The Creative Director is the key person during the game development process, overseeing any high level decisions that affect how the game plays, looks or sounds.

Creative Directors are employed by development studios, both publisher-owned and independent, but not all game companies employ Creative Directors. However, some companies prefer to continue to split the duties between a game's lead artists, programmers, designers and producers.

Where the position is used, each game development team has its own Creative Director, although some particularly experienced and talented practitioners oversee multiple projects.

As a highly paid and senior role, it involves a lot of responsibility, as well as the requirement to work long hours and deal with high levels of stress, particularly during the final stages of production.

What is the job?
The Creative Director is responsible for the overall look and feel of a computer game. The position is a relatively new one within the games industry and has evolved out of the producer's role as this has shifted towards managing the process of completing a game on time and on budget.

In contrast, the Creative Director's focus is ensuring the quality and style of the gameplay, artwork, music and audio assets that make up the final product. In many cases, the Creative Director is also the creator of the original game concept and characters, and so acts as the visionary who makes sure the finished game fulfils the initial goals.

At the start of a project, the Creative Director works with a small core team defining the framework of the game, with special attention placed on the artistic styling and any technical obstacles that will need to be overcome. As the game's development continues and more staff are added, the Creative Director works closely with the lead programmers, artists and designers to ensure all the code and art assets produced, as well as playable versions of the game, meet the initial vision and are of a sufficiently high quality.

The Creative Director deals with issues arising such as new features and any major redesigning of characters and scenarios. Outside of the development team, the Creative Director acts as the game's advocate and champion, promoting it to executives who are not directly involved in production, such as the sales and marketing departments.

Other tasks include handling media outlets such as games magazines, television and websites.

Typical career routes
There is no set route to becoming a Creative Director, but it is not an entry-level role. Creative Directors usually have over five years experience in a senior game development position, and have shipped commercially successful titles.

Many Creative Directors have previously worked as a lead artist or lead designer, while others come from a production background. They will have demonstrated exceptional abilities in terms of understanding how the different components of a game combine together to create the finished product.

Another entry route for Creative Directors is from a similar position in the film or special effects industries.

Essential knowledge and skills
The most important skill for a Creative Director is to be able to inspire artists, programmers, producers, marketing staff, and others involved in the development process to make the highest quality product possible. In this respect, the Creative Director acts as the game's visionary during its development.

They also require the ability to make tough decisions that affect the game's schedule and budget as well as the look and feel of the final product.

Creative Directors should have a good understanding of the bigger picture of game development, including the impact of their decisions with respect to financial and managerial outcomes.

Key Skills include:

• ability to inspire a team;
• a passion for games and a good understanding of what makes a game appealing to different audiences;
• excellent imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills;
• excellent communication and presentation skills;
• good understanding of the financial and managerial aspects of game development;
• knowledge of the requirements of the relevant Health and Safety legislation and procedures.

Training and qualifications
No formal qualifications are required to be a Creative Director, but to fill the role successfully practitioners require a combination of experience, artistic vision and the ability to inspire others.

Experience at a senior level of game development and an enthusiasm for and detailed knowledge of the games industry are prerequisites.

Most Creative Directors are graduates, with common areas of study including visual and technical arts.