|
|
Game designer
A game designer is a person who designs games. The term normally refers to a
person who designs video or computer games, but it can also refer to one who
designs traditional games, such as board games.
Video and Computer Game Designer
A video or computer game designer develops the layout, concept and gameplay:
the game design of a video or computer game. They work for a video game
publisher or developer. This person usually has a lot of writing experience
and may even have a degree in writing or a related field (such as English).
This person's primary job function is writing, so the more experience they
have with the activity, the better. Some art and programming skills are also
helpful for this job, but are not strictly necessary.
In the video game industry, the job of game designer is one of the hardest
to obtain. It is not easy, though many people (especially teenage boys)
think they "have what it takes" to perform this job. Almost everyone in the
game industry has what they believe is a "killer game" concept and is
waiting for the opportunity to develop the game. As a game designer, they
may get the opportunity to develop that game concept, so competition is
usually very high.
Since a video game publisher may invest millions of dollars towards a game's
develop, it's easy to understand why they choose game designers
carefully—one or two ill game concepts could end up costing them
millions of dollars of revenue and could even risk bankrupting the company
(as in the case of Sir-Tech). For this reason, game publishers usually
choose game designers who have a proven track record with several hit games
under their belts. Less seasoned designers may be assigned to low profile
games that have budgets in the low thousands.
History
Early in the history of video games, game designers were often the lead
programmer or the only programmer for a game. This is the case of such noted
designer s as Sid Meier and Will Wright. This person also sometimes
comprised the entire art team! As games became more complex and computers
and consoles became more powerful (allowing more features), the job of game
designer became a separate job function, with the lead programmer splitting
his time between the two functions, transitioning from one role to the other.
Later, game complexity escalated to the point where it required one who
concentrated solely on game design. Many early veterans chose the game
design path eschewing programming and relegating those tasks to others.
Today, it is rare to find a video or computer game where the principle
programmer is also the principle designer, except in the case of relatively
simple games, such as Tetris or Bejewelled. With very complex games, such as
MMORPGs, designers may number in the dozens! In these cases, there are
generally one or two principle designers and many junior designers who
specify subsets or subsystems of the game.
The Video and Computer Game Design Process
The game designer starts with a concept, which may be handed to them or may
be one they created themself. They may start informally by discussing the
game idea with others or may start writing immediately. Either way, one of
the first tasks is to create an initial game design (or proposal, depending
on the circumstances). The initial design needs to be approved and then
full-scale production can begin.
However, just getting a game idea or design approved can be a tedious
process. If the initial design is rejected, the designer has to try to
figure out why it was rejected and make changes to appease stakeholders. The
process of submitting a design, getting rejected, tweaking and resubmitting
can take weeks, months or even years. Often, a game design never gets
approved and the designer has to attempt a different idea altogether. But
when a design finally gets the "green light," it isn't over.
When full-scale production begins, the initial game design gives the
production team (programmers, artist and one or more producers) a "jumping
off" point for development. Artists generate concept sketches and
programmers will develop several prototypes to test out various game
concepts. During this time, the game design will evolve, change and grow
drastically, and it is the game designer's job to document it all.
But it doesn't end when the early production phase is over. During
development many discoveries are made (for example, a way to render larger
scenes) and shortcomings have to be dealt with (for example, the inability
to calculate inverse kinematics). All these discoveries alter the game
design and must be documented. The game design is a "living document" and
the game designer is its heart and blood. Making and managing all the
changes is difficult and can be cumbersome, so the designer must be adept at
prioritizing and tracking changes. Additionally, since changes can be made
in any place of the document, the designer must be vigilant in keeping the
team informed of these changes and must be ready for any anger or criticism
levied at them from the outcome—many hundreds of hours of work may be
discarded from subtle changes to the game's direction.
By the end of development, the design document may grow from less than a
dozen pages to several hundred. Samples of artwork and graphs make up some
of the content, but most of the document is text which the designer must generate.
The game designer must also be diplomatic. During development, many members
of the development team will offer suggestions or request changes (actually,
a good game designer will solicit comments from the team). When many
suggestions for one aspect of the game are made, the designer must choose
which one is most desirable. They must be diplomatic in announcing their
decision so as not to offend those who proffered the unused choices. Like in
most endeavors, a coherent team is vital in game development and the
designer can't afford to offend those who may play vital roles.
Diplomacy is also important when dealing with the client, who may be upper
management, or, in the case of a third-party developer, the game publisher.
If these stakeholders are not satisfied with aspects of the design, the
designer must diplomatically resolve these issues, balancing satisfying the
client with keeping in features that he or she wants. Upsetting any one of
several possible stakeholders could lead to removal of the designer from the
game.
If the designer is not the sole designer on a game, they must exercise
diplomacy when discussing features with other designers. Conflicting ideas
can easily escalate into violence when passionate personalities are
involved.
Though it may go without saying, game designers must be creative individuals
with broad backgrounds. Early in their career, designers may be required to
design games based on licensed properties or IPs—some of which may
have little game potential (for example, Cap'n Crunch cereal). In these
cases, the designer must exercise great creativity and patience while
forming a game that is fun and interesting. After several years of such
design experience, a designer may be given the opportunity to work on a game
in their preferred genre.
