There are many different types of game industry jobs, depending on what aspect of the game industry someone wishes to work in and the types of games being developed. Different types of games include video games for consoles, computers, and mobile devices, as well as tabletop games such as board games, role-playing games, and collectible card games. There are many different game industry jobs within each of these, including development, testing, and writing critical reviews of these different industries.
Game industry jobs can refer to a wide range of work. Video games, for example, are a massive industry with game releases that rival major Hollywood blockbusters in terms of development budgets and financial return. Within the video game industry, there are numerous jobs involved in the development and release of a game.
These positions include the artists who create the concept art for a game world as well as the actual art assets used within the game. Development and design related to a game typically involves leading one or more teams to create an overall concept for a game and then executing a number of different design decisions to create the final product. Computer programming, of course, is then required to create the actual playable game itself; countless hours are then spent testing the game to ensure it runs properly.
Such positions are only a part of the development of a game, however, and there are also numerous game industry jobs related to publishing games. Directors are often involved in overseeing the work of different teams developing a game, producers typically finance games and ensure they are completed on time, and a marketing department oversees the advertising and release of a game. There are also a fairly large number of game industry jobs for those interested in writing reviews and guides for games, and gaming journalism is especially prevalent on the Internet.
Other game industry jobs can be found in the tabletop game industry. This includes the design and production of classic board games, including ancient games like chess as well as newer board games. There are numerous tabletop role-playing games created each year, and many game industry jobs involve the creation of these games, including the development of rules systems and settings, artwork that accompanies the games, and testers who ensure the games makes sense for players who did not develop them. Collectible card games are also a major part of the game industry, and these often require a high number of artistic resources as well as development and testing.
There is also the retail aspect of games, and a large number of game industry jobs are found in the buying and selling of games. Numerous retail businesses specialize in selling games, usually either video games or tabletop games, and these employ managers and store associates. There are also a number of non-specialty retailers that sell different types of games, often with other electronics or with different types of toys.