“I want to be a game developer. Where do I start?” you wonder. Essentially, it begins with nothing. You must make sure that you have a competent staff of artists, programmers, and others. This article will lead you through the video game production process, specifically the ‘pipeline’ – an industry term that refers to the process of creating a video game from scratch.
What is game development pipeline?
The game development pipeline is a flow of creating a video game from concept to completion. The pipeline also aids in the management of the game’s timetable and budget, decreasing inefficiencies, and bottlenecks. While pipelines differ depending on the project and company, the process is mostly the same whether you’re working on a AAA, indie, or mobile game.
The game development pipeline, like such a production line, serves to manage the flow of work so that everyone understands what they need to provide and when
A game is growing, and what sounded fantastic in theory may not work so well in practice. As a result, the pipeline is not always a linear process. Work must be sent for creative approvals and is frequently returned for modifications. The pipelines must be adaptable enough to accommodate updates and changes in course.
Three stages of game development
Video game development is typically divided into 3 stages: pre-production, production, and post-production.
Pre-production
Every project begins with this step. Typically, pre-production discovers:
- What is the game about?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is there a demand for it?
- How is the competition?
- What platform will it be released on?
- How will it be made profitable?
- Will it be sold on a platform, or will it be available for free with in-game purchases?
- How long will it take to develop?
- What personnel and resources will be required?
- What is the projected budget?
This stage can range from a week to a year and can account for up to 20% of overall production time, depending on the project nature, resources, and financial availability.
Game Design Document (GDD)
All of the fundamental information established during the pre-production stage is contained in the Game Design Document. It acts as the game’s north star. It’s a live document that helps everyone understand and get on board with the project’s overall goal.
The GDD is a dynamic document that is constantly updated and enhanced throughout development. A GDD keeps you organized, identifies potential risks, and allows you to know ahead of time who you may need to hire/outsource to bring your project to life. Your game concept may appear simple at first, but after you’ve laid it out in a GDD, you’ll quickly understand how big and resource-intensive your project is.
“Projects that lack a plan are more likely to go over budget and overrun.”
Prototyping
A video game prototype is an unfinished test that evaluates functionality, user experience, gameplay, mechanics, and aesthetic direction. Prototyping occurs during pre-production to determine whether or not the game idea will work and whether or not it is viable to pursue. Many ideas never make it past this point.
Production
Production is the longest stage of the pipeline, and it’s all hands on deck. This is the most complex and challenging stage of game development, but it is also where the magic happens, and the game’s concept comes to life. At this point, each member of the team has a defined role. The plot is being developed, assets (characters, monsters, objects, and locations) are being made, game rules are being established, levels and worlds are being built, code is being written, and so much more!
Let’s have a look at some of the significant game development milestones.
- Prototype: This is the initial test of the game (which happens in pre-production and is described in detail above). Some games may never make it past this stage.
- First playable: The first playable gives a much better idea of the look and gameplay. While it is still far from final, placeholders are replaced with higher-quality assets, and artwork is added.
- Vertical slice: A vertical slice is a fully playable sample that can be used to pitch your game to studios or investors. Ranging from just a few minutes up to half an hour, a vertical slice provides a first-hand experience of your game.
- Pre-alpha: The majority of the content is developed in the pre-alpha stage. At this point in game development, some big decisions will need to be made. Content may get cut, or new elements will need to be added to improve gameplay.
- Alpha: The game is “feature complete” meaning the main features have all been added, and the game is fully playable from start to finish. Some elements, such as art assets, may still need to be added, but controls and functionality should be working properly. The QA testers will be making sure everything is running seamlessly and reporting errors back to the team.
- Beta: At this point, all the content and assets are integrated, and the team should be focused on optimization rather than adding new functions or features.
- Gold master: The game is final and ready to be sent to the publishing outlet and released to the public.
Post-production
Maintenance
Even after the development stage is over, the process of game maintenance continues in case certain defects occur (usually this happens quite often, but they are solved in the maintenance stage).
Marketing
In addition, marketing for a video game occurs during Post-Production and continues for a while after its effective release. Large productions typically begin marketing during the late phases of Principal Production of their game to gain awareness and build buzz among the fan base.
