Being a Game Producer: Perks and Challenges
Programmers, artists, and designers make up most of the team behind all the games we know and love. There are several distinct roles in game development: a programmer writes code; an artist produces artwork; a designer designs game concepts; and others precise positions. They all collaborate to build magnificent settings, detailed gaming mechanics, and the characters you love. However, while the work of a game programmer or artist is evident, it is more difficult to understand what a game producer does. When it comes to Producers, you might associate this role just as in the fields of movies, music, television, and even games. But, how far do you know about the role of a Game producer? Game producer involved in the end-to-end game development process. As the “Jack of all trades,” game producers work to plan, manage, and make sure that games can be released as expected. In addition, producers ensure that game development and production teams meet deadlines, collaborate, and maintain a shared design, artistic, and technical vision. As a game producer, you will learn about the overview and how things work without requiring formal background or specialization in game development (such as programming, art, or design). However, game producers also need to keep up with the newest trends and technologies in the industry because you will work closely with artists, programmers, designers, other specialists roles, various client requests, and user behaviors. So, what are the Perks and Challenges of a Game Producer? Perks Jack of All Trades Instead of having a deep knowledge of one or two things, game producers have a well-rounded understanding of the game development process. They will also have the opportunity to learn about the newest tools and technology in the industry. The game producers do not need to be technical experts; they must understand how the end-to-end game development process works. Therefore, they always keep up with their tools or technology and how things work. Improvement Learning and growing are a part of being a Game Producer. Game Producers will improve their leadership, problem-solving, communication, team building, and budgeting skills with every project through hands-on experience. Game producers always focus on enhancing their skills. In addition, their experience in the development process will make them better decision-makers, leaders, and managers. Highly Sought-after Every game needs game producers, from the most straightforward puzzle to the most expansive MMORPG. With the rapidly expanding game industry, new games are also released daily. Therefore, experienced game producers will be in demand to keep up with the ever-growing and ever-changing industry. Looking at the trends in the game industry, they are changing so fast, and it’s challenging to keep up with them all. That’s why producers will face plenty of new challenges in this industry. Challenges Deadline A game producer is responsible for delivering projects on time with the level of quality that is agreed upon and within the client’s budget. Therefore, game producers must have outstanding time and people management skills because failure to meet the deadline or to stay within the budget will be their responsibility. There’s no doubt that a game producer will be responsible that the game development process is going according to plan. So, it’s very crucial for a game producer to have people and time management skills. Unpredictability Game Producers will deal with a lot of unpredictable factors in working. To overcome it, they need to be flexible, resourceful, and proactively find different approaches to problem-solving. The game producer will face many unpredictable things while we are involved in some client projects. The key is that a game producer must proactively seek other ways to approach things and tackle the problems. Communication The game producer will work and interact with various specialists, technical roles, and clients. Therefore, game producers need to understand the context and different perspectives and use them to communicate effectively. A game producer is a communicator who understands the context from multiple perspectives. Are you ready to take the challenge as a Game Producer? Agate is hiring! You can see the detailed qualifications and requirements here: Game Producer Role Outside the game industry, do you know that Game Producer also has similarities with Project Managers? What is the similarity? Discover it in our upcoming article! Vacancy On Production Departement Position Department Contract Type Production Support Production Contract Type : Internship Details Game Producer Production Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Quality Assurance (QA) Production Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Load More
Designer’s Weapon: Essentials Tools and Skills Game Designers Use
It takes a game designer with qualified skills who are able to channel their ideas and communicate them in a way that users can enjoy. Game designer also requires precision in their craft and not to mention effectiveness in the delivery of their work. To do so, they depend upon the exact tools to work on their masterpiece. A tool is the extension of one’s hand, and a machine is but a complex tool. As the user, you have to pick the right tool for the point you’re trying to make. In this day and age, we are provided with a bountiful of tools in today’s technology. Yet, each tool may vary depending on its function, and many are similar. How can someone choose the appropriate one to get the job done effectively? In Agate, our designers get the chance to learn and experts in various tools and skills. Supported by various talent development programs, our designers learn not just from their experiences but also keep leveling up their skills to match the rapid needs and updates in the game industry. Here are essential tools and skills game designers utilize in their work field. What Tools Do Game Designers Utilize? Game Engine UnityThis game engine might have been the most popular game engine for most game development that popular for making a game, but it is also one of the essential tools that will help the game designer build an early prototype. Also, this tool could cover both 2D and 3D games easily. But you need some programming skills or a programmer to use this tool. UnrealThis tool has powerful visual scripting, which is easy to understand for designers. Its level design tools are more convenient since we can edit the mesh directly in-engine by default. Plus, it has blueprints, better than Unity prefabs, with their parent-and-child system. Managing data for game designers and narrative designers alike is