Designers

From a Sega perspective, designers are people who "invent" parts of a game - an ambiguous role which usually covers areas not handled by programmers, artists and muscians. Historically Sega has not defined its interpretation of a "designer" very well - smaller projects often do not need dedicated designers as what little design work is needed can be managed by other team members. Many artists are labeled as "graphic designers" in earlier games, as unlike a modern artist who may be asked to produce assets to a given set of needs, in smaller teams the artist may also be designing the assets before creating them.

The vagueness of the term can lead to situations where programmers and musicians are classed as designers as they design code and music, respectively. Sega typically makes a distinction between these groups, however. Sega also uses the term "planner" for individuals who both design and direct - these people are listed in the directors category.