Game development is the process by which a game is produced. A game is a structured activity, usually undertaken for Enjoyment and sometimes also used as an Educational tool Today this term most commonly refers to the development of video games. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.

Overview

Development of video games is undertaken by a developer, which may be a single person or a large business. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video Typically, large-scale commercial games are created by development teams within a company specializing in computer or console games. A typical modern video game can cost from USD$1,000,000 to over $20,000,000 to develop. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[1] Development is normally funded by a publisher. A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer A contemporary game can take from one to three years to develop, though there are exceptions. Vaporware is a somewhat derogatory term used to describe a Software or Hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release but which then

Roles

In the early era of home computers and video game consoles in the early 1980s, a single programmer could handle almost all the tasks of developing a game. A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. A game programmer is a Programmer who primarily develops Video games or related Software (such as Game development tools. However the development of a modern, commercially-viable video game involves a wide variety of skill-sets and support staff. As a result, entire teams are often required to work on a single project. A typical present-day development team usually includes:

• One or more producers to oversee production
• At least one game designer
• Artists
• Programmers
• Level designers
• Sound engineers (composers, and for sound effects and voice acting)
• Testers

Some members of the team may handle more than one role. A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a Video game. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer A game artist is an Artist who creates art for one or more types of Games Game artists are responsible for all of the aspects of Game development that call A game programmer is a Programmer who primarily develops Video games or related Software (such as Game development tools. A level designer is a person who creates levels challenges or missions for computer and/or Video games using a specific set of programs These A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance For the album by The Jam see Sound Affects. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced Sounds Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters (including those in feature films television series animated shorts and Video games) and A game tester analyzes Video games to document software defects as part of a Quality control process in Video game development. For example, the producer may also be the designer, or the lead programmer may also be the producer. A lead programmer is a Software engineer in charge of one or more software projects However, while common in the early video game era, this is increasingly more uncommon now for professional games.

Often in bigger game companies the development team is overseen by managers such as art directors, technical directors and design directors. The term art director is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in Advertising, Publishing, film and Television, the Internet Directors work mainly as personnel managers and usually do not directly influence the product, but more to ensure that everyone in the team works coherently. Directors usually do resourcing but can also be considered people to consult with regarding various issues during game development.

The development process

The development process of a game varies depending on the company and project. However development of a commercial game usually includes the following stages.

Pre-production

Early phases of game development are often characterized by poor quality of graphics. This is especially true of various game prototypes. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category

Normally before any game can begin development, the idea for the game is created and must be approved (given the "green light") by the publisher/developer.

In the common case in which developer and publisher are separate companies, pitches are made to management at the developer, and then it needs to be shopped around to publishers. Demos are often used but sometimes unnecessary for established developers with good track records. A tech demo (technology demonstration is a prototype rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea performance Production can begin once (and if) an interested publisher is found. Games rarely progress far without an interested publisher.

If the developer is also a publisher, or both are subsidiaries of a single company, only the upper management needs to give approval. Depending on the size of the publisher, this may require several rounds of pitches as the idea makes its way up through the layers of management.

Game designers often present the project, but the presenter could be any role in the video game industry. Before full-scale production begins, the development team produces a design document, which describes the concept and major gameplay elements in detail. For the television channel see GamePlay HD. Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems especially formal Design documents may also include preliminary sketches of various aspects of the game. These are sometimes accompanied by functional prototypes of some sections of the game. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Design documents generally incorporate all or most of the material from the initial pitch. Design documents are always "living documents"—it is never truly complete while the game is in development. It often changes weekly or even daily. So while the design document needs to exist in some form before full-scale production begins, it is almost never a complete design, though most elements of the projected game are described (in varying level of detail).

Before an approved design is completed, a skeleton crew of programmers and artists usually begins work. Programmers may develop "quick and dirty" prototypes showcasing one or more features some stakeholders would like to see incorporated in the game. Or they may begin developing the technical framework the game will eventually use. Artists may develop volumes of sketches as a springboard for developing real game assets. Producers may work part-time on the game at this point, scaling up for full time commitment as development progresses. Game Producers work during pre-production is commonly related to planning the schedule, budget & estimating tasks with the team. Doing these Producer aims to create a solid production plan so that production can be started when needed without delays.

Production

Mainstream production is usually defined as the period of time when the project is fully staffed. Programmers write much new source code, artists develop game assets such as sprites or, more often today, 3D models of game elements. In Computer science, source code (commonly just source or code) is any sequence of statements or declarations written in some Human-readable In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical, wireframe representation of any three-dimensional object Sound engineers develop sound effects and composers develop music for the game. Level designers create advanced and eye-catching levels, and writers write dialog for cutscenes and NPCs. A level designer is a person who creates levels challenges or missions for computer and/or Video games using a specific set of programs These A non-player character, often shortened to NPC, is a character that is controlled by the Gamemaster in Role-playing games or one that is not

All the while, the game designer implements and modifies the game design to reflect the current vision of the game. Features and levels are often removed or added. The art treatment may evolve and the backstory may change. A new platform may be targeted as well as a new demographic. In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles All these changes need to be documented and dispersed to the rest of the team. Most changes occur as updates to the design document.

