crystalklear64
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Alright, I know this is hella long, but if you could find the time and would greatly appreciate if any fellow CAG's could check to make sure I didn't state any false information about games and development and whatnot. This is for a high-school class so nothing majorly important, I just want to make sure I got my facts straight.
Here's the beast...
"Electronic Entertainment"
Electronic entertainment has become an essential part of life in the 2000’s more so than in any other decade. With technology growing so quickly, people are always looking for the next big thing to come out, be it a massive T.V., louder speakers, or anything else generally big and noisy. One of the more recent forms of electronic entertainment to gain popularity in the U.S. is that of video gaming. Games have been out since 1958 when physicist Willy Higginbotham invented the first video game, Tennis for Two, and have always had a small following of “gamers,” but with technology increasing rapidly, so does the people’s need for higher forms of entertainment. While many people enjoy playing video games, very few truly appreciate the hard work involved in creating one. Though there are numerous steps to the game creation process, most of those can be broken down into three distinct categories. Coding is the term used to describe the physical programming of the game; in essence, it is the heart of the project. In order to keep the number of categories low, I have also chosen to include the brainstorm and submission process in the coding area. The next category is artwork and involves all the art and graphics involved in both the coding section and the soon-to-be introduced marketing section. Finally, we have the marketing section which deals with getting the game publicity through various advertising campaigns, as well as which methods are most successful.
Obviously, in order to create a video game, you must first have an idea in mind for that game. Coming up with an idea that you think will be enjoyable is the first step in the brainstorming process. If you are working for a company to create these games then the next step is to present your idea to the higher-ups in the company so that you can refine it to make it more appealing to a wider number of people. This may include several techniques such as installing a system that many people already enjoy or changing characters so that your consumers are able to identify with them more easily. After fine-tuning and planning, the game begins the production portion of its lifespan. Here is where the coding takes place. Game developers have several choices when it comes to how they wish to program their game. First of all, there are several programming languages to choose from (each could be compared to a human language, in that every language has different ways of getting your message across, but languages also have many words in common) ranging from the simple (BASIC), to the complicated (C++). Developers may also choose to use a pre-existing game development program or an engine. This saves people from having to write the entire game from scratch. A final option is to pull some code from a programming library that your company may have. The majority of current generation games on home consoles are coded using a version of C++, while games on computers come from almost every kind of language. Ultimately, what kind of game you are making and what you want to be able to do in that game determines which language you will use.
With technology growing as fast as it is, the demand for more realistic and life-like visuals is expanding at an equal rate. Graphics have always been an integral part of any form of electronic entertainment even more so in today’s games. Graphic artists are necessary members of any development team and the visual style that a game contains has a direct impact on whether or not people will like it. For example, the Nintendo Gamecube has been dubbed as a “kiddy” system due to the simplistic graphic style found in the majority of its games, and because of this accusation, Nintendo has done the worst here in the United States, business-wise, compared to the other two systems (Xbox and PS2) that sport many games with realistic graphics and a more mature feeling because of those graphics. This does not mean that hyper-realistic graphics are the only thing that people want. In fact, for many genres of games realistic graphics are neither required nor would they suit the game as well as a more ‘cartoony’ look. Once again, it all comes down to what your target audience is and whether or not you can generate enough appeal in other areas of the game to make people who disapprove the graphics overlook the visuals.
Marketing is the single most important part of the game development process for anyone looking to turn a profit from his or her creation. Making the game look like something people will want is an important part of marketing. By releasing screenshots (pictures of the game in-action) and artwork of the game, you can give people a first impression of what the game will be like. This causes the consumer to either like or dislike what they see. Another marketing technique is to release small tidbits of information at a rate so that it makes people curious as to how the game will turn out without waiting so long that they lose interest. The next step usually taken is to release a trailer of the game in action, much like a movie preview that shows off either the game’s impressive visuals or something quirky that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. A final technique to use is to release a playable version of the game with features taken out. This is essentially the best preview a consumer can get of the final product and is commonly referred to as a demo. All these components are combined to create a successful marketing campaign for a game and the culmination of these traits is more commonly known as “hype.” Hype is a very important aspect of marketing, but what game developers rely on more than any other source is word-of-mouth. One person may see a trailer for a game and then goes and tells two friends about it, those two friends go and tell another two friends each until thousands of people have heard of it. The Internet is essential to this process. With e-mail and message boards at the developer’s access, they can quickly spread the word to millions of Internet users in an instant. A combination of hype and word-of-mouth advertising is what will make a game successful much like any other product.
After all the steps of the game creation process are completed people can appreciate the final product, much like one can appreciate a stunning piece of art. Electronic entertainment has already become an integral part of everyday life, and it is impossible to stop the rapid evolution of technology. With new techniques of creating new forms of entertainment constantly becoming available, game developers will forever have a legitimate place in our industrial society as the world’s entertainers.
