Video Game Programming and Development: An Explanation of the Process

Video game programming is a long and intricate process that involves game design, game testing and so much more. Game development is a tedious task and the current industry is governed by heavyweights. Breaking in to this industry may prove difficult for many neophytes as every company has already established their strong reputation in different niches.

The entire game development process starts from the initial conceptualization of a game, analyzing consumer responses, and gamers offering solutions and ideas to the bugs they detect on the game. The world’s latest innovations have indeed advanced the modern gaming industry. The development of a successful video game is something which needs the input of more than thirty people, with each individual working on a special assignment. Nowadays, the great variety of gaming consoles and platforms have greatly increased the public’s expectations. Every detail of a video game may take weeks or even months of hard work to create, making the entire game development process difficult, but lucrative. The elevation of video games to a much more realistic and futuristic dimension is what makes gaming an elite industry in the world today.
Kinds of Game Developers Game development consists of a huge network of professionals divided into different slates to work on specialized aspects of the game. Each team focuses entirely on its task. The whole Game Programming team is led by an executive producer and project manager to make sure that all departments are working in a coordinated and harmonious manner. In conjunction with the basic programming teams, there are equally important teams that deal with auxiliary tasks such as the tools department, engine department and audio department. The Development Process The Game Concept. Each game is born from an idea that needs to be realized. This ‘game idea’ serves as the inspirational blueprint for the Game Design team. The concept selected by game designers could be original, licensed-based or a sequel. Licensed-based titles can come from movies, books or other people. As soon as a concept is formulated, a ‘concept plan’ is then required and submitted to the project’s main decision makers. In addition, licensed-based titles need authorization from the original makers. Pre-production Stage. During this point, a more detailed design of the video game is crafted and this is done primarily by the game designer. The document should specify and establish the main goals of the game. During this stage, the developers not only work on the game software but also produce a detailed report on what type of technology is used in the game and the type of engine it should work on. Game Production. This is probably the most important part of the game development process. Tool programmers, interface programmers, artificial intelligence experts and engine professionals work together in developing the game. The audio department takes care of background music, interface music and character voices. Post production. Here comes the Video Game Testing stage. A game’s graphics are polished. Marketing the game software also takes place at the final stage. Once the game is released, the development process is completed.