Notable Video and Computer Game Designers
* Sid Meier of Civilization and Railroad Tycoon fame
* Will Wright, designer of SimCity and The Sims
* Shigeru Miyamoto of Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda series
* Richard Garriott (Lord British), developer of the Ultima series of
computer games
* Danielle Bunten Berry, of the seminal M.U.L.E. and Seven Cities of Gold
* Hironobu Sakaguchi of the popular Final Fantasy series
This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
|
Connect JewelsConnect Jewels Connect jewels and construct the right combinations to defeat your opponent with powerful magic! Play against the computer or compete against a friend. 8 levels, 8 different opponents. 3D animated backgrounds and more! Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP More ...
3-in-2 Removable SATA Backplane Internal DriveCase3-in-2 Removable SATA Backplane Internal DriveCase ** 3-in-2 Removable SATA Backplane Internal Drive Case **This 3-in-2 Removable Internal Drive Case can accomodate three high performance SATA 3.5-inch hard drives, while occupying only two 5.25-inch drive bays! It's constructed of aluminum, has a cooling fan for effective airflow ventilation and supports up to 150 Mbps data transfer rates. This SNT-2131-SATA hard drive case is a reliable and economic solution on RAID 0,1,5! Order yours today! General Features:- Aluminum Frame, Aluminum Cover - Interface: Serial ATA 1.0 - High performance transfer rate: Up to 150 MB/sec. - Form Factor: 2 Bay for 3 HDD (1") - Support RAID 0, 1, 5 functions - Plug and Play , Hot Swappable - Point to point, free from master/slave setting - SATA 15-pin & 4 pin power connectors - LED for P/S, Fan Sensor & Buzzer - Power Control Switch - Reset Switch for buzzer alarm - 8cm Fan Dimensions: - 8" x 5.75" x 3.5" (L x W x H, approximate) Regulatory Approvals: - CE Retail Package Includes: - 3-in-2 Removable SATA Backplane Internal Drive Case - User's Manual Notes: - Model: SNT-2131-SATA Compatibility/Requirements/Disclosures: ** Requirements *** Available Two (2) 5.25-inch drive bays * 3.5-inch SATA Hard Drives * Available 4-pin power connector More ...
Biostar U8668D P4M266A S478 mATX MB w/Vid Snd NICBiostar U8668D P4M266A S478 mATX MB w/Vid Snd NIC ** Biostar U8668D Socket 478 Motherboard **Building a good system means starting with a great motherboard like this Biostar U8668D. The U8668D featuressupport for Intel Pentium 4 processors up to 3.06 GHz andsupports up to 2 GB DDR RAM! The mATX form factor makes itideal for integration in busy offices where the integratedvideo, audio and Ethernet controllers can be put to work!General Features:- mATX form factor- Socket 478- VIA P4M266 chipset- Supports 400 MHz & 533 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB)- Supports up to 2 GB DDR RAM (PC2100)- Two (2) dual-channel UDMA/133 IDE controllers - Two (2) dual-channel floppy disk controllers- S3 ProSavage 8 integrated video- Integrated AC'97 2.2 audio CODEC- Realtek RTL 8100B integrated Ethernet controllerExpansion Slots:- One (1) AGP slot- Three (3) PCI slots- One (1) CNR slot- Two (2) 184-pin DIMM slotsI/O Ports:- Two (2) PS/2 ports- One (1) 15-pin standard VGA connector- One (1) 9-pin standard serial port- One (1) 25-pin standard parallel port- One (1) 15-pin game/midi port- Four (4) USB 1.1 ports (two on back, two via header)- One (1) RJ-45 standard Ethernet jack- Line-in, microphone and line-out jacksSupported Processors:- Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478 processors up to 3.06 GHz with 533 MHz FSB- Intel Celeron Socket 478 processors up to 2.4 GHzHardware Monitor Function Features:- CPU/system fan speed- CPU temperature- System voltage- Vcore, +3.3V, +5V, +12VWarpSpeeder Features:- Overclock- Hardware monitorRegulatory Approvals:- FCC- CERetail Package Includes:- Biostar U8668D motherboard- User's Manual- One (1) 40-pin, 80-wire IDE cable- One (1) floppy disk controller- Driver CD- Applications CDNotes:- Retail box may vary- Manual graphics may vary Compatibility/Requirements/Disclosures: ** Requirements *** ATX case* ATX power supply* Supported processor* Supported RAM* Rest of system** Disclosures *** Retail box may vary* Manual graphics may vary More ...