From a time standpoint, the game's first level takes the longest to develop. As level designers and artists use the tools for level building, they request features and changes to the in-house tools that allow for quicker and higher quality development. A level designer is a person who creates levels challenges or missions for computer and/or Video games using a specific set of programs These Newly introduced features may cause old levels to become obsolete, so the levels developed early on may be repeatedly developed and discarded. Because of the dynamic environment of game development, the design of early levels may also change over time. It is not uncommon to spend upwards of twelve months on one level of a game developed over the course of three years. Later levels can be developed much more quickly as the feature set is more complete and the game vision is clearer and more stable.

Testers start work once anything is playable. A game tester analyzes Video games to document software defects as part of a Quality control process in Video game development. This may be one level or subset of the game software that can be used to any reasonable extent. Early on, testing a game occupies a relatively small amount of time. Testers may work on several games at once. As development draws to a close, a single game usually employs many testers full time (and often with overtime). They strive to test new features and regression test existing ones. Testing is vital for modern, complex games as single changes may lead to catastrophic consequences.

Milestones

Commercial game development projects are usually required to meet milestones. Milestones represent interim project goals while also being synonymous with deadlines. Milestones include a pre-release version of the game with an agreed upon set of features. The consequences of missing a milestone vary from project to project, but usually delay installment payments (in the case of third-party developers).

Shortly before a milestone, many development teams go into "crunch mode"—extended overtime work weeks meant to catch up on any work that has slipped during regular development or to fix "killer bugs" that could jeopardize the future of the project. A software bug (or just “bug” is an error flaw mistake Failure, fault or “undocumented feature” in a Computer program that prevents it During these periods, many team members may put in long hours. After a deliverable is completed, some companies give their teams "comp time" (compensation time) of a few paid days off.

There are many types of deliverables, but one for an installment payment described above is the most common. For example, one major milestone may be an E³ demo. The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo and commonly known as E3, is an annual Trade show for the computer A game demo is an often but not always freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released computer or video game. E³ — which as of 2006 used to be the game industry's biggest trade show before downgrading to a more intimate showing of individual press screenings — is the place to market an upcoming game. The E³ demo is such a major effort that it may halt all normal development as the team prepares a small-scale, polished version of the game. Special assets are usually required for such a demo and team members are normally pulled off mainstream production for the demo development. As time draws nearer to the trade show, more team members may be drawn in to complete the demo on time. Later, this demo may be used as the game's official demo when the game is released.

Nearing completion

The weeks leading to completion of a game are intense, with most team members putting in a great deal of—mostly unpaid—overtime. Unsurprisingly, this may lead to short tempers and a great deal of exhaustion. The extra effort is required for most games as unforeseen problems regularly arise and last-minute features are hastily added.

Testing

The testing staff is most heavily relied upon at the end of a project, as they not only need to test newly added features, levels and bug fixes, but they also need to carry out regression testing to make sure that features that have been in place for months still operate correctly. Regression testing is any type of Software testing which seeks to uncover software regressions. This is also often the time when features and levels are being finished at the highest rate, so there is more new material to be tested than any other time in the project.

Regression testing is one of the most vital tasks required for effective software development. As new features are added, subtle changes to the codebase can impact seemingly unrelated portions of the game. This task is often overlooked, for several reasons. Some inexperienced developers may feel that once a feature works, it will always work. Also, since features are often added late in development, there isn't sufficient time to test existing features: testing new features takes precedence. Proper regression testing is also increasingly expensive and often not scheduled for correctly ahead of time.

Despite the dangers of not completely regression testing, many game developers and publishers fail to regression test a game’s full feature suite. One recent high-profile case of insufficient regression testing occurred with Firaxis’ Civilization III. Firaxis Games is a Computer game developer. It was founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds upon leaving Sid Meier's Civilization III is a turn-based strategy Computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meier's Civilization II Though the game worked for weeks before going gold, late changes to the code made the game unplayable past the industrial age. A software release is the distribution whether public or private of an initial or new and upgraded version of a Computer software product is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one Understandably, this angered customers and fans of the game. Firaxis was quick to release a patch for the game, but not before suffering blows to their reputation.

Completion

After the game goes gold and ships, some developers will give team members comp time (perhaps up to a week or two) to compensate for the overtime put in to complete the game, though this compensation is not standard. A software release is the distribution whether public or private of an initial or new and upgraded version of a Computer software product

Maintenance

Console games used to be considered 100% complete when shipped and could not be changed. This article is about games played on consoles Video gaming is about this form of gaming in general However, with the introduction of online-enabled consoles such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii a large proportion of games are receiving patches and fixes after the game shipped due to bugs and glitches, much like PC games. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS.

While console games can be developed for a finite set of components, PC games can have conflicts with the numerous hardware configurations users may employ. IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Developers try to account for the most prevalent configurations, but cannot anticipate all systems that their game may be tried on. It is common practice for computer game developers to release patches for games after they ship (often months or even years later). These patches used to be mailed to users via floppy disk, but are now generally available for download via the developer's website. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased To download is to receive data from a remote or central system such as a Webserver, FTP server, mail server or other similar systems A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages If a game goes into a second printing, the patched version is used as the new master.

