Video games are enormously popular all over the world. In fact, the video game industry is a multibillion dollar a year machine -- A successful video game, just like a popular music CD, can sell hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies! You have probably wondered what goes into making a good video game. You may even want to get into the business yourself. Here are some of the questions that you may be wondering about:
• Where do game ideas come from?
• How many people are involved in making a game and what do they do?
• How is a game developed?
• How does a game get to my local store? To understand the entire process of video game development, we went to the folks at 3DO. 3DO is a major publisher of video games, with several popular titles for the Nintendo 64 and other game consoles, as well as PC and Mac computer systems. Now,h we will follow the development of Portal Runner TM, a new game from 3DO. You will learn about the game's technology, how the idea was developed and how the game will be distributed. Where the Game Comes From All games start with an idea. But where that idea originates can be traced to one of several sources:
• An original concept presented by an employee
• An original concept pitched to the company by an outsider
• A sequel to an existing game
• A spinoff based on a character from an existing game
• A game based on an existing character or story (such as movie, TV or comic characters)
• A simulation of another game medium (such as board games and card games)
• A game targeted to a specific demographic
• A simulation of a real world event
• A game designed to take advantage of a specific game platform (such as the Internet or an advanced interactive game system). Once the idea is accepted by the company as a viable game, then a preproduction team is assembled to begin developing the idea into a fully realized game. How the game develops depends greatly on what type of game it is. The story line and design of a game based on an existing movie or comic character are going to be much more restricted than those for a completely original game concept. Likewise, a simulation based on a real world event, such as a baseball game, has definite boundaries in what can be done. Video games can be extremely different from one another. And while there is a huge variety of games available, most fall into certain broad categories:
• 3D Action/Adventure (Portal Runner, Army Men, Tomb Raider)
• Simulation (Army Men: Air Combat, Aero Fighters' Assault, Maestro Music)
• Sports (Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball, Tony Hawk Pro Skater)
• Strategy/Role-playing/Adventure (Heroes of Might and Magic, Zelda, Final Fantasy)
• Fighting (Mortal Kombat, SoulFighter)
• Puzzle (Tetris, Pokemon Puzzle League)
• Shooter (Defender, Silpheed)
• Platform (Sonic, Super Mario Brothers)
• Racing (Mario Kart, Tokyo Xtreme Racer)
• Conversion (American Arcade Pinball, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) Of course, a lot of games include aspects from more than one of these categories, and a few games are in a category all their own. In the case of Portal Runner, 3DO took a character from one of its most popular franchises and gave her a spinoff title of her own that falls into the 3D Action/Adventure category. The character, Vikki Grimm, has figured prominently in the Army Men TM universe. Portal Runner is not considered a sequel because 3DO is taking one character and building an entirely new game universe around her. As you learn about the development of Portal Runner, remember that many of the steps in the process could change significantly for a different title based on the nature of the game being developed. Planning the GameThe preproduction team normally includes one each of the following people:
• Director
• Designer
• Software Engineer/Programmer
• Artist
• Writer Sometimes a team will not have every one of these people and other times it will have more than one person in a particular category. Another person assigned to the game from the outset is the producer. While the director provides the overall vision and direction for the game and is in charge of managing all the team members, the producer is in charge of the business side. For example, the producer maintains the production and advertising budgets and makes sure that the game stays within budget. The first thing that the preproduction team does is develop the story line for the game. Think of this like writing the outline for a novel. The story line identifies the theme of the game, the main characters and the overall plot. Also, areas in the game where a full motion video (FMV) sequence would help the story along are established. An important part of developing the story line is knowing the nature of the game. This means that the game designer is typically involved from the very beginning; he/she is responsible for things like:
• identifying traits and features of the game
• the type of gameplay and user interaction that is developed
• how the game will use the technology available on a particular platform (video game system or computer). Portal Runner is a linear game. This means that you follow a predetermined path and accomplish specific goals to complete the game. The pattern of the game is: FMV1, Play1, FMV2, Play2, FMV3, Play3 and so on until the end. Each play portion has a different look, theme and goal, all of which combine to form the game world. Linear play makes the story line much easier to create than it would be for a game that branches or has multiple endings. Branching games can contain a series of paths that all lead to the same ending. Even more difficult are branching games that can result in one of several different endings, depending on the path taken. Of course, the type of game largely determines what the story line and style can be. A puzzle or sports game would not require as detailed a story line as a 3D action or role-playing game. Once the story line is developed, the team creates a set of storyboards. A storyboard is a collection of still drawings, words and technical instructions that describe each scene of the game. These include storyboards for the FMV sequences that introduce the story and continue it between the periods of actual gameplay. Here are several examples: In addition to storyboarding the game, the designers will map out the different worlds, or levels of play, within the game during the preproduction phase. The attributes of each world and the elements contained within it are pulled directly from the story line.
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