Intro to Game

Development
KRISTIAN S. ALARDE
OUTLINE

• WHY DEVELOP GAMES?

• GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
• CURRENT TRENDS IN GAME DEVELOPMENT
Why Develop Games?
GAMING MARKET VALUE WORLDWIDE 2012-2023
PUBLISHED BY J. CLEMENT, JAN 29, 2021

THIS STATISTIC SHOWS THE VIDEO GAME MARKET

VALUE WORLDWIDE FROM 2012 TO 2020, AS WELL
AS A FORECAST FOR 2023. THE ENTIRE VIDEO
GAMING MARKET IS EXPECTED TO BE WORTH OVER
200 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS BY 2023.
CONSOLE GAMING CONSUMER MARKET VALUE
WORLDWIDE 2011-2022, BY DISTRIBUTION

PUBLISHED BY J. CLEMENT, JAN 29, 2021

IN 2019, DIGITAL ACCOUNTED FOR 62 PERCENT OF

THE CONSOLE GAMING MARKET WORLDWIDE. TOTAL
CONSOLE GAMING MARKET SALES AMOUNTED TO 35.1
BILLION U.S. DOLLARS WITH DIGITAL GENERATING 21.
BILLION U.S. DOLLARS AND PACKAGED SALES
ACCUMULATING 13.4 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS IN
REVENUES.
YOU ALREADY HAVE MANY OF THE NECESSARY
SKILLS.

CREATING A GAME REQUIRES THREE MAIN AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE.

YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO CREATE ASSETS (LIKE SPRITES AND SOUND EFFECTS),

YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO USE THE ENGINE OR FRAMEWORK YOU HAVE CHOSEN,

AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO WRITE THE CODE THAT WILL MAKE YOUR GAME RUN.
GAME DEV INCREASES YOUR SKILL SET

WITH MORE AND MORE COMPANIES LOOKING TO HIRE BRIGHT CODERS WITH A BACKGROUND IN
C++, DIRECTX, HTML5 AND DOWN AND DIRTY 2D MOBILE SKILLS, THE APPLICATIONS FOR
LEARNING GAME DEVELOPMENT EXIST FAR BEYOND THE GAMING MARKET.
UNREAL ENGINE 4 AND UNITY 5

MAYBE THE BEST REASON WHY YOU SHOULD LEARN GAME DEV TO MAKE KILLER GAMES ARE UNREAL
ENGINE 4 AND UNITY 5.

THE BASIC PREMISE OF BOTH ARE SIMPLE: UNREAL AND UNITY GAMING ENGINES ALLOW CODERS TO
INSERT THEIR CODE INTO THE ENGINE IN A PLUG AND PLAY FASHION.

WHEREAS OLDER TITLES DEMANDED A PROGRAMMER CODE EVERY DETAIL OF A GAME, BOTH ENGINES
ALLOWS PROGRAMMERS TO CODE THE GAMING INFRASTRUCTURE ALLOWING FOR UNREAL AND UNITY
TO TAKE OVER DETERMINING FACTORS LIKE LIGHTING, PLAYER INSTINCTS AND GRAPHICS RENDERING.
IT’S FUN!

THE BEST PART ABOUT GAME DEVELOPMENT IS THAT IT CAN BE INCREDIBLY FUN.YOU’LL
CERTAINLY RUN INTO THE SAME PITFALLS THAT YOU FACE IN REGULAR DEVELOPMENT: TIMES OF
FRUSTRATION, NOT KNOWING HOW TO PROCEED, AND EVEN FEELING LIKE YOU HAVE TO FIGHT
AGAINST THE TOOLS YOU’RE USING.

HOWEVER, GAME DEVELOPMENT LENDS ITSELF TO AN ENTERTAINING DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.

