Most of us play video games and become pros, thinking we’re the best in town. But sorry to tell you that there’s nothing professional about showing athleticism on the screens. No, we will not inform you about real-time sports nor toss aerobatics on the turf. Rather, we will keep our topic stuck to the screens, but from the back-end perspective. The game developer’s specialty is the electrifying game trademark, loading screen, interface, characters, environment, special effects, acoustics, and aesthetically pleasing.
Playing video game storyboard and developing them is like comparing the earth with the sky. Hence, gamers should stay humble and honor professionals who provide game development services. Apart from developing software and apps for PC and mobile, programmers create games for a living. Creating a videogame is a process and requires ace cards every moment. One flaw in immaculate game coding can destroy the whole thing.
Difficult clients, intermittent videogame modifications, looming deadlines, multi-layered game environments, production logjams, game publisher pressure, and meddlesome team members. Indeed, game developers play the wooden block stack game Jenga. They must be careful with every coding input to ensure their future videogame project runs smoothly. Below are the main stages game developments professionals should know about:
1. Planning a video game
Before game concept artists and storyboard writers get on board, the designers and developers first create its framework. Remember that a game core idea has to sprout from the coding side. The game plan begins and grips on other exciting video game concepts.
During the planning stage, the following questions must be answered:
- What kind of video game are we creating?
- Is the storyline bland or interesting?
- Which will it be: 2D or 3D?
- Is the video game compatible with multiple OS and devices?
- Are there any video production company defining features that it must have?
- Who are the main characters?
- Is the game’s plot inspiring?
- When and where does it happen?
- Who is the audience we want to reach?
- What kind of platform are we using to construct this?
- Does the game include real-life lessons?
It might seem an easy task to perform, but conceptualizing a game into a full-fledged trademark is a demanding process. Remember, the gaming studio and its in-house expertise will act as the main support of the game. It helps set a balance in the working space and leverage every professional’s contribution to developing the game. Publishers also get a clear idea of the audience reactions they’ll receive after the game launch. After this comes the video game concept phase.
Concept proofing considers every game idea to see how practical they’re for the studio’s production team. Here you might answer these questions:
- How much will it cost us to create this game?
- Do we have the technology and resources to construct it?
- Will a new game engine be necessary?
- How many employees will we need on our team?
- Are we employing independent voiceover artists and screenwriters?
- What is the anticipated debut date?
- What revenue model are we using? Loot boxes are not the best option.
2. Pre-production
This stage is one of the crucial phases in the game development process. Concept artists, game developers, animators, and the production team join skulls for inspired brainstorming sessions. Not to mention game scriptwriters, designers, and projects collaborate to ensure each puzzle piece fits perfectly in place. Some teamwork instances are as follows:
- Authors and project leads meet to discuss constructing the story’s narrative. Other relevant queries include:
- Who are the key characters in this story?
- What are the background stories of these people?
- What is the relationship here between the characters?
- Do we need to finish any unresolved issues later?
- Developers convened with writers to inform them that we can’t populate that setting with 100 players, or the program will collapse due to technical limitations.
- Artists and developers have meetings to make sure that the aesthetics, color combinations, and artistic approach conform to the concepts defined during the design phase.
- Developers and engineers have conversations about the in-game physics, dynamics, and how things will show on a person’s display.
Next, the studio production team work on the prototype characters, environment blueprints, crude interfaces, proposed control maneuvers, etc. Here the game developers and other game gurus analyze different in-game elements. They see how they appear, feel, and interact with each other. In simple words, the game’s final prototype version is tested here before heading to the primary production phase.
3. Game Production
The most time, strenuous coding attempts, and game budgets are spent during this phase. Also, this is one of the most challenging game development phases. Character renders occur during this stage and is made to look super-realistic. The audio team ensures that every tongue and terrain resonance matches their original sounds. They even double-check the acoustics with real-time sounds. The voiceover artists narrate stories and synchronize to characters’ dialogue. Designers and developers script uninterrupted coding orderly to ensure smooth gameplay. Last but not least, the project leads create schedules and announce milestones achieved by each department.
4. Video game Testing
Game features and physics are tested to ensure everything is in top-notch condition. Know that if a game isn’t moving ahead of its try-out beta launch, it hasn’t been tested thoroughly by the developers. Below is some gameplay testing keynotes worth mentioning:
- Are there any erroneous areas and levels?
- Can a game character walk through a wall or a no-go-zone environment?
- Is every game element appearing on the screen one after the other?
- Does a player stuck in specific regions of the game’s environment?
- Are there any secret controls or cheats to exploit the gameplay?
- Are the characters’ voices and stories bland?
5. Game pre-launching phase
Envisage a rehabilitation center session where people with depression sit on chairs in a circle and have a thoughtful discussion. Indeed, this phase is one of the most stressful stages. During the pre-launch phase, the entire game production team questions self-doubt reconciles ideas, and argues for promising gameplay. A beta game launch occurs during this game development phase to check its potential.
6. Releasing the videogame to the public
After the successful culmination of the game’s pre-launch phase with the unambiguous agreement of team members, the game was released. However, it can also follow up the beta launching phase with early game releases. It helps programmers point out any inadequacies players face while playing the game.
7. Video Game Post-launch
It’s one of the most exhilarating game phases. It’s not necessarily the designing and development stage but the time to shift some game gears with regular upgrades.