2 Megapixel Digital Still/Video/MP3/Web/Voice2 Megapixel Digital Still/Video/MP3/Web/Voice ** 6-in-1 Multifunction Camera **This 6-in-1 has the functions of integrated video recording, still image camera, MP3 player, Web Cam, voice recording, and USB storage, in one multifunction AV device. It features 2 MegaPixel resolution CMOS Sensor (up to 4 MegaPixel software interpolated), 4x digital zoom, 1.5-inch TFT LCD display, and USB 1.1 interface. With 16 MB internal NAND flash memory, this camera lets you record video up to 7 minutes, store up to 82 digital still photos and up to 25 minutes voice recording time. Its versatile features coupled with simple operation provides this AV device with everything you need to take pictures, play music, and record great moments!General Features:- DV-Focus on Video Recording- DSC-Focus on Still Image- MP3 player- Web Cam- Voice recording- USB storage- CMOS Sensor (2 MegaPixel resolution / software interpolation up to 4 MegaPixel) - 1.5-inch TFT LCD display w/280 x 220 color resolution- JPEG (EXIF ver 2.2) still image format- MPEG-4 (QVGA 320 x 240 pixels) motion picture format- Motion Picture Format: 320x240@30fps/640x480@10fps- Still picture/Self timer picture mode- Multi-pattern exposure control- Progam AE exposure control- Auto & White Balance brightness control- I2S Audio CODEC/MP3/ADPCM audio- Motion Picture: Can record video up to 7 minutes w/ 16 MB internal memory (CBR, 300k)- Digital Still Photo: Can store 82 photos w/ 16 MB internalmemory (1600 x 1200 @ 2MP)- Voice Record: Can record 25 minutes w/ 16 MB internal memory- Internal microphone and speaker- NTSC/PAL video out- USB 1.1 interface- 16 MB internal NAND flash memory- SD/MMC expansion slot (card not included)Lens Specifications:- f3.0/f=8.66mm- 4x digital zoom- Fix video lens focus- 1.5 m - infinity lens focus rangeUnit Dimensions:- 4.5 x 1.9 x 0.82-inches (H x W x D)- Weight: 110 g (3.88 oz.)Retail Package Includes:- 6-in-1 Multifunction AV Device - Quick Start Guide- User's Manual- VideoStudio 7 SE CD- Ulead Photo Express 4 SE- Ulead Phot Explorer 8 SE Basic- Ulead Cool 360- USB driver for Windows 98- Hand strap- Stereo earphones- A/V cable- USB cable- 3.7V, 780mAH Li-ion rechargeable battery- AC adapter (100-240V, 50/60Hz, 0.5A; 9V, 800mA)Notes:- SD/MMC memory cards are not included Compatibility/Requirements/Disclosures:** Requirements *** Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP* Supported memory card* Available USB port* Available power outlet More ...
Toshiba 30GB UDMA/100 4200RPM 2.5-In 9.5mm NBB HDDToshiba 30GB UDMA/100 4200RPM 2.5-In 9.5mm NBB HDD ** Toshiba 30 GB Notebook Hard Drive **With the increasing demands of todays software, notebook users need additional storage. The Toshiba MK3021GAS 2.5-inch 9.5mm hard drive features 30 GB of capacity and a 4200 RPM spindle speed. UDMA/100 transfer rate, 12 ms average seek time and 2 MB buffer ensures realiable operation!General Features:- 30 GB formatted capacity- 4200 RPM spindle speed- Average Latency: 7.14 ms - 12 ms average seek time- 2 MB Buffer- UDMA/100- 2.5-inch form factor- 9.5 mm drive heightNotes:- Drive only- Toshiba model: MK3021GAS- HDD2181 D ZE01 T- DP/N PH-01T707-26402-38L-22YZ Compatibility/Requirements/Disclosures:** Requirements *** IDE controller* 9.5 mm drive bay or* 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch IDE conversion kit * Available 3.5-inch drive bay* Available power connector* IDE cable More ...
Power Reach Lite 4-Port PS/2 KVM Console w/HotkeyPower Reach Lite 4-Port PS/2 KVM Console w/Hotkey ** Power Reach Lite 4-Port PS/2 KVM Console **This Power Reach Lite 4-port KVM Console allows users to control four computers from a single mouse, keyboard and monitor. It features a convenient Hotkey features on PS/2 keyboard, supports Logitech and Microsoft wheeled mouse, and supports hot-plug PS/2 mouse. This KVM Lite console offers auto scan mode and supports 1920 x 1440 @ 220 MHz video resolutions. Order today!!General Features:- Control up to four PCs with one console (keyboard, mouse,monitor)- Convenient Hotkey freatures on PS/2 keyboard- Supports up to 1920 x 1440 @ 220 MHz video resolutions- Supports Logitech and Microsoft wheeled mouse- Supports hot-plug PS/2 mouse- Auto scan modeSystem Connectors:- Eight (8) PS/2 ports (4 mouse and 4 keyboard) - Four (4) VGA portsConsole Connectors:- Two (2) PS/2 ports (mouse/keyboard)- One (1) VGA portUnit Dimensions:- 7.4 x 2.9 x 1.1-inches (L x W x H)Regulatory Approvals:- FCC- CERetail Package Includes:- Power Reach Lite 4-Port PS/2 KVM ConsoleNotes:- Model: KVM-401LT- KVM cables not included Compatibility/Requirements/Disclosures: ** Requirements *** KVM (PS/2/VGA) cables* Computers with PS/2 mouse/keyboard and VGA adapter More ...
|
