproduction, lead designers outline the concept and assemble a game design document with detailed features. Programmers build a prototype, designers revise features using feedback, and the prototype can help secure financing before full production begins.\"},{\"question\":\"What happens during postproduction?\",\"answer\":\"Postproduction focuses on testing the game for bugs and improving it by tweaking or removing unwanted elements. Quality assurance staff document errors and assign them to the appropriate programmers, designers, or artists to fix.\"}]","Work for Play - Careers in Video Game Development | PDF",1789335256]