Game Design And Development
A game is basically a structured form of playful play, often undertaken for fun or entertainment, and at times used as a teaching tool. Games are very different from work, which typically is carried out mainly for recreation, and from literature, which is essentially more of an expression of philosophical or aesthetic elements. A game is aimed at a specific end, be it to achieve some goal, entertain, or teach something. Games can be of various types: war games, puzzle games, racing games, board games, computer games, etc.
In the nineteen eighties, Chris Crawford, then a mathematics teacher, developed a series of computer games, each one aimed at a different subject. For example, the first game was in chess, followed by word games, and then matching games (table tennis, checkers, bingo). The result is a set of almost two thousand five hundred different games. Chris also worked on a mathematical application called Quicken, a spreadsheet-like program, and an electronic messaging program, Sunbird.
A game developer can be compared to a director of a film. The job involves creating characters, story lines, settings, puzzles, etc. The game is the output of one’s efforts, and the main aim in game development is to provide as much interactivity as possible. This means that one must plan out, write, proofread and edit the game’s script. Game developers use different levels of involvement, depending on how far along the game development process has already progressed. Some people simply write down ideas and concepts, while others are more involved in programming, graphics, music composition and sound effects.
Writing a game is similar to writing any other sort of work. There are some similarities, of course, such as using vocabulary that a normal person would use when speaking aloud or discussing a specific topic, using proper grammar and spelling, among other things. It is where a writer’s personality comes into play. Most people who do this type of work are creative and artistic people. It is also one of the few careers that anyone, regardless of educational background in a different area of the field, can actually make a living with.
Some people use game design as a means to an end, earning a living doing what they enjoy. Others may decide to go into game design full time, developing video games, or employing other people to do all of the programming and game implementation. Most full-time game developers have some sort of a college degree, although many have only a high school diploma or something. There is no minimum education requirement to enter this field, though most major game design schools require an art degree, computer science degree or game design certificate.
While there are many career options for those who are skilled in game design, one should not underestimate the demand for game testers. These individuals are responsible for finding and reporting bugs in video games before releases. They will often have to play hundreds of different versions of the same game to find and report problems in each one. Because of the specialized nature of game design and development, testers usually have very specific expectations for their job, and often do not hesitate to express those expectations publicly.