The Many Aspects of Video Game Production

Perhaps it is simply the challenge that many of these superior gaming experiences offer. As simple and effortless as they seem, though, game programming is actually very complicated, often rivaling the production process of a major motion picture. For example, there are many different kinds of people who are involved with game design. These are the scenic artists who choose what the settings will be. This can include photographers, set designers, and even people skilled in landscaping or construction. They work with the story writers to determine how many settings they need to design and how they will interact with environmental effects as well as the characters. Obviously, then, there are also writers who create the world, conceptually, and establish the visual and emotional backdrop for the entire game. Speaking of characters, during the game design process not only must the characters be drawn and rendered, but they are often copied from real human actors. In fact, some of the game programming might actually involve mapping and capturing the real movements of the actors to get a more realistic feel in the software. This, alone, can take months to shoot and then even more time to input into the system. Of course, the actors themselves need to prepare for line delivery and movement and will therefore need time for rehearsals. Also, actors often need the guidance of a director to help unite the vision of the writers, visual artists, and graphics teams. Before the game can go out into the public, though, it needs to pass through video game testing. This department is in charge of checking to make sure that the levels are fluid, that the game play is consistent, and that the glitches are ironed out. This process often takes many trials, with the testers giving feedback to the different design and programming teams to have them fix things that they believe would annoy, frustrate, or disappoint a player. Testers are vital during this process because they are really the only source of quality. Once the game has passed video game testing, it is ready to be mass produced for distribution. This is when the process shifts from intellectual to physical as this final stage simply entails transferring all of the ideas onto the physical game discs that will be shipped out to stores and consumers. This is also wear packaging comes into play; packaging that must also be designed and manufactured. As you can see, there are many different kinds of jobs involved with the process of making a video game. From start to finish it involves people of all different talents and skill sets.