Need to interview someone in the video game business

[Lone_Monster]

Hey. I have a career research project I have to do, and what I want to be, is a video game designer. In this essay, I must have an interview with someone in a related career, so I was thinking coming here would be my best bet.

If someone who is in this career would please take some of their time and let me ask them a few questions, I would GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. I need this, and I don't know anyone personally that does anything like this for a job.

I just need to ask some basic questions, like, 'Do you like your job?', 'What are some of the things you do?', and, 'Why did you decide to persue in a career like this?'.

Once again, help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Captain Wrong]

On topic.

<boot>

[Raccoon Lad]

You don't want to be a designer, trust me. All a "Game designer" is, is a glorified producer.

If you get in as a game designer, you don't design games of your own design, you get handed a license property, and have to design something for it, or flesh out the crappy idea of someone else.

[Lone_Monster]

Well, I wanted to be someone who makes the ideas for the games and everything. What job would that be?

[CartCollector]

That would be a producer! If you look at the credits of any game "designed" by Miyamoto, it will list him as the PRODUCER.
By the way, I know two people you can ask:
Tom Sloper. He's been in the business since the beginning. If you check the site, there is a special article for your needs.
Then, there's David Perry, who made some classics like Earthworm Jim.

[Lone_Monster]

Well, for my paper, would I put Video Game producer, Video Game Design producer? I really appreciate the help. Thanks.

[Raccoon Lad]

Where I work, all the producers do is send e'mails and talk on the phone all day.

[robotriot]

I work in the business (mobile games only though, and graphics :P), and the producer is only the guy who coordinates the development team, and decides if he likes stuff the creative people do or not. He might have more influence on the actual game idea on bigger projects (console games that is), and he often says "We need a game that includes x and y, but not so much z because that doesn't sell well. Gamedesigner, think of something.", but usually the game idea itself is the job of the gamedesigner, at least that's how it's been handled at the two companies I've worked for so far.

[Lone_Monster]

I'm confused. Raccoon Lad says Producers are the ones that think up the game idea and control the team, and talk on phones all day (Don't know if you work at a video game company) and robotriot says the producers are the ones who watch over the team but aren't the ones who actually think up the game...

So what one is it?

[Raccoon Lad]

I'm an VG industry veteran of 5 years.

Sometimes producers do some game designing (very little, maybe some level design), but the game designer is the one who spends months and months writing up a design document that reads like the schematics of a nuclear reactor. (while constantly making revisions based on what the publisher wants, what the higher-up's say, ect.)

Really, the only people who do ANY actual work on the game are the artists and programmers. Everyone else just hinders the production.

[geelw]

...you guys are gonna make this kid's head ExPlOdE!, he's gonna throw his hands up in disgust, turn on x-play and get suckered into signing up at westwood college or brown, or one of those other crappy misleading puppy mills disguised as "game career" schools. "you can make games like THIS" (some paddle-footed, badly animated character running backward and tripping over what looks like the worlds thickest extension cord). ah me...