WORKING IN THE CREATIVE MEDIA SECTOR - WEEK 7 - EXTERNAL STRUCTURES

OK, so you've told me about the range of jobs that are available in the computer games industry as well as the contractual obligations behind those roles.  It's now time to tell me about the basic structures behind the companies offering those jobs. I'm going to want you to tell me what a development studio, a publisher and an independent studio are as well as telling me the structure of things WITHIN those companies i.e what different departments there are within those companies. For this topic, which I appreciate may well cover things you've already covered, I think there's no need for me to be spoonfeeding you links. Do the first part of this work, the external structure of companies, in the following way.

1. Create a new blogspot, call it 'GAMES INDUSTRY STRUCTURES'

2. Choose a Development studio/Games Developer. Put its name in your post as a title. Underneath this add an image of its logo + add the line '[Insert whatever company you've chosen] is a Games Developer'.

3. Then tell me what that means. What does a game development studio actually DO? What are their responsibilities?  Who do they work for? Is the company you're writing about owned by a publisher, console manufacturer or a bigger company? Can you tell me the difference between first, second and third-party development? Which of those does your chosen company fit with or do they do more than one of those types of development?

4. Choose a Games PUBLISHER. Put its name in your post as a title. Underneath this add an image of its logo + add the line '[Insert whatever company you've chosen] is a Games Publisher'.

5. Then tell me what that means. What does a game publisher DO? What are they responsible for in the whole journey of bringing out a game? Are they more or less powerful than developers? What do they do that developers DON'T do? Can you name me some examples of Major publishers and medium-sized publishers?

6. FInally choose an INDEPENDENT STUDIO. Put its name in your post as a title. Underneath this add an image of its logo + add the line '[Insert whatever company you've chosen] is an Independent Studio.'.

7 . Then tell me what that means. What differentiates an Independent Studio from other games developers and publishers. Do they have a different, more niche/alternative audience than mainstream developers/publishers? Do they specialise in particular genres of games for particular hardware?#

WHAT YOU SHOULD END UP WITH

A post outlining definitions and differences between GAMES DEVELOPMENT STUDIOS, GAMES PUBLISHERS and INDEPENDENT STUDIOS.