YOU GET TO PLAY AND TEST YOUR GAME AS YOU GO, AND THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE FEELING
OF FINALLY HAVING ENOUGH OF YOUR GAME MADE THAT YOU GET TO SHARE IT WITH OTHERS.
The Game Development
Process

Pre-production Production Post Production

Game
Development Product Manager /
Director
Team Hierarchy

Art Director Lead Programmer Game Designer Sound Engineer

Technical Artist

2D User 3D
Programming Design
Interface Graphics
UI Programmer

Concept 3D Modeller
Gameplay Quality Level Sound
Programmer
Artist Network Designer
Animation QA Lead
Programmer Sound
AI Programmer Editor
UI/UX Artist VFX Artist
Graphics /
Game Tester Designer Designer
Shader Sound
Lighting Artist
Graphic Programmer Program
Designer Engine / Tool
Rigger
Programmer
THE PRE PRODUCTION STAGE

1. IDEA AND STORY

2. CONCEPTUALIZE AND DESIGN
3. TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 1. IDEA STORY AND CONCEPT

THE INITIAL STEP IN GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. IDEAS REPRESENTS BITS AND PIECES OF THE
GAME. FROM A SIMPLE IDEA, A STORY, CONCEPT, STRATEGY IN A GAME WILL EVOLVE. CRITICAL
THINKING AND ANALYSIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO DRAFT A GAME CONCEPT DOCUMENT
IN THE BEGINNING.

PRODUCT OF IDEA/CONCEPT PHASE:

• Core Game Concept • Multiplayer(if Any)
• Story Flow • Levels(if Any)
• Visual Appeal • Playing Hours
• Characters and Interactivity of the • Build Size
player • Business/Revenue Strategy
• The protagonists • Publishing Platform
• Missions • And Producers Budget

Pre-production Production Post Production

 2. GAME DESIGN

DESIGNING A GAME AS A SOFTWARE PRODUCT IS ONE OF THE MOST CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE,

COMPLEX PROCESS AND REQUIRES A CRITICAL ITERATIVE THINKING, UNDERSTANDING,
IMPLEMENTING OF THE DESIGN.

THE GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT IS WRITTEN FOR ANY GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND A
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS WHERE THE LEAD PROGRAMMER, ART DIRECTOR, PROJECT MANAGER
MUST BE INVOLVED.

Pre-production Production Post Production

 2. GAME DESIGN

THE GAME DESIGNER MUST ENSURE TO CREATE A CHECKLIST OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Game Concept/Genre/Audience • Music

• User Interface • 2D/3D Game Environment
• Character Features • Graphics/visuals
• Game Data • Camera Projection
• Level Design • Game Progression

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3. TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

BEFORE JUMPING TO DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, THE TEAM SHOULD FIRST CHECK WHAT TOOLS TO
USE IN DEVELOPING THE GAME. LISTING THE DIFFERENT SOFTWARE TOOLS IS A NECESSARY PROCESS
FOR GAME DESIGN.

LIST OF SOFTWARE TOOLS IN GAME DESIGN PROCESS:

• Image Editing: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Gimp, Inkscape etc. are used for
2D artwork design and user interface design.
• 3D Modelling: Audtodesk Maya, 3D Studio Max, Blender, Sketchup, etc. for creating
3D models, Animations, Textures and Shadow/Lighting within the scene.
• 3D Texturing: MudBox, Zbrush, Substance Painter, etc. for UV Mapping and
Texturing/Painting of 3D Models.
• Writing: CelTX, Scrivener MS Office Tools for scriptwriting and other writing tools
• Project Management Software: Axosoft, VersionOne, TargetProcess, Yodiz, Planbox
and many more.

Pre-production Production Post Production

 THE PRODUCTION STAGE

Pre-production Production Post Production

 PRODUCTION STAGE

ONLY AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATIONS AS TO HOW THE GAME SHOULD FLOW, FEEL AND LOOK
LIKE, THE PRODUCTION PROCESS CAN START.

DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES ARE BEING PRACTICED IN PRODUCTION STAGE AND ARE WORKING IN
PARALLEL WITH ONE ANOTHER.

CHARACTER DESIGN, STORYBOARDS, LEVEL DESIGN AND OTHER ART COMPONENTS ARE BEING
SENT TO THE ART TEAM TO CREATE 2D VISUALS FOR THE 3D ARTISTS.

MEANWHILE, THE GAME DESIGN DOCUMENTS ARE BEING STUDIED CAREFULLY BY PROGRAMMERS
TO WRITE SCRIPTS FOR THE CORE GAME MECHANICS, AI, LEVEL PROGRESSION , AND NETWORK
CONNECTIVITY OF THE GAME.

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3D PRODUCTION PROCESS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3D PRODUCTION PROCESS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3D PRODUCTION PROCESS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3D PRODUCTION PROCESS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 3D PRODUCTION PROCESS

Pre-production Production Post Production

 GAME ENGINE

A GAME ENGINE IS THE SOFTWARE THAT PROVIDES GAME CREATORS WITH THE NECESSARY SET OF
FEATURES TO BUILD GAMES QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY.

