Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Helldivers 2
Games "We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games
Looking at followers in Oblivion Remastered
The Elder Scrolls After 50 hours in Oblivion Remastered I've finally invented middle-management in Cyrodiil, and now have an army of henchmen led by the Adoring Fan
Ben Starr presenting at the BAFTA Game Awards in clown attire
Roguelike Games "LocalThunk is really rich now": 2 weeks after winning yet another GOTY award, Balatro sends Final Fantasy 16 star to accept award in "suspiciously arousing" Jimbo attire
The party of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Games Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director found something that "makes the game feel 10 times better" mid-development, then painfully realized they had to apply it to "like 1,100" different attacks
Possessor(s) screenshots showing Luca in conversation and combat
Action Games "Most of the games that are Metroidvanias are just Metroid games": The director of this Smash Bros-infused Metroidvania hates the word because "it's a silly term and Japan did it better"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 screenshot
RPGs "That was me at three in the morning trying to come up with something": Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's silliest moment came to its writer when she was very, very tired
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 screenshot of J.J. Hardwell standing with a handgun and looking warily at the shadow of Evil J.J. looming behind him
RPGs Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the first "survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania" I've ever played, and that sure is a lot of words
  1. Games
  2. FPS

Ridiculous job titles in gaming (and what I wish they meant)

Features
By Lucas Sullivan published 16 December 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

It's an incredibly specific job, and somebody's gotta do it

It's an incredibly specific job, and somebody's gotta do it

The bigger the game, the more people it takes to make it a reality. But when you have hundreds of people toiling away on one project, figuring out who's contributing to what can get a little tricky. Super-specific job titles to the rescue! Why have a team of equally responsible designers when you could have Lead, Project Manager, Assistant, Associate and Assistant Lead variations of every position imaginable? That way, there's absolutely zero confusion as to who is doing exactly what!

But in the quest to make every piece of the puzzle feel unique, some honorary titles can get a bit... convoluted. Ever watched the credits to a game and thought "I wonder what that person actually does?" Me too! To refresh my memory, I scoured through the credits of some of the past year's biggest productions - Far Cry 4, Destiny, Titanfall, and Assassin's Creed Unity - and omitted names so as not to single anyone out. But rest assured, all of the following are actual job titles that you can spot in credits and on business cards. Maybe you're also looking for a career working as...

Page 1 of 20
Page 1 of 20
Realization Directors

Realization Directors

What I'm picturing: "EUREKA!" moments don't just happen on their own - they're orchestrated. When employees arrive at a brilliant new idea for their game, they assume that it was just a spontaneous stroke of genius; a moment of serendipitous brainstorming. Only the Realization Directors know the truth: the inception of that idea was planned years ago, fed to the game designers through subtle cues and subliminal messaging during the course of their daily lives. Truly, the Realization Directors are the puppet masters pulling our cerebral strings from unseen shadows.

The more likely, mundane reality: These people assist the creative director to ensure that the game stays true to the team's vision.

Page 2 of 20
Page 2 of 20
Project Closer

Project Closer

What I'm picturing: After everyone else is finished with their work and leaves the office, this person diligently walks around to each and every computer, closing files, programs, and browser windows while making sure to Save All Changes. Clicking hundreds of "X" buttons day after day isn't glamorous, but it pays the bills.

The more likely, mundane reality: Someone who's brought on to ensure that the game finishes on time.

Page 3 of 20
Page 3 of 20
Lead Compliance Specialists

Lead Compliance Specialists

What I'm picturing: Feeling lazy today? Think your bosses don't have a clue what they're talking about? Well, guess what: the Lead Compliance Specialists have your family, and you don't want to know what they'll do to them if you don't cooperate, now. You think making games is a game? The Lead Compliance Specialists will break you down like cardboard boxes at a recycling center, until you're no longer capable of a generating a single thought that goes against company policy or the brand.

The more likely, mundane reality: The enforcers of rules and corporate policy within the office.

Page 4 of 20
Page 4 of 20
Animals Production

Animals Production

What I'm picturing: When you need three cheetahs, a humpback whale, and a gaggle of geese STAT, you call the folks in the Animals Production department. They don't just render or program them in boring old code, either - they produce them, overseeing an extensive network of breeders and animals in heat to guarantee the most desirable traits. Once the requested animal is born and matures over the course of years, only then is it ready to be motion captured into its virtual form. Magnificent.

The more likely, mundane reality: These people design animals that populate the game.

Page 5 of 20
Page 5 of 20
Sound Masters

Sound Masters

What I'm picturing: Your ears do not detect airborne vibrations without the permission of the Sound Masters. An ancient sect of immortal wizards, the Sound Masters have spent eons dictating the ebb and flow of noise. If you hear a melodic harmony, it is because the Sound Masters will it so. If you narrowly avoid a car crash because of loud honking, it is because the Sound Masters will it so. If someone puts an air horn directly to your head and blasts you until your ears bleed, it is because the Sound Masters will it so.

