Qualitative research was carried out in the thesis. The subject of the research was technical artists working in the Finnish gaming industry. The aim of the study was to find out what technical artists do in their work, what skills they need and how to be employed as a technical artist. There was no client for the work.

The conceptual framework of this thesis describes the Finnish and global games industry and the current available game development education in Finland. In addition, the common roles in games production and current knowledge of technical artists are presented.

An open-ended e-mail survey was used as the data acquisition method for this study. The gathered material was analyzed using data-driven content analysis.

In addition, this thesis includes the author’s work sample, which is an overview of the types of work performed by technical artists. The purpose was to show the reader what is involved in the work of a technical artist and to show the author's own knowledge of the subject.

The study revealed that the role of a technical artist requires diverse expertise in different areas of game development. They are problem solvers and content creators, in a supporting role, working to streamline production bottlenecks.