Culture

Game development culture always has been and continues to be very casual by normal business standards. In the European tradition casual is the Dress code which emphasizes comfort and personal expression over presentation and uniformity Many game developers are strongly individualistic and usually tolerant of divergent personalities. Despite the casual culture, game development is taken seriously by its practitioners, who may take offense if it is suggested that they don't have "a real job. "

Duration

Most modern games take from one to three years to complete. The length of development depends on a number of factors, such as genre, scale, development platform and amount of assets. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction

For example, a simple puzzle game using 2D graphics will take far less time to develop than a computer role-playing game with a full-blown 3D engine. Puzzle video games are a genre of Video games that emphasize Puzzle solving 2D computer graphics is the Computer -based generation of Digital images mdashmostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models text and digital A computer role-playing game ( CRPG) is a broad Video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer

Another consideration is the use of middleware game engines. A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games A game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of computer and video games Developing a 3D engine from the ground up takes far more time than using a COTS (commercial, off-the-shelf) existing middleware package (such as Gamebryo or RenderWare). Gamebryo is computer and video games middleware, originally from Numerical Design Limited (NDL and is the successor to NDL's NetImmerse engine RenderWare ( RW) is computer and Video game middleware from Criterion Software. For example, Gas Powered Games developed a custom 3D engine for their game Dungeon Siege. Gas Powered Games is a Video game developer located in Redmond Washington. Dungeon Siege is a Computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Development took three years. Firaxis used the Gamebryo game engine for their game Sid Meier's Pirates! which was developed in just under two years. Firaxis Games is a Computer game developer. It was founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds upon leaving Sid Meier's Pirates! is a 2004 strategy / action / adventure Computer game developed by Firaxis Games

The number of assets heavily impacts game development time. A puzzle game, for example, will normally have far fewer assets than a 3D role-playing game. Sometimes it is possible to use assets originally developed for another game (that the developer owns the copyright to) or assets that are in the public domain. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

So, for the example puzzle game, developing it from the ground up with no pre-existing code or assets, could take a year. In Computer science, source code (commonly just source or code) is any sequence of statements or declarations written in some Human-readable However, using a middleware package and existing assets, development could be sliced down to six months or less.

Locales

Due to its software-based nature, game development can occur in almost any locale. Despite this, in the United States a few game programming "hot spots" have developed with a high concentration of game development ventures. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Often these areas are adjacent to major universities such as Stanford, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Washington. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in See Washington (disambiguation for other uses The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research University

In the very early days of video games, almost the only locale for game development was the corridor from San Francisco to Silicon Valley in California due to the era's high-tech growth in the area, and it remains an important development center. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Currently, the Austin, Texas, Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, British Columbia, Orlando, Florida, Los Angeles, California, Chicago, Illinois and most recently, Montreal, Quebec, areas have large numbers of game development companies. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Smaller hot spots exist in other areas of the US and Canada, including suburban areas such as Marin County, California (in particular San Rafael), where Lucasfilm was headquartered from 1980-2005. March 11, 1889 | PLEASE DO NOT DELETE EMPTY FIELDS UNTIL JUNE 1 2007--THIS WILL TAKE A WHILE--> San Rafael (ˌsænrəˈfɛl originally sɑn rɑfɑˈɛl Lucasfilm Limited' is an American Film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco California In the late 1990s, Boston, Massachusetts and Salt Lake City, Utah had a number of game development companies, but this number has since declined. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U

Stability

Video game industry employment is fairly volatile, similar to other artistic industries including television, music, etc. Scores of game development studios crop up, work on one game, and then quickly go under. This may be one reason why game developers tend to congregate geographically; if their current studio goes under, they can flock to an adjacent one or start another from the ground up.

In an industry where only the top 5% of products make a profit^[2], it's easy to understand this fluctuation. Numerous games may start development and are canceled, or perhaps even completed but never published. Experienced game developers may work for years and yet never ship a title: such is the nature of the business. This volatility is likely inherent to the artistic nature of games.

See also

• Software development
• Software development process
• Agile software development
• List of gaming topics
• Scrum
• Video game controversy

References

• Salen, Katie; Eric Zimmerman (2005). Software development is the translation of a user need or marketing goal into a Software product A software development process is a structure imposed on the development of a software product Agile software development refers to a group of Software development methodologies that are based on similar principles This is a hierarchical list linking to all articles related to Video games. Scrum is an iterative incremental process of software development commonly used with Agile software development. Similar to other forms of media Video games have been the subject of debate and Censorship. The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. The MIT Press. The MIT Press is a University press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts ( USA) ISBN 0-262-19536-4.  
• Salen, Katie; Eric Zimmerman (2003). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. The MIT Press. The MIT Press is a University press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts ( USA) ISBN 978-0-262-24045-1.  

External links

• International Game Developers Association (IGDA)
• Gamasutra.com, articles on game development
• GameDev.net, a leading resource for game development
• DevMaster.net, a game development resource