How to get into the games industry

The games development process

• Introduction
• The games development process
• A perspective from Eurocom
• The Project Manager
• The Producer
• The Designer
• The Artist and Animator
• The Programmer
• The Sound Designer
• The Games Tester
• In Final - links and resources

Video game development is now a complex process involving teams of anywhere from 30 to 60+ people. Team size has increased significantly over the years due to technological advancements, creating a demand for higher quality graphics and more complex gameplay. All this takes more time and specialisation from team members.

The Project Manager and Producer lead the project and co-ordinate the team skills in the best way possible. The team generally consist of artists, animators, programmers and designers. Team members usually specialise in an area of their skill, for instance an artist might specialise in lighting, just as programmer might specialise in the game camera.

Supporting the teams throughout the development process are several other departments, all of whom are crucial to the smooth running of the project. The Tools department develops and maintains the various programs used by a team in order to create the game, while the Engine department develops the game engine used as the foundation on which the games are built. Additionally, the Audio department works on creating all the music and sound effects, used in the games currently in development.

The games development process goes through these main stages: Concept, Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production.

Let's look at these stages a little closer...

Concept

All games start with an idea. Where this initial idea comes from can vary from project to project. It might be an original idea from an employee, a team effort or a sequel to an existing game. It could also be a licence-based title, whereby the publisher has acquired the rights to a book, personality or film, for instance Harry Potter.

Once the game idea has been determined a brief concept document will be prepared, usually by the Designer. Once this document has been completed, along with a preliminary plan for the project, the whole process needs the green light from the decision makers. The decision makers usually consist of the publishers, the manufacturers of the console/s and, if necessary, the licence holders of any licensed material.

Pre-production

This is where a more detailed design document of the game is produced, which is typically created by the Designer. A good Designer doesn't work in isolation; rather, they communicate their ideas and work closely with others - for instance programmers - as it is vital to identify whether their ideas are realistic and achievable. Once the detailed design document is complete, the programming team then produces a technical document. This will outline the game engine and technology that will be used in the game. Depending on the project, a conceptual artist may also draft material, creating a more concrete perception of the game's look. The Project Manager and Producer will then develop time plans and schedules for the project. This documentation is a must, giving the game focus and direction. Once all this is complete the team goes into full swing and onto the next stage - Production.

Production:

Programming is a huge part of making a game. It requires a number of people to work on different aspects. For example, engine programmers, tools programmers, artificial intelligence programmers, user interface programmers and more! Some of these work on specific project teams, while others work in departments that cover all of the projects in development.

The artists and animators create the whole visual gaming world. Characters, objects, backgrounds, textures, animations, cut-scenes and interface design are just some of the areas covered.

Musicians create the audio world of the game. This includes ambient background music, surround sound and special effects. The sound department also handles the production of voice-overs and voice acting, which may be done in-house or sourced out to a specialised company.

Whilst all the programming, music and graphics are being created, producers and project managers are overseeing the project by scheduling work, carrying out risk assessments and ensuring the whole project is making good progress.

Post-production:

Quality Assurance (QA) devises a test plan for the game and deploys this by allocating Testers to play through the game for bugs. The game is played over and over again and bugs are documented in a database and then checked off when they are fixed.

The graphics team can now polish off the final look of the game. Gameplay is also tweaked to perfection. Once the final game has been completed, a master disc is sent off to the manufacturers to be duplicated. The game is then marketed and sent out to store warehouses for distribution.

If the game is to be translated into other languages, it is usually done after the English language copy is released. Audio and/or subtitles are added and then the title is duplicated and shipped to targeted countries.