A Produsigner's Apology

I'm jumping on this LinkedIn posting thing. Hopefully I can add something to the conversation. And no, there's not a single drop of ChatGPT behind this post.

The other day, during a chat with Miky Arias (apoonto), I found myself trying to answer the question of what I am, what my profile is. The people closest to me will have always heard me say I'm a Game Designer "at heart" and a Producer "out of necessity," or something along those lines.

I live in a work environment where the ambient narrative seems to push me to pick a single label and define my career or skills from there. The truth is, I struggle to choose one over the other… It feels like if I were a Game Designer, I should step away from management and planning tasks —which I actually love—, while if I were just a Producer, I should let a "purer" profile handle the feeling, the mechanics, and so on.

It's a dead end for me. On the other hand, I believe roles like Game Director or Creative Director need to be earned, so I refuse to use them.

The first approach I found came from Japan, like so much of what drew me into this industry. Game Planner is the name they give over there to design profiles that also involve some management, and I think it comes close to a label I'd be more comfortable wearing. Still, something doesn't quite click, since the pure planning role is still kept separate. Maybe I'm being too picky with words, but bear with me —you've got to speak properly!

Shortly after, I found an answer. I heard Mauricio García (Studio Director at The Game Kitchen) talk about a concept we take for granted: Produsign. He was referring to the idea that the creative vision and the business vision need to work together, make decisions together, and give rise to a project that is "game" and "product" in equal parts.

I need to be able to think of a game with potential that we actually want to create —forget about market research—, one that is also a finishable product the team can realistically do. If I wanted to start an indie game studio, a herculean task like no other, and design/production overlap in a single profile —mine— it's key to keep that rope pulled tight.

So this is an apology: nobody uses Produsigner to describe the role they play at a studio, and I think the term is perfect.

How do we try to standardize a term without HR treating it as a joke? Could we someday see Produsigner job listings? More than a few studios could really use one…

Be gentle with me, I'm just a junior with questions!