Let’s understand what Video Games Development is The video game development process is the creation of a video game from scratch to reality, a process in which a whole team of designers, programmers, artists and people involved in their coordination participate. Everyone involved in the process collaborates together throughout the project until the video game is released.
First of all, you need to understand that the job of a video game designer is different from what a video game development company does. A game designer is focused on the creative side and he has to see the big picture of the game. He creates the story, the characters and the whole vision of the game with all its creative elements.
On the other hand, game programmers are focus on the technological methods of implementing the ideas of designers, using computer codes to bring those games to life. This is for traditional games on mobile, computer or console. The process changes a lot when we talk about metaverse video games development .
Game Development step-by-step
The video games development process consists of 3 main steps: pre-production, production and post-production.
1. PRE-PRODUCTION
The first step in Pre-production is Planning. This is a stage that requirements clarification. Here it is necessary to complete multiple tasks: to finalize the concept of the game, creating a playable prototype and most important planning how to actually make the game.
Some developers feel planning out their game is unnecessary or not worth the hassle so they decide to just wing it and make up the game as they go along but we highly advise against this. Also, at this stage are established the budget and length estimation of the project.
Each member of the team is assigned a well-established role. For example, the Video Game Producer will deal with the marketing strategies, while a Concept Artist will deal with the artwork and sketches.
In order for the whole process to happen in an organized way, all the necessary information will be written in a Game Design Document. Thus, the team will be organized and all the steps of video game development process are well structured.
The role of a Game Design Document (GDD).
The one of the most important thing that GDD does is keep the team organized and provide direction throughout the game development process. Before writing a GDD you cannot have a clear mind about the potential risks. This document will help you to have a clear mind when unexpected things appear in the project.
Prototyping
Can you imagine how beneficial it would be to find out if the idea of the video game will work before investing time to code it and make art for it? This is the role of a video game prototype. Whether the prototype is made digitally or on paper, it is very useful to figure out the mechanics, whether the game can be functional or how fun it can be made. The prototype should never take too long, but it should always solve problems and answer questions.
2. PRODUCTION
When a video game goes through the pre-production stage, it has all the chances to be launched successfully. The second stage in video game development is Production. This is the most complex stage, which requires the most resources, patience and time. The team organization must be excellent so that everything goes easier (that’s why each team member has his own task).
Coordination and organization of members is the responsibility of the Project Manager. In case of unexpected situations, he will deal with their resolution.
In the game development process, Game Designers are the “brain” that outlines and creates the characters and all the elements of the game as in the original story. Game designers craft the core mechanics of a game. This means that they are responsible for deciding how the game will work when the player starts playing it.
Game Developers bring to life what game designers have created. By writing the codes, they make sure that all the pieces in the game are in their place: characters, attractive environments, assets, sounds and interactive images.
Audio Designers take care of recording sounds, creating and editing them. They make sure that the sounds are as real as possible so that the player has a great experience.
Level Designers have a key role in the video game development process: they need to know what kind of environments and levels to create so that the player stays engaged and continues to play.
3. POST-PRODUCTION
Maintenance
Testing and maintenance are important in the video games development process. The player experience must be as great as possible, so regular maintenance of the game must remain a priority after the launch of the game.
Marketing
Even if the game was launched, that does not guarantee its success and profitability. The marketing team must promote the game as early as possible. Creating a fan community will make the game much better known.
Conclusion
After post-production, some games also need live support or, at the investor’s request, porting the game to other platforms. It is a very broad and complex process where many professionals converge and where coordination is essential between all areas. A professional process will guarantee that the final product will be a guaranteed success.
