What is professionalism? How does it apply to the Creative Industry?

Professionalism is an interesting subject. It’s also very hard to define in set terms without a lot of explanation. The definition is almost useless as it describes professionalism in terms of itself. Generally speaking professionalism is regarded as a state or behaviour that someone expresses as a result of a combination of their various characteristics that make people feel that they are not only competent at what they do but also experienced and informed on their work.

Professionalism

prəˈfɛʃ(ə)n(ə)lɪz(ə)m

Noun

1.

The competence or skill expected of a professional. – Not Helpful!

How does it apply to the creative industry?

Appearance

Professionalism applies to the creative industry in many ways. The number one way it would apply would be through appearance. This could be applied to many different industries. However in the creative industry where there is always a search for innovation and new ideas above all else an appearance that catches the eye or a competent presentation of yourself is most valuable. To get noticed is to be recognised as having potential, that’s the way to build bridges into the industry.

It can also be said though that the creative industry is not as stringent when it comes to the general look of the individual. Most industries expect an executive style appearance but the creative industries have shed much of the need for this because the focus is often on how different the person is from their peers and the innovation in their work.

Figure 1 - http://whythenose.com/artsy-fartsy-1/

Flexibility

The ability to be flexible is also a crucial skill in the creative industry as more often than not work will come in bursts. Projects wax and wane and once a project is complete the company you are working for might not have any work left for you depending on your discipline. Once software or a game has been programmed the bulk of the work is gone and only one or two programmers may be needed to patch the program as it is rolled out. Artists may get lucky and be given more materials/models to work on in between projects but this is not always the case. Freelancing is commonplace in the creative industry due to the nature of the work. For these reasons flexibility is key to being regarded as a professional in the creative industry.

Figure 2 - https://evbsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/flexibility.jpg

How does it apply to the Games Industry? – Specifically to Games Technology

Competence

When it comes to the games industry it can be argued that the skills that are most valued are a mixture of the above. Competence is highly sought after above all else in many areas of expertise. Whether it be programming languages, management software, team management, an understanding of culture both through the lens of art and mathematics or being proficient in technical editing software. There are so many aspects to the way a game functions and how a game is created that demand an array of skills in the field of games technology that make competence an important skill.

Figure 3 - https://thumb1.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/122248/278381600/stock-photo-diagram-of-competence-278381600.jpg

Reliability

When it comes to developing or creating a game reliability is important. This lies in the fact that investors need a guarantee of stability in order to remain confident in their investment. If a company or individual becomes unreliable they are usually quickly replaced or removed.

Another aspect that adds to the matter is that games are released to the public. If something is seen to be going wrong it’s not as easy to recover from a loss of public confidence as it would be to recover from a private industry deal where there would be other potential buyers. The consumers are the public and when they see a pattern of instability the game quickly gets written off and forgotten about.

Figure 4 - https://www.profferbrainchild.com/sites/default/files/public/training-assets/icons/text-plaque/reliability-icon-t_0.png