Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Building Game Worlds
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U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
Festival at the yearly GDC. You can pursue shareware. Hey, it sure worked for id
Software. Other delivery systems straight to your potential players will no doubt
be available in the near future. You shouldn’t feel ultimately frustrated by the risk
tolerance and concerns of large-scale contemporary game publishers.
Let’s be clear about the difference between game developers and game publishers.
Game developers build game content and employ programmers, artists, designers,
producers, and audio staff. Game publishers, in comparison, are responsible for
packaging, manufacturing, marketing, promoting, and supporting game sales. Game
developers are given development contracts to build games by game publishers.
Joining a Game Developer
The best way to get valuable development experience is to join a game developer.
Most programmers, artists, designers, audio engineers, producers, and QA staff
build their careers one step at a time by joining a game developer and learning the
ropes of game development, and the nuances of the game industry, long before trying
to launch out into the wilderness of independence.
It really is necessary to understand how a whole game development cycle works
and how publishers collaborate with developers to build game titles in an everyday
game work environment. By establishing yourself as a developer this way, you will
learn answers to many of the critical questions you might have about developing
games.
Industry Economics
If you were to look at the short history of the game industry, you would probably see
that there have been several years where plenty of game jobs were available, and a
few years where very few game jobs were available at all. The game industry, like any
other industry, reacts to economic shifts in the total economy.
While it’s true that games are somewhat recession proof, there are times when the
industry definitely backs off on hiring. It’s always best to try to anticipate some of the
momentum behind the rises and falls so that you can be prepared. Again, this is part
of keeping a diversified mindset.
GAME DEVELOPMENT STUDIO BREAKDOWN
The following sections break down the standard set of professional roles and give
you a brief description of exactly who does what. Remember that an independent
game developer builds game content, while a game publisher packages, markets, supports,
and sells the game title.