Stages of computer game development

We all love to play video games, but hardly any of us have asked ourselves the question, “How does video game development work?”

Video game development is a very long and tedious process, and the industry is ruled by a few heavyweights. It’s very difficult for a newcomer to enter the industry, much less break into a leadership position. Development begins with the creation of a game concept and ends with the analysis of consumer (gamer) reaction to the finished product and the correction of identified bugs in the game.
Technology, in today’s world, has reached a level where the development and creation of a successful game requires about (if not more than) 40 specialists, each of whom deals with their specialized task.
Today there are a huge number of platforms and consoles for video games, and the expectations of today’s consumers have increased significantly.

Every detail of a video game requires weeks or even months of work, and so the entire development process has become very complex, stressful, and lucrative. Games have evolved to a futuristic level, and that is exactly what makes this industry elite.

Types of computer video game developers

As stated earlier, a large number of specialists work on the design and development of a future video game. Each team of specialists has a certain task that they are focused on. Behind each team there is a producer and a project manager who ensures the coordinated work of all the teams working on the project.

The main teams are artists, animators, programmers, and designers. Each team member has some sort of skill that they put into the development, and no one else interferes with their work.

Along with the core teams, there are secondary teams that also do development. All of these departments are equally responsible for making sure that everything runs smoothly and that no difficulties arise in all phases of development. To perform auxiliary works, there are departments such as: the department of sound effects (voice-over).

The process of developing video games

All stages of development can be divided into 4 main chronological parts. These are the concept, preparation of production, production and post-production (post-production), in all of these stages are necessarily immersed designers. Each of these stages employs a particular group of specialists, and the importance of each of these stages is very high.

Concept

Every game needs an idea to be realized. An idea is a project of the entire development team, and it can take inspiration from anywhere. The idea generators decide what genre the game will belong to, and then the work is already done accordingly. The concept chosen by the designers can be an original idea, a sequel, or it can be based on some kind of license. The license can be based on a book, a movie, or specific people and characters.

The development software has to take all of these things into account, otherwise the game has every chance of failing.

Then, the sound effects department adds all the necessary sounds and noises that may be needed in the game. Character voices, background music, interface sounds, and more are what these guys do. The cost of development can be very high because of the large number of specialists involved in development and the cost of the equipment and machinery used during this development. The producer and project manager simultaneously assess that all work is outlined and all deadlines are met. They also do a detailed risk assessment of the market and try to predict how successful the game will be.

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Post-production

Finally comes the testing phase. Once the game has been developed, the testers must play it and find any possible bugs that may be in it. A solution (bug fix) is developed for any bugs found. Then the graphics and gameplay are adjusted and the product is ready to be handed over to the manufacturer. Marketing is also a very important part of video game production, and it is constantly being addressed at all stages of production. With the developer necessarily signed an agreement of nondisclosure of information about the game, otherwise the reaction of consumers can be spoiled.

And that’s not all. Some malfunctions (bugs) may occur only after gamers start using the game. If any problems are suddenly identified, it is obligatory to be released fixes (patches) that users can download over the Internet.

Major video game producers spend a lot of time and money (the majority of time and money (up to 80%) is spent on content – the visual part, which includes concepts, models, art, animation, VFX, UI /UX interface design), because it is the attention to detail that ultimately matters.

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