Game Design is also known as Video Development. Game design is the process of using imagination and design to create a game for enjoyment or education.

It entails developing engaging tales, characters, goals, rules, and challenges to guide interactions with other characters, users, or objects.

Game design is a fun, fulfilling, and multi-faceted industry with a lot of work opportunities. However, being a game designer is a difficult task.

The process of creating a video game is known as video game development. A developer, ranging from a single individual to an international team spread around the world, is responsible for the endeavor.

Traditional commercial PC and console game development is usually financed by a publisher and takes many years to complete. Indie games need less time and money to develop and can be created by individuals or small teams.

The expansion of accessible game production technologies such as Unity platform and Unreal Engine, as well as new online distribution platforms such as Steam and U-play, as well as the mobile game market for Android and iOS devices, has aided the independent game business.

Steps Involve in Game Development & Design Process:

Following are the steps for Video Game Development:

1.  Planning and Concept:

The idea or a concept is the most essential phase in developing a game. This is a broad concept. It’s a very short description in which you strive to condense your thoughts into a few phrases. To better explain ideas and their aims, you concisely present your proposal.

It’s also a good moment to explain why it’s a good idea to grow financially and commercially. Describe and outline all components of the game. We’re talking about a tale, demographics, risk analysis, and a slew of other details.

A concept for a video game must emerge before the authors begin writing, the designers begin designing, and the developers begin producing. In planning, we try to find out the answers to some general questions like Will it 2D or 3D? Its key features and characteristics. What would be the target audience of the game? Where it will develop?

It may not appear so, but conceptualizing a video game is one of the most difficult aspects of game creation.

The backbone of the game will be the idea that a gaming company comes up with. It’s what sets the bar for every person participating in the game’s development, as well as providing publishers with a high-level picture of what to expect. This moves us to the next step in developing a concept: development – proofing or concept – proofing.

The main concept of the game development is to explain major features such as the scale of the universe, gaming mechanics, level mapping, character biographies, and a detailed plot, among others.

2.  Pre – Production:

Pre-production, the next step of game development, brainstorms how to bring the various concepts given down in the planning phase to deployment.

This is where writers, artists, designers, developers, engineers, project leads, and other key departments cooperate on the game’s scope and where each crossword piece fits. Brainstorming sessions are a key component of developing the game’s basic concept.

This is an opportunity when all share their visions for the game and bounce ideas off one another based on their worries about the process. Throughout the manufacturing process, a library of characters, textures, and items create and expand.

This is a crucial resource for the project’s animators, 3D modelers, and designers. The game’s goals will be well stated, concept art will be approved, and it will be well-known in its category. Plot points, characters, story arcs, action sequences, climax events, and other details have been added to the tale.

Development and Research:

Development and research are the crucial aspects before the production of the game. Demographics – who is the targeted audience, how to design for their playing style, and how to sell to them Production resources are investigated, including software/engines to be used, manpower needs, and finances.

Execution – what real-world resources will be used to help create the product, will motion capture be used to help with animation, and so on.

Game Development Document:

The Game Development Document (GDD) is the development process’ plan. This is the blueprint from which other departments will work, laying out the main aspects such as the game and its purpose, the programming building blocks, the stages of the design process, and so on.

Each department’s needs, timeframes, and resources will be detailed in sections dedicated to them in the GDD. The designers will be given concept art and aesthetics to work with.

The Game Development Document (GDD) is the development process’ plan. This is the blueprint from which other departments will work, laying out the main aspects such as the game and its purpose, the programming building blocks, the stages of the design process, and so on.

Each department’s tasks, timeframes, and resources will be mentioned in sections dedicated to them in the GDD. The designers will be given concept art and aesthetics to work with.

The stages are spread out across the duration of the game. This is macro mapping, which specifies where the game is headed, how it will be played, and how the player will be guided through it, among other things.

Prototype:

A video game prototype is a rough test that evaluates the functionality, user experience, gameplay, mechanics, and aesthetic direction of the game.

Prototyping is done during the pre-production phase to see if the game concept will work and if it is worth pursuing. A lot of ideas don’t make it through this point. In the prototype step, we create the procedures for executing your idea by building the prototype.

It’s an excellent technique to create a proof of concept by translating your objectives into a more concrete form. Characters, locations, interfaces, control schemes, and other in-game features are frequently prototyped to see how they appear, feel, and interact with one another.

Before going on to the meat and potatoes of development – production – this is effectively the “let’s see what we’ve got” moment. Prototyping can also disclose unanticipated obstacles, which might alter the direction of your project entirely.