also helped by Unreal’s user-friendly data tables instead of filling data in a JSON (for example). Game Design & Balancing Machinations.ioWhat are a few things more difficult for a designer than balancing their game when seeing all the numbers they put in without knowing how they will go at the end? Machination can do much more. It will show you the estimation and the probability of the balance, but you could also track and simulate every number of the game from the start to the end and find the result within seconds. Design & Creativity Adobe Inc. (XD, PS, etc.)Some people might think that most Adobe products are for artists and people who deal with the visuals of the product. However, Adobe products help a designer give a visual for our idea to everybody in the team and give us more leeway to express our minds and ideas. The versatility of the Adobe product gives us more flexibility to show others the visuals of prototypes, wireframe making, and early design for UX/UI worth the subscription price. Data Analysis MS ExcelMS Excel stands out for its simplicity and effectiveness as a spreadsheet tool. It offers designers an accessible database and analysis tool that can be used for a lot of things and create estimations and calculations, even complex ones. In addition, a spreadsheet can be easily accessed from any browser anytime and anywhere. This tool is also an excellent tool for team projects. Brainstorming & Documentation NotionNotion is a great working and documentation app with multiple tools and features that are already built into it. With these tools, most basic management and database work related can be done quickly and easily. Additionally, a multi-layer page within the notion could make documentation more manageable and easy to find. MiroCreate a collaborated and centralized communication with pre-built templates or start from a clean slate. Miro provides design tools for brainstorming, diagram creation, or project management. It is easy to edit, has a vast working space for ideation and collaboration work, and puts all our ideas into something we can read. As a bonus, you could present your work in a slide show for better presentation. What Skill Does A Designer Needs? A designer is responsible for coherent & effective product design (particularly on mechanics, features, and levels). They must have relevant knowledge of the design process to ensure it fits the user’s desired aesthetics and is technically feasible. What are the skills needed for a designer to achieve those goals? Effective CollaboratorAs a game designer, you work towards a desirable goal. By collaboration, designers can work effectively to produce the best game design. Excellent Communication Skills and TeamworkGame designers work as part of a team. Communication is essential for designers to deliver their ideas to all team members. Highly Versatile in Problem-Solving SkillsDesigners meet problems daily. Hence, to deliver the best experience to the user, a designer needs to be versatile so they can tackle those problems. Proficient with Game Design, UX/UI, and User/Audience ResearchA game designer must be proficient in a broad aspect of game development, such as game design, user experience, user interface, and also with their users. Planning and Documentation SkillsTo keep track of what designers do, documentation is an essential skill designers need to have. Designers also need to be able to manage and plan two to three steps further. Ready to be the next game designer with us? Check out our Designers role that is currently available down below! Vacancy On Design & Writing Departement All DepartmentsTalentQualityFinance, Corporate and LegalDesign and WritingArt All DivisionsSupportGamificationFull DevelopmentArt Service All ContractsTemporaryRegular Search Position Department Division Contract Type Game Designer Design and Writing Full Development Contract Type : Temporary Details Load More
Welcome Back to Agate’s Office
After over two years of working from home, Agate will enforce the Work From Office (WFO)/Hybrid policy for the entire Agate Crews starting from August 2022. We’re excited to welcome all of our Crews back at Level Up Building in Summarecon Bandung. To prepare all the needs for WFO/Hybrid working arrangements at our office, what is our Office Manager, Putri Afifah Maulida, up to? “I’m thrilled to meet all of Agate’s Crews to be back at the office. I’m a typical person who loves to meet people, and working closely with all the Crews after WFO/Hybrid will make coordination faster at work and a delightful experience for me to have friends to laugh and joke with.“ Agate’s WFO/Hybrid preparations have been planned since last year by doing a lot of renovations at our office to ensure that we can provide a comfortable workplace for all of our Crews. Still, the implementation of the policy can only be realized this year. To support all operational activities, the WFO/Hybrid policy has been prepared for almost three months, starting from May. Meanwhile, we intensified all the preparations from service to procurement in the last month. Looking back at our preparations, the biggest obstacle for WFO/Hybrid preparation is the short time to prepare all WFO needs and the changing needs of our company. For example, to compare the number of Crews since our last WFO in early 2020, we have nearly doubled the number of Crews at our company. With that in mind, we also need to prepare all the arrangements at our office for our new Crews. Looking back at our preparations, the biggest obstacle for WFO/Hybrid preparation is the short time to prepare all WFO needs and the changing needs of our company. For example, to compare the number of Crews since our last WFO in early 2020, we have nearly doubled the number of Crews at our company. With that in mind, we also need to prepare all the arrangements at our office for our new Crews. During this WFO/Hybrid, our Crews can enjoy various facilities for work, accommodation, entertainment, and even hobbies. Now Agate provides: Gym room. Sleeping spaces. A canteen. Crew shuttles. Vending machines. Entertainment room. Changes that will differ from WFH are not only the atmosphere of discussions and meetings that now will be done face to face but recurring company events such as Agate Alliance Gathering, Town Hall Meeting, and company events will also be carried out offline. Agate also has several exciting benefits that can be obtained for our Crews at the office. We provide a wide range of benefits from complimentary breakfast, free lunch, free flow of coffee, a health facility, and a shuttle to go around the city. Are you interested in joining us at our office? We welcome you. Please take a look at our job openings on our Careers page.
