Today (October 6, 2011)
Since my esteemed colleague failed to explain the joke this time, I thought I'd step in and take up the slack. For those of you not familiar, a game development group has many "hats" or jobs that have to be done. Just something as simple as making a character can have as many as 7 different people involved in making it.
In this case, we're referring to a specific type of programmer called a "tools" programmer. He's part of the programing team that makes all of the tools the artists and other designers use to actually make the game. Some games do get mod tools released. Most RTS's for example will see a map editor, and games like Morrowind and Oblivion got full on world-editors. Many FPS's like the Unreal series will even have level editors made. But these are all polished, sane tools deemed fit for release to the public sector(although, if you've ever tried to use one, you might seriously question their definition of "fit").
What you don't know is that every game has a very extensive suite of psychologically-traumatizing developer tools never seen by the public. The RTS map editor you used? Way saner than the one the map makers had to work with. Level editors, exporters, viewers, converters, diagnostics, troubleshooting, and a whole pile of other little pieces of software.
All tools which have to be programed.
Enter Tools Guy.
Most professional tool programmers are not like him.
Probably.
Hello (October 6, 2011)
There is a new comic in the Exporter Hell series. Be kind to your computers folks.