Games Development Industry: Useful Terms and Concepts
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X – Z
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2D or 3D Modelling: Creating art that has height and width (2D) or height, width and depth (3D)
A
A/B or split testing: The practice of testing multiple variations of a game element in parallel in front of a live audience, monitoring how players use the element using analytics, with the goal of improving the element to serve a variety of goals (gameplay, processing, monetisation, game progression and many others)
Artificial Intelligence (AI): The simulation of human intelligence to allow a game to respond to player input
Alpha: The stage in a game’s development where all content is feature complete but still has bugs and art and animation may not be at final release quality
Animation / motion graphics: Solving graphical assets in a game
Animation tools: Software that allows developers to create moving graphical assets
Art pipeline: Process of creating, naming and implementing graphical assets for a game
Asset: Everything and anything that can go into a game from art to code to audio to copy (i.e. text)
Asset management/version control: Software systems to manage all the assets and code updates produced during development
B
Beta: Where a game is close to release and ready for intensive user testing, sometimes live, and bugs and errors are fixed in short cycles
C
Character design: Art and graphics that define the faces, anatomy or clothing of characters in the game
Concept art: Early art for a game that sets out the concept, feel and style of a game before main development begins
Console: Dedicated games hardware such as PlayStation, Switch and Xbox
D
Data analysis: Data on how players use the game produced by analytics software
F
First playable: An advanced prototype version of the game that shows major gameplay and assets that represent what the final game will become, but without all features
Freemium: Free to play games with optional premium (i.e. paid for) content or features
G
Gameplay balancing: The process of tuning the gameplay so it functions efficiently and enjoyably for the player
Game analytics / metrics: Software that monitors user activity in games
Game art tools: Software that allows developers to create, enhance and animate graphics
Game design: The process of defining the gameplay mechanisms (often called mechanics), the rules of the game using all the game’s functions
Game engines: A software framework that typically includes engines for processing 2/3D graphics, physics, sound, scripting, animation, AI, networking, memory and often porting between games platforms
Game Jam: Timed events (often 24–48 hours over a weekend) where developers work in teams to create brand new games from scratch
Game monetisation: Methods for making money out of games
Game platform: Console, PC, mobile, AR/VR (see VR/AR below)
GDD: Games Design Document, the bible of a game’s gameplay, levels and progression, usually created in pre-production
Gold: This is the final stage in a game’s development before release, when testing by platforms such as consoles and app stores is undertaken
Graphics API: A software framework that optimises and renders images on a screen
H
HMD: Head–mounted displays are used by VR systems to present users with stereoscopic images
L
Level editor: Software that allows a level designer to create a sequence of experiences often in map form
Localisation: The process of changing the language of a game’s copy and audio to suit different territories
M
MMOG: Massively Multiplayer Online Games that allows thousands of players to interact in real–time in a shared online game world
Mobile: Smartphone OS such as Android and iOS
P
Portfolio: A pack of work created by individual programmers, artists and designers that showcases what they have created before applying for a job or attending an interview
Programming language: A vocabulary and set of rules for instructing a computer to perform tasks
Project planning tools: Software, typically online, that allows the progress and velocity of a game’s development to be monitored and improved
Prototype: A very early version of the game that showcases what the core gameplay, user interface and style of the game will be
Publisher/publishing: Companies that take a game to market, handling distribution, marketing and sale plus sometimes funding the game’s development
Q
Quality Assurance/QA: Part of the development process that identifies bugs in the games before and after release typically via intensive human testing
R
Rig / rigging: A skeleton for a graphical asset that allows it to move
S
Scrum or Agile: software development methodology that breaks the game into short phases (sprints) and is able to adapt to unforeseen challenges
Server: Any system that delivers data across a network, typically from remote proprietary server installations or rented from 3rd parties (the cloud)
Skinning: Adding graphical elements to the surface of a rig such as texture and lighting effects
Steam: A PC games marketplace and community
Stereoscopic: The presentation of different images, typically via VR-based HMDs, for each eye to simulate the 3D depth perception or normal human vision
Storyboarding: A sequence of drawings that show how a game would progress before it is made
T
TDD: Technical Design Document, the bible of a game’s technology including engine, usually created in pre-production
U
UI: User interface refers to the controls that allow users to play the game
UX: User experience is how the user interacts with and experiences the game
V
Vertical slice: An early version of a game which showcases a narrow but representative sample of the completed game created long before the rest of the game is complete
VFX: Visual effects that augment a game’s core graphical assets such as sparks, flames and smoke
VR/AR: Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality presents three-dimensional graphics to users via stereoscopic HMDs whereas AR overlays graphics on top of visual feeds of the real world via a smartphone screen or HMD with front–mounted camera
W
Web development: A wide range of skills to develop applications that function over the internet including code and graphics for websites, apps and other networked systems
How To Start Your Career In Games Development
How To Start Your Career In Games Development
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