A GAME ENGINE IS A FRAMEWORK FOR GAME DEVELOPMENT THAT SUPPORTS AND BRINGS
TOGETHER SEVERAL CORE AREAS. YOU CAN IMPORT ART AND ASSETS, 2D AND 3D, FROM OTHER
SOFTWARE, SUCH AS MAYA OR 3S MAX OR PHOTOSHOP; ASSEMBLE THOSE ASSETS INTO SCENES
AND ENVIRONMENTS; ADD LIGHTING, AUDIO, SPECIAL EFFECTS, PHYSICS AND ANIMATION,
INTERACTIVITY, AND GAMEPLAY LOGIC; AND EDIT, DEBUG AND OPTIMIZE THE CONTENT FOR YOUR
TARGET PLATFORMS.

Pre-production Production Post Production

 THE POST PRODUCTION STAGE

POST PRODUCTION IS THE FINAL STAGE OF GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THE POST
PRODUCTION STAGE MAINLY FOCUSES ON ITERATIVE TESTING AND DEBUGGING, BUG FIXES,
FUTURE UPDATES, AND LAUNCHING THE GAME.

IN THIS STAGE, THE ALPHA VERSION OF THE GAME ARE SENT TO THE QUALITY ASSURANCE TEAM
WHEREIN THE GAME WILL BE TESTED AND CHECKED IF THERE ARE BUGS AND ERRORS EXISTING IN
THE CURRENT BUILD OF THE GAME. IF THE GAME DID NOT PASS THEQA TESTING, THE GAME IS
RETURNED TO THE PROGRAMMING TEAM TOGETHER WITH THE BUG REPORTS FOR FIXING.

Pre-production Production Post Production

THE POST PRODUCTION STAGE

Pre-production Production Post Production

 THE POST PRODUCTION STAGE

ONCE THE GAME SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE QA STAGE, A SHORT VIDEO (LIKE A TRAILER) AND
SOME SCREENSHOTS (SOMETIMES, DEVELOPMENT FLASHBACKS) ARE BEING PREPARED AND
POSTED FOR THE PUBLIC. MANAGING THE USER RELEASE NOTES AND PRIVATE POLICY AND TERMS
OF USAGE ARE PROPERLY DOCUMENTED. ONCE ALL PREPARATIONS FOR DEPLOYMENT IS DONE,
THE GAME IS READY FOR PUBLISHING.

DEPLOYMENT OF THE GAME IS POPULARLY PUBLISHED USING THE STEAM ENGINE AND GOOGLE
PLAY/ITUNES APP STORE, WINDOWS STORE. HIGH BUDGET GAMES ARE PUBLISHED ON A DVD
FOR PC/CONSOLE.

Pre-production Production Post Production

 IN CONCLUSION

GAME DEVELOPMENT IS A TEDIOUS PROCESS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS NOT EASY, BUT
THERE ARE WAYS TO ORGANIZE AND MANAGE THE PROJECT THAT GIVES THE DESIRED OUTPUT. TO
ENSURE THE GAME/PRODUCT TURNS OUT TO BE EXACTLY ENVISIONED, GDLC IS A MUST.

Pre-production Production Post Production

CURRENT TRENDS
IN GAME DEVELOPMENT
THE NEED FOR VIDEO GAMES HAS GROWN. IN 2020, THE VIDEO GAMING INDUSTRY WAS WORTH
$159.3 BILLION. THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 9.3% FROM 2019.

PLAYER NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS ARE EVOLVING TOO. THEY NOW EXPECT FRICTIONLESS AND
MORE CONVENIENT UX. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE'LL DISCUSS SIX VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT TRENDS
FOR 2021 THAT SHOW HOW THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING.
 THE FAST ADOPTION OF CLOUD GAMING

THE CLOUD GAMING MARKET IS GROWING AT AN ASTOUNDING RATE. ACCORDING TO STUDIES,

GAMING-AS-A-SERVICE WILL HIT $450 MILLION BY 2023.

