25 Quick FAQs

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25 Quick FAQs

• reference
• Chapter 1, Game Developers Market Place

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1. What is Game Development?

• storytelling art music sound animation
  programming techniques
• game programming -- (relatively) well-known
• game development -- still very much a black
  art

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2. What kinds of games can you create?

• action
• strategy
• adventure
• role-playing game
• sports
• sims
• classic games, puzzle

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3. What platforms can you develop games for?

• PC
• minimal system requirements
• robustness, especially for 3D games
• console
• must become an authorized developer
• development environment
• cross compiler,
• bigger budget
• licensing fee, manufacturing fee
• smaller available talent pool

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4. How hot is game development?

• 5.3B in 1997
• 8B in 2000.
• attendance at CGDC
• 2,500 in 1995
• 7,000 in 1999
• more than 50,000 jobs
• most of all, consider the potential customers.
• ( of PC installed)

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5. Can you develop games alone?

• Yes.
• But, those days are about gone.

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6. What programming experience?

• a lot.
• tricks.

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7. What design experience?

• still a very artistic process
• Game world is non-linear,
• but, players want a linear story.
• Attend.
• Read.
• Try modifying a game that has an editor.

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8. What programming language?
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9. What about libraries, engines, development
tools?

• graphics, sound, music
• game engines
• Quake
• SCUMM
• NetImmerse
• Genesis
• productivity tools
• e.g., debugger, version control

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10. Do you really need ...

• libraries, engines and development tool?
• Yes.
• case study Half Life

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11. Which content creation tools?

• 3D modeling and animation
• image processing, painting and texture
• video editing
• sound digitizing, editing
• music editing, sequencing
• integrated packages
• Creator (MultiGen)
• Mirai (Nichimen Graphics)
• multimedia authoring packages

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12. What is the best way ...

• to develop game programming skills?
• practice, practice, practice.
• Start simple.
• Create copies of other games.
• e.g., Pong, PacMan, Load Runner
• Move on, and create something new.

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13. Major programming trends?

• 3D
• VR
• AI
• real physics
• Internet
• mobile

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14. Can you make a game?

• Can you make a successful game?
• You can still find a niche in the game industry
  easily than you can in other industry.

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15. Can you do it as a hobby?

• On the technical aspect, game development has
  become democratized.
• more books, resources, people,
• On the business aspect, it has become harder.

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16. Can you sell your games?

• retail channel
• shelf space
• high cost
• lower margin
• higher chance to success
• shareware
• Doom (id), Descent (Interplay)
• bundle
• sponsored product

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17. Do all game makes money?

• very, very polarized market
• compared to movies, books,
• developers vs. publishers
• Even publishers must be big in order to survive.
• e.g., EA

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18. How can you get a job?

• start as
• an independent game developer
• a junior programmer in a development company
• Industry is growing!

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19. Do you have ...

• what it takes to create the next blockbuster
  game?
• It takes time.
• Start simple.
• Always try to finish what you start.

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20. How long does it take ...

• to make a complete game?
• development process (simplified)
• game design
• production -- programming, art work, sound
• testing
• 1 2 years

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21. What kinds of resources do you need?

• time and money
• 1M 5M

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22. Are more resources becoming available ...

• to help you learn game development?
• Yes.
• course
• books, magazine
• Web

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23. How big of army do you need?

• small team 4 8
• large team 12 30
• The largest variable is the artists.
• Artwork is scalable.

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24. So what does the course offer?

• blessing
• basics
• industry
• game development
• business
• preparation

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25. What should you do next?

• Work hard.
• And have fun.

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Homework

• Developing your dream game
• team name
• members
• game concept
• other remarks
• Submit in .ppt format
• Due one week from now