It’s crucial to have others test your prototype as well because what you think is evident to you may not be to others.

3.  Production:

About 60% of the design procedure is production. It is the point that the majority of the job has been completed. All systems are a go! Teams from animation, 3D modeling, and programming start working together.

All of the game’s elements are rendered as 3D objects after being mapped into a grid. Because all visual aspects are generally constructed from scratch, this is a complicated and time-consuming procedure.

Character models are developed, produced, and iterated during this phase to ensure that they seem precise as they should in the plot.

Every time your character steps across sand, gravel, or cement, audio design works overtime to ensure that everything sounds real.

Level designers create dynamic, immersive worlds that are ideal for a variety of play styles. Take after taking, voice performers read vast piles of material to obtain the proper emotion, timing, and tone. To bring each piece of in-game material to life, developers create hundreds of lines of source code.

Animation and Lightening:

The storyboard is then brought to life by animating all 3D elements via a series of moves or a scene. Lighting is a vital aspect of design since it gives depth to the game’s atmosphere and creates a 3D look.

It’s utilized to set the mood, generate suspense, and mimic the real environment.

Cinematic and Texturing:

Cinematic is short tutorial parts that show the player how to play the game. They can feature things like tips, character information, maps, and so forth.

They’re frequently a break in the game where the player is provided additional information to help them proceed. Texturing is applied to all 3D models’ static meshes. Intricate functions and interactivity are added to the game.

These are the complex functions that the player must accomplish to progress in the game and keep them engaged.

HUDs (heads-up displays) keep the player informed about their progress. They can convey information such as the status of points/rewards, timings, and location on a map, among other things.

The menus inform the player about the game’s objectives, available elements, and in-game purchasing information, among other things.

4.  Post- Production:

The game development process continues after production is completed. The game has been delivered to the post-production department, with team members being reassigned to maintenance (fixing bugs, generating patches) or generating additional or downloadable content (DLC).

Others may move on to the next project or the sequel. Post-production is the procedure in which we do multiple steps to finalize the product.

Quality Assurance tests, Refining, Testing, and Launch are all the measurements that we take place during post-production.

Visual effects and special effects are added for the visual enhancements. The dialogues, score, Foley, and sound effects are also added to the game’s soundscape.

Quality Assurance Test:

Quality Assurance Test for the rough draft test for the final launching of the game. It provides valuable feedback on its playability and glitches that need to be fixed. The testers’ feedback is taken into account.

After that, the music and images are given a final polish to make the final product even better. Playtesters come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In an attempt to “break” the game, some playtesters conduct stress testing by running into walls hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

Other playtesters run “fun factor” tests to evaluate if the game is too difficult or easy or finish the game to determine if it is rewarding enough. The game will not sell many copies if it lacks a “fun element.”

5.  Pre – Launch:

For game developers, the pre-launch period is a difficult time. Self-doubt may creep in when you consider how the general public will react to your first working product. However, before an official Beta copy is published, the game will need to be promoted. After all, how else are people going to find out about it?

To get people’s attention, publishers nearly always use a hype trailer that combines cinematics and sample gameplay. They may even book a booth at one of the main gaming conferences, such as E3 or PAX, to give attendees a unique look at the game.

Independent studios do not usually have access to large marketing funds to promote their games. Fortunately, crowdsourcing and advertising have the potential to be equally productive. Independent companies frequently send early-access Beta copies to prominent internet gaming personalities so that they may live stream to their followers.

6.  Launch:

Developers would often polish the game as much as possible before it publishes, in addition to fixing bugs. Perhaps that mountain range may be made deeper.

The character’s leather straps may be textured a little more. Let’s finally do something about those trees swaying in the wind. Even if the adjustments are slight, they can help to make a video game more immersive.

Video games are famous for releasing a slew of small glitches. Teams detect and eliminate issues over the first several months after the launch.

Players are also expected to submit bug reports or speak up about flaws on online forums, which gaming studios rely on. All of this is part of the post-release maintenance process.

The game design process is lengthy, needing several variations of the game’s overall appearance. The design team will create 3D animation, print art, 2D renderings, storyboards, trailers, and other related materials.

Even for the most seasoned gaming firms with hundreds of staff, video game production is a whirlwind of a process. However, knowing the ebbs and flows of each stage is critical to creating a complete and polished game.

The game’s artwork is utilized in packaging as well as marketing materials such as posters, web advertisements, trailers, and so on.