Role of a designer

I was reading a book on game design. Well struggling to find proper guidance and also knowledge in the company. I have to search elsewhere for self improvement.

Most books break the game design into 4 basic steps.

1. Imagining a game.
2. Defining the mechanics of the game.
3. Describing the elements that make up the game (conceptual, functional, artistic, and others).
4. Information passing to the team that is in charge of the game.
   

The sad thing about this is that most people like to talk and not do the job. Basically they like to do step 1 and forget about steps 2, 3 and 4. Basically a designer's primary job is not to think of ideas and hope others implement it. But a designer's primary role is to think of an idea and HOW to make it.

Imagining a game is easy to me. A basic idea which is not refined can be done and should be done early. However, a designer not only knows how players will react, they need to learn how to make it. Maybe that's why a game designer requirement involves scripting and it's always stated as a bonus to have programming knowledge.

Are we able to find such people in Singapore?

It's sad that many times, no one realize that they are not doing their job. I do not believe that I need to prove myself hardworking by working from 9am to 11:30pm. In fact, I always believe that those are the people who cannot make it.

I believe that if I work from 9am to 11:30pm, and I cannot get things done properly, I need help instead. Not help from others, but help to improve myself, to make myself more knowledgeable in my domain, to make myself learn, to make myself efficient.

It typically seems that in every company we have this type of people who just keep talking about ideas but when it comes to implementation, it's so hard to get things done. And in the end it's always saying "please fix it." to others and not to themselves.

Any one, even a 16 year old who has start playing games heavily can easily think of imagining a game by just mimicking others. But only a true game designer will think of how to implement a game system or feature and how to make use of the system for further things or to improve it.

Do we actually have such talent in Singapore?

There are so many problems with designing and the below has to be prevented.

1. Think of an idea and only say to programmer, "please do it" without any other details
2. Found a database bug and run around finding everyone saying, "There is a bug!" and he/she has no idea why the bug occurs.
3. Running around saying how tough it is to think of ideas when it's their primary job
4. Finding everyone for any idea and spend hours in meeting without any valid conclusion or any results.
5. Spending hours/days/weeks making a schedule so that the bosses can see it. They never fail to realize that isn't it even better if those hours are spent on making/improving a feature? Scheduling is not the main job!
   

I am starting to wonder the difference between hiring a beta tester / database worker and hiring a designer.