Chapter 1 Design Composition Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.©...

Chapter 1

Design Composition

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objectives

• Detail the components of a game and differentiate between a game and a toy.

• List the roles and responsibilities of the specialists within a video game design team.

• Explain what is meant by the scope, or life cycle, or a video game.

• Outline the five Ps that guide the development of most video games.


Objectives (Continued)

• Define piracy and explain how it impacts the video game industry.

• Describe the four major types of business ownership.


Game Composition

• A game is a specific type of activity with three parts– Game environment is an area that enables gameplay– Rules state how a game is to be played– A victory condition is what it takes to win the game

• Toys do not have all three parts and are not games


Video Game Classification

• Gameplay is what the player does• Core mechanics is the computer programming

used to enforce the rules• Genre is a major category of video game

gameplay• Genres are further broken down into themes• Examples include action, fighting, and puzzle


Examples of Genres and Themes

ActionAdventureBat and BallCrimeFlightHorrorPlatformTactical

Board Games, Card Games, Game Show

Educational/Edutainment

FightingMartial ArtsOther

Music and PartyDance MusicParty Singing

PuzzleGuessing game Logic puzzleTransport puzzleWord puzzle

Goodheart-Willcox Publisher


Examples of Genres and Themes(Continued)

Role Playing (RPG)Single/ multiplayerMassive multiplayer

ShooterFirst PersonSide Scrolling (shoot ‘em)Third person

SimulationA-lifeFlightSimTycoon

SportsBaseballBasketballBowlingFishingFootballGolfHockeyHunting RacingSkateboardingTennisWrestling

StrategyTurn based

ToysAl petsScreen savers



Video Game Design Team

• A design team is a group of people who bring the idea of a video game into a playable version

• A design team is made up of specialists who have the right skills for a project

• Examples include artists, programmers, and game writers


Video Game Scope

• Video games have a life cycle • Video game publishers fund most major video

games• The publisher manufactures, markets, and

supports each video game, or title• To finance your game, you need to convince a

publisher to take on your game project


Project Composition

• Video games are developed following the five Ps of video game publishing– Pitch– Preproduction– Production– Post production– Patch and return distribution


Pitch

• A pitch document is used to sell the game idea to the video game publisher– The high-concept document is a one-page overview of

the basic idea for a game– The game-treatment document explains the vision of

the game in greater detail– A game-treatment document should be designed as a

leave-behind document


Preproduction

• Preproduction includes concept elaboration and prototyping

• Design documents contain all of the decisions used to make the game

• The proof of concept shows that the concept can work

• Provisional approval means approval has been given to start the project


Preproduction (Continued)



Production

• Production is the stage where specialists build all the parts for the game

• The art bible contains a drawing or mock-up for every asset that needs to be created

• The technical bible is a binder filled with all the programming structure for the game

• The first playable level is the first iteration of the game’s first level that can be tested


Production (Continued)

• The design team discusses progress and issues with the game project

• All changes are recorded on the design history• Major changes result in a new version• The project is broken down into tasks • A length of time is assigned to each task• Using the critical path method (CPM), all tasks

are prioritized


Post Production

• Post production includes testing, tuning, and distribution– Games are tested for functionality and playability– Tuning is polishing the game to perfection– Porting is converting a game from one platform to

another– Distribution is how the game is sent to the customer


Post Production (Continued)



Patches and Return Distribution

• When a customer purchases a game and it does not work, the game has to be fixed or refunded

• A patch is a software installation program that fixes known bugs or damaged programming

• The publisher will try to put a positive spin on patches

• The patch may be called an upgrade


Five Ps of Video Game Publishing



Piracy

• The video game design process is threatened by piracy

• Piracy is the illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted material, such as a video game

• Piracy is a form of theft• If the companies that make games do not receive

money for their work, they may stop creating new games


Types of Business Ownership

• In the game industry, there are many of each type of business organization

• An indie company is small and considered to be independent

• A corporation is a legal entity that limits the personal liabilities of its owners– Corporations are owned by stockholders– Corporations may pay dividends to stockholders


Types of Business Ownership (Continued)

• A partnership is owned by two or more people– Partners may share ownership equally or unequally– A limited partner does not take part in running the

company

• A limited partnership or company limits the personal liability for its owners

• A sole proprietorship is owned by a single person

Review Your Knowledge


• Which genre of video games do you find most interesting or challenging? Why?

• Consider the various jobs of specialists on a game design team, such as game writer and creative director. Which job appeals most to you as a possible career choice?

Chapter 1 Design Composition Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.©...

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