Video Game Analysis

7/29/2019 Video Game Analysis

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Making the Game

Justin Shaw

English 101

Mr. Godbey

October 3, 2010


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Video games; in our modern society they have become the most played with toy

for kids; the most useful distraction for teenagers; and one of the most detested things

by adults. They are often taken for granted, and hardly anyone who plays them, or

condemns them for that matter, knows the time and hard work required to create them.

With so many being released each year, and the technology used in their creation

almost constantly advancing, the road from idea to finished game has become a long

one indeed.

All video game design begins the same way; as a thought, an idea, or a concept.

Many of these will never get off the drawing board, but for those that do it takes a great

deal of time, manpower, and flat out luck. Most will go through major changes in both

scale and scope before they become a finished product. They change form as the

process moves from step to step. After the base idea of the game is nailed down, the

real work begins. That simple idea is fleshed out. The game world is expanded and

given a sort of life of its own. This is done by a large and diverse group of people

Generally the start of design begins with the storyboarding of an idea (Video

Game Revolution.) The plot of the game will be set out and the individual events in it will

be drawn out to show what will happen. The script will be written and set to match the

plots and characters. From there, the individual elements will be put together into piece,

letting the writers see where any problems or weak points in it. From there, the script is

sent to the audio department for voice actors to read.

In the audio department voice actors go over the script, line by line. They give the

characters the inflection and voice that acts as a large part of modern game play.


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Sometimes, this process take several months, and almost up to a year depending on

the amount of characters and how much dialogue they have. The game is also given its

musical score during this time. The musicians help to give the music and sound cues in

the game an important place in its overall design. Without the score, the game would

lose a large amount of atmosphere. While this is going on, the script also goes to the art

department for them to use in the creation of the look of the game world.

In the art design department, graphic artists give the game world and every

character, item, creature, and place in it a look for the programmers to follow. By

following the script and storyboards, they give the game a unique look. They draw out

how things will be scaled, how the environment would appear, and much more. These

drawings are used by the programmers when they create all the things in the game.

Each building, item, monster, shopkeeper and more are all designed according to the

images given to the programmers.

After the specific designs for the game and its audio are made, the next step falls

to the programmers. They take both the voiced script, images, and score and combine

them into one thing. Creating the game world and everything in it according to the

images given to them; they then take the voice actors recordings and the games score

and add it in when the script calls for it.

Even after all this, the game is not finished. It must go through two of the

toughest crucibles imaginable. It must be play tested to see if it is both fun, and a

coherent experience; and it must pass an inspection by the ESRB, or . Play testing is

done to see if the plot is understandable and if an average person would be interested


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in it. They play through it again and again, looking for any problems that are in the code,

or any unbalance that is in the game play. Along with this is the ESRB, or Entertainment

Software Rating Board, rating it (ESRB.) The game is examined for its content and

given a rating based on who is believed should be allowed to play it. This has become a

corner stone for the video game industry now; rating games, and controlling who has

access to those deemed Mature.

If the game passes through all this, it goes on to publishing. From there, it is

shipped around the world where it will be enjoyed by fans and gamers everywhere. With

development times ranging from one to 4 years, it is a long journey indeed.


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Works Cited

Duncan, Sean C. "Gamers as Designers: A Framework for Investigating Design in Gaming

Affinity (n64stalker)Spaces." E-Learning and Digital Media7.1 (2010): 21-34. ERIC.

EBSCO. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.

ESRB. (n.d.). ESRB Game Ratings. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from Entertainment Software

Rating Board: http://www.esrb.org/ratings/index.jsp

n64stalker. (n.d.). How Are Video Games Made. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from

GamerBase.net: http://gamerbase.zophar.net/other/articles/article1.htm

The Video Game Revolution: How a Game is Made. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2010, fromPBS.org: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/inside/how/index.html

Zackariasson, Peter, and Timothy L. Wilson. "Paradigm shifts in the video game industry.."

Competitiveness Review20.2 (2010): 139-151. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.Web. 6 Oct. 2010. (The Video Game Revolution: How a Game is Made)

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