Recruitment Tips and Tricks: Do’s and Don’ts In An Interview
An interview might seems nerve-wracking whether you are a fresh graduate or a senior-level employee. However, as part of the Agate recruitment process, interviews play a significant role in assessing our candidates. To support the process, our Talent team will give you some insight on how to ace the interview process! In this video, our HR Generalist, Kemas Rahmat Mubarrak, will give tips on what to do (and not to do) to smooth your interview process. We hope that knowing how our Talent team assesses candidates will help you better present yourself! So, are you ready to embark on an exciting journey in Agate? Take a look at our job openings on our Careers page.
Recruitment Tips and Tricks: Agate’s Recruitment Flow
When it comes to recruitment, you might be confused about the various recruitment processes in every company. With that in mind, our Recruiter, Hanifah Oktarina Arief will explain Agate’s recruitment process step-by-step. Here’s a short video to give you a glimpse of the whole recruitment process in Agate. Our recruitment process enables us to assess people based on their fit with our company cultures, technical skills, and attitude. It might take a while, but we’ll make sure to put you on the right seat with us. So, are you ready to embark on an exciting journey in Agate? Take a look at our job openings on our Careers page.
EPIC TIPS SERIES – PROGRAMMER
A game programmer creates the code that gives the game a new lease on life. As a game programmer, you work as a part of the team. You’ll collaborate closely with game designers, artists, quality assurance, and other departments to translate a game’s concept into a fully playable and functional game. Game programmers could control anything, such as how quickly your character moves and how high they jump, how many opponents come at certain times, and how they react when attacked. As varieties of games grew more complex along with the advancement of technology in the games industry, a career as a game programmer requires not only skills but also eagerness to learn. Wafi currently takes the lead as Head of Technology in Agate. With ten years of expertise in game development, Wafi has been involved in various games, from indie to casual games. As Head of Technology, Wafi is in command of programmers in Agate. With his distinguished career, he had several mindsets he holds on to as a programmer. Programmers’ job is to solve problems, not write code. Sometimes, problems can be solved with communication. That’s why communication skill is essential if you want to be a great programmer. Programming is like driving skills. People will ask if you’re a good driver, not if you can drive a specific car. Focus on improving your programming fundamentals instead of a particular programming language. Every good programmer is self-taught. Your ability to learn new things is your core skill as a programmer. Technology changes rapidly, so programmers must constantly adapt and learn to stay relevant. Want to apply those mindsets to your career? Agate is hiring! See our available roles and positions down below. Vacancy On Tech Departement Position Department Division Contract Type 3D Artist Art Gamification Contract Type : Temporary Details 2D Artist Art Gamification Contract Type : Temporary Details Game Designer Design and Writing Full Development Contract Type : Temporary Details Social Media Specialist Finance, Corporate and Legal Support Contract Type : Temporary Details Load More
EPIC TIPS SERIES – QUALITY ASSURANCE
In the evolving gaming world, people of all ages will now be more interested in choosing games of the highest quality, attractive, and running without any lag. To get to the best gaming world you can see today, there is a massive involvement of the Quality Assurance team or more commonly known as QA. QA is the division responsible for the suitability of a product with the expectations of its consumers. As a QA team, you will test the game in depth and ensure that the game can be really quality, engaging, and run well without any problems before being released to the public. If you have a knack for quality assurance and want to make your passion for games into a career, you can think about looking for work as a Quality Assurance. Agate is opening vacancies for Quality Assurance roles to join our ranks. So are you ready to take part and transcribe your visions? Get to know Cristy Cristy is Agate’s Head of Production. She had been working in game development production for over 5 years. In her career path, she worked in game production and QA before eventually advancing to her current role as Head of Production. Cristy would love to share three epic tips on what users are looking for in a QA role. Want to apply those mindsets to your career? Agate is hiring! Visit our page on https://agate.id/career/ for available roles and positions. Vacancy On Production Departement Position Department Contract Type Production Support Production Contract Type : Internship Details Game Producer Production Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Quality Assurance (QA) Production Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Load More
EPIC TIPS SERIES – DESIGNERS
In the expanding world of games, people of all ages can now fuse into virtual worlds where they can transform into sports pros, super villains, and even world savers. These worlds of games that you can see today are courtesy of game designers. Being a game designer isn’t just about fantasizing about ideas. As game designers, you produce enjoyable, balanced, and accessible games for all of your audience. If you have a knack for design and want to make your passion for games into a career, you can think about looking for work as a game designer. Agate is opening vacancies for epic designers to join our ranks. So are you ready to take part and transcribe your visions? Get to know Restya Windya Astari Restya is Agate’s Head of Academy. Over the past five years, she has nurtured hundreds of Epic talents across Indonesia’s game industry. Now, she’s been working with Agate to cultivate young talents in Indonesia to guide and upskill them in the game industry. Restya would love to share three epic tips on what users are looking for in a designer role. Here are some tips that she received along her experiences: If you want to apply those tips immediately to start your epic journey, you can start by visiting https://agate.id/career/ for available roles and positions. Vacancy On Design Departement Position Department Contract Type [Mythic Protocol] Senior Game System Engineer Design Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Lead Designer Design Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Junior Game Designer Design Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Senior UI/UX Designer Design Contract Type : Regular Crew Details Load More
