Games are something to be taken very seriously with most modern video games taking 1-3 years to complete.

Think of games and most people think of something they do for fun, a knockabout on the football pitch, being wedged in front of your games console with your best mate and a bucket of fried chicken.

We think of games as separate from work and work as something we do grudgingly because we need to earn money. Well, what about the people who are paid to design and create those very video games that entertain for hours, games which are not only entertaining but have a hugely creative and artistic aspect to them. Think games development; think video games; think Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Wii. 

How does it work?

Games development is usually funded by a publisher and each has its own process for getting a project approved. The whole team involved usually includes the following:

• One or more producers
• At least one designer
• Artists
• Programmers
• Level designers
• Sound engineers
• Testers

Pre-production

Firstly ideas need to be conjured up and concepts chosen by internal teams or external developers and then approved. Before full-scale production begins the developer produces a design document which describes the concept and major gameplay elements in detail. Before the approved design is completed a skeleton crew of programmers and artists usually begin work. Programmers may develop prototypes or begin to develop the technical framework. Artists may develop sketches.

In the making of a PlayStation game, developing a concept into a prototype for a PS3 Blu-ray project can take over a year and cost $2 to $5 million which used to be a full budget during the PS1 stage! This is then presented to wider sections across the company and feedback sought to see how attractive the game is to different audiences, to suss out the potential market and investigate the competition!

At PlayStation a ‘red light’ policy is operated so at any time the game can be cancelled or changed if it is not meeting the standards imposed.

Production

This is usually defined as the period when the project is fully staffed. Programmers write much new source code which allows the programmer to communicate with the computer using a reserved number of instructions. One of the most commonly used programming languages at present is ActionScript developed for Flash games, several examples of which can be seen in the examples here.

Artists develop 3D models by a process of developing mathematical, wireframe representation of any 3D object via specialised software. Sound engineers work on developing sound effects and composers develop the music.

Level designers create advanced and eye-catching levels, writers write dialogue for cut scenes and NPCs (non-player characters). A cut scene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has little or no control, often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, present character development, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue and clues. Cut scenes can either be animated or use live action footage. NPCs in video games are usually part of the programme and not controlled by a human.

A game designer implements and modifies game design to reflect current version of game. The first level takes longest to develop and it is not uncommon to spend upwards of 12 months on one level over the course of 3 years. Later levels can be developed more quickly as the feature set is more complete and games vision is clearer. Testers can start work once anything is playable and at this stage they analyse the level or subset to document the software defects.

Milestones

Commercial game development projects are usually required to meet milestones which represent interim goals as well as deadlines. Missing a milestone may result in the delay of an instalment payment in the case where third party developers are involved.

Towards the end

Testers are relied on most heavily at the end of a project. They test newly added features but also carry out regression testing to make sure features that have been in place for months still operate correctly.

Once all testing has been carried out and bugs have been fixed the game is ready to be mass-produced and make its way into stores for distribution to fans across the world!