The more likely, mundane reality: Audio engineers who determine what noises sound like in the game.

Page 6 of 20
Page 6 of 20
Ergonome

Ergonome

What I'm picturing: Rarer than a unicorn and more elusive than the winged Fae, the Ergonome is a wood-dwelling creature long believed to be naught more than a myth. Diminutive in stature, it skulks about the village at night and uses its bulky, gnomish physique to support the lower backs of townsfolk while they sit down. What feels like sturdy lumbar support to them is actually the work of the Ergonome, which chuckles to itself knowing that it has spared another commoner a life of lower back pain.

The more likely, mundane reality: This is a respectable job title written in French, which I don't speak. Ergo, gnome.

Page 7 of 20
Page 7 of 20
Line Design Director

Line Design Director

What I'm picturing: You think drawing a straight line is easy? HAH! You couldn't be more wrong. After years upon years of dedicated study and training in a remote mountain facility, the Line Design Director emerges with a prized power: the ability to draw a perfectly straight line, freehand. This kind of supernatural talent fetches a ludicrously high price, whether you're on Wall Street, the black market, or a cubicle in Montreal.

The more likely, mundane reality: A producer who manages day-to-day content strategy.

Page 8 of 20
Page 8 of 20
Additional Universe Creation

Additional Universe Creation

What I'm picturing: Literally God. I can think of no other entity whose profession expands the far reaches of our seemingly infinite universe, turning that which isn't into that which is.

The more likely, mundane reality: Someone who writes blurbs to fill any gaps in the game's lore or backstory.

Page 9 of 20
Page 9 of 20
Head of Art

Head of Art

What I'm picturing: In the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, this person has transformed their skull into a living piece of radiant artwork. As the Head of Art slowly paces back and forth around the office in respectful silence, employees can't help but notice the striking still-life adorning this particular worker's cranium. They'll be so inspired by this avant-garde display of headism artistry that they'll hastily return to their graphical work with newfound vigor, the Head of Art simply nodding with serene, monk-like approval.

The more likely, mundane reality: Leads the art team.

Page 10 of 20
Page 10 of 20
Controller

Controller

What I'm picturing: A sentient gamepad, given life after a horrific accident involving radioactive AA batteries inserted during a thunderstorm. By day, it improves video games, offering developers insight on the subtleties of player comfort. By night, it goes face-to-face-buttons with the forces of evil as The Controller, a potent piece of psychic plastic with the power to bend minds like it twiddles joysticks. But not in that way, you degenerate.

The more likely, mundane reality: This person is in charge of accounting operations across the company.

Page 11 of 20
Page 11 of 20
Writer, Tower

Writer, Tower

What I'm picturing: An author the size of a skyscraper, forced to use the world's largest MacBook Air in order to sharpen his craft. He knows that any sudden movements would surely crush the innocent citizens below like ants, so he stands stationary, like a benevolent protector of the skies. For a small fee, you can take an elevator up to his shoulders in the hopes of glimpsing some passages from his next literary work.

The more likely, mundane reality: The person who wrote the dialogue for the Tower, Destiny's main social hub.

Page 12 of 20
Page 12 of 20
Server TNT Engineers

Server TNT Engineers

What I'm picturing: Sometimes, when your game's servers keep glitching out, disconnecting players and dropping matches like clockwork, there's nothing you can do to fix the problem. And at that point, you might as well just blow up the whole damn thing and start over. This is where the Server TNT Engineers come in - they'll rig up your server mainframe with indisputably illegal amounts of dynamite, blasting powder, and other assorted explosives. From there, it's just a matter of evacuating your employees from the building, pushing down on the plunger with a satisfying ker-PLUNK, and enjoying the fireworks from afar.

The more likely, mundane reality: The go-to tech people for fiddling with TNT networking software.

Page 13 of 20
Page 13 of 20
Matchmaking Engineering Lead

Matchmaking Engineering Lead

What I'm picturing: The Matchmaking Engineering Lead has two distinct, but equally useful responsibilities. When they're not carving small sticks of wood which create fire via friction, they're pairing together perfect couples on internet dating sites. Either way, there's going to be some heat.

The more likely, mundane reality: A chief programmer that designates how users will be matched up during multiplayer.

Page 14 of 20
Page 14 of 20
Group Manager EMEA Acquisition & Loyalty

Group Manager EMEA Acquisition & Loyalty

What I'm picturing: A regal knight errant of the Emea clan, this nobleman has been tasked with bolstering the throne's forces as the kingdom prepares for war. Through his wisdom and guidance, militias will be honed into seasoned troops, and entire provinces will swear loyalty to the king's name.

The more likely, mundane reality: Someone who handles marketing in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Which is still pretty cool, to be honest.