I once again thank you for your time even if its only glancing at the thread
Here's the beast...
"Electronic Entertainment"
Electronic entertainment has become an essential part of life in the 2000’s more so than in any other decade. With technology growing so quickly, people are always looking for the next big thing to come out, be it a massive T.V., louder speakers, or anything else generally big and noisy. One of the more recent forms of electronic entertainment to gain popularity in the U.S. is that of video gaming. Games have been out since 1958 when physicist Willy Higginbotham invented the first video game, Tennis for Two, and have always had a small following of “gamers,” but with technology increasing rapidly, so does the people’s need for higher forms of entertainment. While many people enjoy playing video games, very few truly appreciate the hard work involved in creating one. Though there are numerous steps to the game creation process, most of those can be broken down into three distinct categories. Coding is the term used to describe the physical programming of the game; in essence, it is the heart of the project. In order to keep the number of categories low, I have also chosen to include the brainstorm and submission process in the coding area. The next category is artwork and involves all the art and graphics involved in both the coding section and the soon-to-be introduced marketing section. Finally, we have the marketing section which deals with getting the game publicity through various advertising campaigns, as well as which methods are most successful.
Obviously, in order to create a video game, you must first have an idea in mind for that game. Coming up with an idea that you think will be enjoyable is the first step in the brainstorming process. If you are working for a company to create these games then the next step is to present your idea to the higher-ups in the company so that you can refine it to make it more appealing to a wider number of people. This may include several techniques such as installing a system that many people already enjoy or changing characters so that your consumers are able to identify with them more easily. After fine-tuning and planning, the game begins the production portion of its lifespan. Here is where the coding takes place. Game developers have several choices when it comes to how they wish to program their game. First of all, there are several programming languages to choose from (each could be compared to a human language, in that every language has different ways of getting your message across, but languages also have many words in common) ranging from the simple (BASIC), to the complicated (C++). Developers may also choose to use a pre-existing game development program or an engine. This saves people from having to write the entire game from scratch. A final option is to pull some code from a programming library that your company may have. The majority of current generation games on home consoles are coded using a version of C++, while games on computers come from almost every kind of language. Ultimately, what kind of game you are making and what you want to be able to do in that game determines which language you will use.
With technology growing as fast as it is, the demand for more realistic and life-like visuals is expanding at an equal rate. Graphics have always been an integral part of any form of electronic entertainment even more so in today’s games. Graphic artists are necessary members of any development team and the visual style that a game contains has a direct impact on whether or not people will like it. For example, the Nintendo Gamecube has been dubbed as a “kiddy” system due to the simplistic graphic style found in the majority of its games, and because of this accusation, Nintendo has done the worst here in the United States, business-wise, compared to the other two systems (Xbox and PS2) that sport many games with realistic graphics and a more mature feeling because of those graphics. This does not mean that hyper-realistic graphics are the only thing that people want. In fact, for many genres of games realistic graphics are neither required nor would they suit the game as well as a more ‘cartoony’ look. Once again, it all comes down to what your target audience is and whether or not you can generate enough appeal in other areas of the game to make people who disapprove the graphics overlook the visuals.
Marketing is the single most important part of the game development process for anyone looking to turn a profit from his or her creation. Making the game look like something people will want is an important part of marketing. By releasing screenshots (pictures of the game in-action) and artwork of the game, you can give people a first impression of what the game will be like. This causes the consumer to either like or dislike what they see. Another marketing technique is to release small tidbits of information at a rate so that it makes people curious as to how the game will turn out without waiting so long that they lose interest. The next step usually taken is to release a trailer of the game in action, much like a movie preview that shows off either the game’s impressive visuals or something quirky that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. A final technique to use is to release a playable version of the game with features taken out. This is essentially the best preview a consumer can get of the final product and is commonly referred to as a demo. All these components are combined to create a successful marketing campaign for a game and the culmination of these traits is more commonly known as “hype.” Hype is a very important aspect of marketing, but what game developers rely on more than any other source is word-of-mouth. One person may see a trailer for a game and then goes and tells two friends about it, those two friends go and tell another two friends each until thousands of people have heard of it. The Internet is essential to this process. With e-mail and message boards at the developer’s access, they can quickly spread the word to millions of Internet users in an instant. A combination of hype and word-of-mouth advertising is what will make a game successful much like any other product.
After all the steps of the game creation process are completed people can appreciate the final product, much like one can appreciate a stunning piece of art. Electronic entertainment has already become an integral part of everyday life, and it is impossible to stop the rapid evolution of technology. With new techniques of creating new forms of entertainment constantly becoming available, game developers will forever have a legitimate place in our industrial society as the world’s entertainers.
I once again thank you for your time even if its only glancing at the thread
A-thankya sir.