Personal Narrative: A Career As A Video Game Producer

For as long as I can remember I have always loved video games and wanted to be a part of their creation. They have helped me get through some tough areas of my life and I surely would like to contribute to the happiness that they spread among people. As I scanned across the many jobs available in the video game industry, I specifically found one job description that seemed to capture my skillset perfectly. Today I will be investigating the job of ‘Video Game Producer’, researching the daily duties of this position, the skillset required for someone in this line of work, and the path I will take in order to realize this dream job. While browsing in the sea of the internet I was able to find a very powerful quote about the day to day responsibilities of a VG Producer. Frank Rogan, a senior producer, tells us “Think of the producer like the head coach of a football team. There are the actual players on the field, and a whole group of coaches, coordinators and trainers to work with them. But someone has to stand in the middle of it all and be able to call the plays while keeping an eye on the scoreboard and the game clock.” So from this I was able to find out that the job of VG producer’s is similar to that of a manager in retail or …show more content…
A good producer has to learn how to say “no” and “yes” to certain requests and do it in a way that won’t cause any unnecessary tension or blowback. Instincts are something that are hard to teach but are crucial to a good producer. Knowing how to identify a problem and fix them for they even happen is a key factor in what makes a good producer great. The Animation Arena article gives a great example “When a developer misses a milestone because they’re understaffed, a good producer can get approval for more cash for the developer to staff up. A great producer will have already requested the developer to staff up early in the project so that they don’t miss a