MANY TECHNOLOGIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSFORMING THE MARKET. CLOUD SERVICES
SUCH AS PLAYSTATION NOW OR GOOGLE STADIA ENABLE RUNNING RESOURCE-INTENSIVE
APPLICATIONS WITHOUT ADDITIONAL HARDWARE INVESTMENTS. IN 2021 AND BEYOND, GAME
DEVELOPERS CAN USE THESE CLOUD FUNCTIONALITIES TO UNLEASH THEIR CREATIVE FREEDOM.
THE FAST ADOPTION OF CLOUD GAMING
 THE RISE OF VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

THE DEMAND FOR VR EXPERIENCES HAS GROWN SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS.
VIRTUAL REALITY PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN MANY INDUSTRIES, FROM EMPLOYEE TRAINING
TO E-LEARNING. GAMING IS NO EXCEPTION.

WHEN PLAYING GAMES, PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL TO NEW REALITIES AND FIND THEMSELVES IN
SITUATIONS THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
 MOBILE GAMES WILL CONTINUE TO GROW

THE NUMBER OF SMARTPHONE USERS IS CONTINUOUSLY GROWING. ACCORDING TO RESEARCH

STUDIES, THERE WERE IS APPROXIMATELY 2.4 BILLION MOBILE GAMERS IN 2020. THAT IS ABOUT
30.7% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION.

PEOPLE LOVE MOBILE GAMES BECAUSE THEY ARE INTUITIVE, SIMPLE, AND EASY-TO-START. ABOVE
ALL, THEY ARE ALWAYS WITH THEM. 5G WILL IMPROVE MOBILE GAMING EXPERIENCES.
 THE ADOPTION OF CROSS-PLATFORM GAMING

THE GROWING NEED FOR MULTIPLAYER GAMES HAS LED TO CROSS-PLATFORM SUPPORT. WITH
THE HELP OF CLOUD GAMING, PLAYERS WANT TO CONNECT ACROSS MULTIPLE CONSOLES AND
DEVICES.

GAME DEVELOPERS NEED TO KEEP UP WITH THIS TREND. IN

2021, THEY WILL FOCUS ON
INTRODUCING NEW SOLUTIONS FOR CROSS-GAMING OPPORTUNITIES.
 THE ADOPTION OF CROSS-PLATFORM GAMING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3RpaUiLNaQ
 THE GROWING NEED FOR INCLUSIVITY

VIDEO GAMES ARE A GREAT WAY TO COMBAT SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND ADDRESS ISSUES SUCH
AS RACISM, SEXISM, OR HOMOPHOBIA.

FOR EXAMPLE, SIMS IS SYNONYMOUS WITH INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY. IT ALLOWS PLAYERS TO
CREATE THEIR CHARACTERS BY CHOOSING THEIR SKIN COLOR, NATIONALITY, BODY TYPE, ETC.
MORE GAME DESIGNERS WILL FOCUS ON INSERTING PERSONALIZATION INTO THEIR GAMES.

THE GOAL IS TO ALLOW PLAYERS TO INDIVIDUALIZE THEIR CHARACTERS DOWN TO THE TINIEST
DETAIL. THAT WAY, GAMING COMPANIES CAN ATTRACT A WIDER AUDIENCE AND BUILD TRUST BY
BEING MORE RECEPTIVE TO DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS.
 THE ADOPTION OF CROSS-PLATFORM GAMING

THE GROWING NEED FOR MULTIPLAYER GAMES HAS LED TO CROSS-PLATFORM SUPPORT. WITH
THE HELP OF CLOUD GAMING, PLAYERS WANT TO CONNECT ACROSS MULTIPLE CONSOLES AND
DEVICES.

GAME DEVELOPERS NEED TO KEEP UP WITH THIS TREND. IN

2021, THEY WILL FOCUS ON
INTRODUCING NEW SOLUTIONS FOR CROSS-GAMING OPPORTUNITIES.
THANK YOU!
REFERENCES
• IMAGE - HTTP://GAMEDEVDAYS.COM/
• HTTPS://PLAY.GOOGLE.COM/STORE/APPS/DETAILS?ID=COM.HIMO.PRESIDENTSVSZOMBIES

• HTTPS://WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK/GAMING/NEWS/FORTNITE-EARNED-ANNUAL-REVENUE-
GAME-HISTORY-2018/

• HTTP://GAMEDESIGNTOOLS.BLOGSPOT.COM/

• HTTPS://FORUM.UNITY.COM/THREADS/LIST-OF-USEFUL-GAME-DESIGNING-TOOLS.275202/

• HTTPS://SUNDAYSUNDAE.CO/UNITY-VS-UNREAL/