Am I wrong in the assumption that this is a position people without any sort of prior industry experience use to get their foot in the door, to prove that they know a little about games and also that they'll show up for work, with the hopes of moving up once the current project ends, provided they're retained with a contract for the next period or project? I know a couple people who've gone this route to pretty great success, but I always got the feeling that they were the exception rather than the rule.
In general a company environment works like army (I'll give an army analogy because lots of men and less likely but women also have army experience due to mandatory military service in many countries). So in army you are a rankless and "non-person" tool of the military. They train you and learn about your personality to determine what use you can provide. Even simple things like not giving up, not complaining, ability to find good solutions to problems, even how well you clean the floor and how fast you clean is your "CV" for how your soldier life will be. If you are useless and a toxic person they will send you to worse places possible so you can somehow serve to your country even if it means meaninglessly carrying rocks around just so you won't ever relax until your service is complete, if you are useless but really loveable person they will send you to decent places that you won't bother much but your task may be meaningless too like IDK carrying water around, if you are useful and a good person people would love they will treat you like "most expensive military gear" and they will send you for complex but rather "paradise" places that they will give you tons of simple and complex tasks that one mistake can result in destruction of a huge military base and/or whole city. When you are so useful in the army they will ask you to do tons of stuff it's not even your responsibility. Meaning from time to time they will give you a task that normally people in your rank cannot do it but the order came from a high place.
Companies works in that mentality. You get a job as a X person, you are likeable and smart and then your manager and related bosses test the waters. Because of this "career ladder" exists that is not really a metaphorical or trivial expression at all. Your use determine if you will be fired, if you will stay as a "forgetten employee" that only has value as much as a pencil or you are so useful despite it's not your job they call you to ask your opinion. It would be wrong to believe when you get a job in a company you will only do your job description, often you will cover asses of people who can't do their different job descriptions which army is no different. In this context it's why company life-style is a life of kiss assing and being a willing servant of whoever is your superior or you are just a good lovable person so your charisma alone will open tons of doors for you. That's why despite a guy is useless just because he has a charisma can be your manager and just because a woman is sexy they are CEO lol. Another thing is what "we are a family" mentality means in a company. Same a family member have to work as a team to work for a common goal, and family finds a way you assing tasks to the best member who would be better at it but when you are useless families are likely to shoot you out because you are a shame lol. Naturally when you are useful and liked member heads of your family will protect you, will do whatever is benefitical for you and you will be in higher level in your family.
In video game industry things are slightly different but same shit, and same shit as army. To reduce costs and just because "we have no one else" they can make an ordinary debugger a video game director and then when their game is successful they flex around and label the game "This is my video game" as if tons of people's existence didn't matter in this video game's development. Same as any company people who work in the industry are like "friends of friends' friends" and "family members and their friends" and "any sucker we can make them work for less pay". Often those who knows how to kiss ass stay in higher levels of comporate ladder.
In this context no matter how you make a name in the company, you may even start as a cleaner and give great video game ideas and they can make you a video game director. What matters is use. CV, diploma, GPA and experience and whatnot is just your description that doesn't have to prove you are useful at all which is why despite academically an employee is really superior than most but just because they are useless and/or have a toxic personality they stay in the "ladder" they started or they are just so easy to get rid of they are fired in first budget planning change. So all that matters is making a name, not be a dick, be realistic and reasonable, have common sense and then doors will likely be opened to you. Make friends so they will scratch your back as long as you scratch their back. In this industry a company will likely to hire an uneducated indie video game developer who showed they alone can create a video game instead of fresh out of college people who have diploma in related fields of video game development. Without decent experience and "name" your diploma, GPA, CV and whatnot is just a potential that doesn't really much for a company which is why experience matters but experience just a way for you to even "touch the career ladder" because if you useless you can't even put your foot on it so if you wanna get higher without falling down you gotta know how to climb and push others who wanna throw you our and climb on you. Because what really matters is experience and "name" they can even hire a random fan fiction writer on DeviantArt and make them a video game director. What matters is not what you did, what you can do, what legal paper and shit you have; what matters is you are being useful for what is needed but sometimes you get the job just because you were there.
However, the opposite of promotion is true too. You may start as video game director in a company but you are so shit they demote you as game tester or "just quit" lol.