Page 15 of 20
Page 15 of 20
Boot Flow Testers

Boot Flow Testers

What I'm picturing: Beer lovers around the world know its name: Das Boot, the footwear-shaped glass that can deliver 92 oz. of your favorite brew directly to your drooling mouth. Such a terrifying, awe-inspiring vessel of alcohol didn't just pop into existence - it was thoroughly assessed by a team of Boot Flow Testers. They were the ones who discovered the secret to downing Das Boot: remember to tilt it when the bubble hits the heel.

The more likely, mundane reality: These testers ensure that the game starts up as intended.

Page 16 of 20
Page 16 of 20
Program Managers II

Program Managers II

What I'm picturing: This high-octane sequel to the blockbuster thriller Program Managers will have you at the edge of your seat like a toddler at the grown-ups table. When Jodie and Steven discover that the malevolent computer virus they thought was dead is back on the 'net, it's time to boot up their Uber-laptops for one last job. This time, the code is for keeps in Program Managers II: Executable!

The more likely, mundane reality: Another team of people who manage programs.

Page 17 of 20
Page 17 of 20
Technical Fellow

Technical Fellow

What I'm picturing: A delightfully resourceful chap who knows his way around a multitude of gizmos and gadgets. Whatever will he tinker with next?

The more likely, mundane reality: The highest-ranking member of the R&D team at a large corporation.

Page 18 of 20
Page 18 of 20
Combatants Testers

Combatants Testers

What I'm picturing: Gladiatorial combat is not for the weak. You must prove your strength as a warrior if you wish to fight for glory - and all pass judgment before the Combatants Testers. They will bend you to the point of breaking, putting your body through rigorous physical exertion and preparing your mind so that you may speak confidently in the presence of the great Caesar. By the time you march out onto the gritty dirt of the arena, thousands of bloodthirsty onlookers fervently chanting your name, you will hate the Combatants Testers for what they put you through - but you will also love them, for they have taught you well.

The more likely, mundane reality: These people test enemy AI.

Page 19 of 20
Page 19 of 20
You do... what, exactly?

You do... what, exactly?

Hey, maybe I'm just jealous of these fine workers - 'Editor' doesn't have quite the same flair to it as some of these titles. Know of any other convoluted job titles in game credits? Or maybe you know a few deliberately goofy titles, like the Sleep Deprivation Team, Shadows, and Render Wranglers listed in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's credits.

And if you're looking for more goofy features, check out The biggest spoilers of 2014 that you'll in no way see coming and Everyday gaming phrases that mean something very different to non-gamers.

Page 20 of 20
Page 20 of 20
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
PRODUCTS
Assassin's Creed Unity Far Cry 4 Destiny Titanfall
Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Helldivers 2
"We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games
Looking at followers in Oblivion Remastered
After 50 hours in Oblivion Remastered I've finally invented middle-management in Cyrodiil, and now have an army of henchmen led by the Adoring Fan
Ben Starr presenting at the BAFTA Game Awards in clown attire
"LocalThunk is really rich now": 2 weeks after winning yet another GOTY award, Balatro sends Final Fantasy 16 star to accept award in "suspiciously arousing" Jimbo attire
Possessor(s) screenshots showing Luca in conversation and combat
"Most of the games that are Metroidvanias are just Metroid games": The director of this Smash Bros-infused Metroidvania hates the word because "it's a silly term and Japan did it better"
The party of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director found something that "makes the game feel 10 times better" mid-development, then painfully realized they had to apply it to "like 1,100" different attacks
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 screenshot
"That was me at three in the morning trying to come up with something": Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's silliest moment came to its writer when she was very, very tired
Latest in FPS
FBC Firebreak Resonance and Status Effects
FBC Firebreak Resonance and Status Effects explained
A boss fight against a crocodile with a gattling gun in Mouse: P.I For Hire
"Thanks for the inspiration, Henry Cavill": Viral FPS Metroidvania riffs on an iconic Mission: Impossible moment to introduce its beefed-up boss
Splitgate 2 codes
Splitgate 2 codes explained – are rewards available?
Halo Infinite
Halo fan game that blends the iconic FPS with Vampire Survivors gets seal of approval from Halo Studios: "Really love to see the passion you and your team have poured into this"
FBC Firebreak weapons
How to unlock every weapon in FBC Firebreak
FBC Firebreak Research and Requisition Upgrades
The best Research and Requisition Upgrades in FBC Firebreak
Latest in Features
Team Fortress 2 characters looking at a map
I have 464 games on my Steam wishlist, 23 games in my Steam Summer Sale shopping cart, and I can feel my already overstuffed library giving me the side-eye
Heavy Metal Death Can demo screenshot
I got a nicotine rush and set zombies on fire in this PS1-style survival horror demo, and it's basically Resident Evil on a submarine
A PSVR 2 review image next to the marketing reveal image of the Meta Quest 3S, separated by an orange line
Xbox finally has a VR headset, but it's not the PSVR 2 rival I was hoping for
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord in Peacemaker season 2 trailer
Maxwell Lord - The comic history of the villain who mind-controlled Superman and almost destroyed the Justice League
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...