Do you want to learn Video Game Development Process step-by-step? Or do you want to develop a video game by yourself? If your answer is yes, then this Video Game Development Process guide is for you.

In the past decade, the industry of video games has grown rapidly. The growing popularity and easy availability of video games have become a global phenomenon. So people are now very curious about video games and also the video game development process. In this Video Game Development article, you’ll come to know how a video game develops, how you can benefit from it, the development process, and many more. 

What is Game Development?

What is Game Development means is video game development?
Figure 01: Game Development

Before knowing about Video Game Development, let’s know about game development. So game development can be defined as the process of creating games and describes the design, development, and release of a game in detail. It consists of concept generation, design, development, test, and release. While creating a game, thinking about the game mechanics, rewards, user engagement, and level design are important.

A game developer could be a programmer, a sound designer, an artist, a designer, or many other roles available in the industry.

What is Video Game Development?

Development of Video Games
Figure 02: Video Game Development

So now it’s time to know about video game development. The process of making or developing a video game is considered video game development. 

You take an idea or a concept for a game, and you develop, program, engineer, render, record, mix, produce, test, etc., until you have a full-fledged game.

The History of Video Game Development

Video Game Development History.
Figure 03: History of Video Game Development

In this Video Game Development Article, you’ll know the history, how video game development took place. With the development process of the first video games, the history of video game making has started. Although which video game is developed first depends on the definition of the video game. The first games had little entertainment value, and their development mission was different from the user experience; these video games required mainframe computers to play them. The first computer game which needed to use a digital display was OXO, written by Alexander S. Douglas in 1952

In the 1970s, when first-generation consoles and arcade video games were marketed, true commercial design and development of games began. In 1971, the coin-operated video game Computer Space was the first commercially sold video game. However, it needed a black-and-white television for its display, and the computer system was made of 74 series TTL chips. The first home console system was released in 1972, Magnavox Odyssey, made by Ralph H. Baer. That same year, an arcade game named Pong increased video game popularity. The commercial success of this game led other companies to make the clones of Pong, spawning the video game industry.

After invention, what was the next journey of Video Game Development?

In this video game development tutorial for beginners, you’ll know after inventing video games and applying the development process, how the industry expanded significantly. At the time, with the arcade video game sector alone generating higher economic growth than both pop music and Hollywood films combined. However, because of the 1983 video game crash, the home video game industry suffered major losses.

In 2000, a publisher funded US $1M–3M for a 12 to 36-month development project. Additionally, on marketing and sales development, they spent $250k–1.5M. Over 3000 games were released for PC in 2001. About 100 games made a profit, and only about 50 made a significant profit. It became common to use middleware game engines, such as Quake engine or Unreal engine, in the early 2000s.

The game industry has seen a shift in analytical as gaming on smartphones and tablets displaced handheld consoles from the 2000s and into the 2010s. In addition, as triple-A video game production became more expensive and risk-averse, opportunities arose for more innovative and independent video game development over the 2000s and 2010s. To improve the video games, hardware and software technology are used with support for high-quality video at high rates and for virtual and augmented reality-based games.

What are the benefits of Video Games?

Video Game Benefits
Figure 04: Benefits of Video Games

Video games amazingly affect positively. Video Gaming can help people suffering from addictions or cravings to reduce the intensity of their desires. Video games are advantageous in engaging with various facets of our regular lives. Some advantages are physical, psychological, and social. Contrary to popular belief, they can also be significant for healthy living and increased social activity through many avenues.In this video game development guide, you will come to know how video games can be beneficial. 

  • Video games can improve your vision: 

A common parental statement without a lot of science to back it up was “Don’t sit too close to the television.” Instead, scientists have discovered that video games in moderation may not strain but improve your vision. In one research, ten weeks of video gameplay was associated with a greater ability to discern between shades of gray. Another participant tried to play video games using only their “lazy” eye, with the “good” one obscured. Those players showed active, sometimes normalized improvement in the affected eye.

  • Video games can help make you a better leader.

Researchers have noted that players can display a correlating motivation in their real-world career goals because certain genres of video games reward and encourage leadership traits—providing for “communities,” securing their safety, etc.—. Improvising in a video game can also transform into being faster on your feet when an office crisis crops up.

  • Video games can make kids more active.

While some video games promote a whole-body level of interaction, even those requiring a simple handheld controller can lead to physical activity. For example, sports games involving basketball, tennis, or even skateboarding can lead children to practice those same skills outdoors.

  • Video games can help to slow down the aging process.

The “brain games” involving problem-solving, memory, and puzzle components have advantages for older players. For example, in one study, just 10 hours of play led to growing intellectual functioning in participants 50 and older—an improvement that lasted for many years.

  • Video games might help ease the pain.

Sometimes people try to distract themselves by paying attention to something else or concentrating on other body mechanisms, but that’s not the only cause video games are a good post-injury prescription. Playing can produce an analgesic (pain-killing) response in our higher cortical systems. 

  • Video games can help people make new social connections.

Video gamers are sometimes classified as being too isolated, but that is not true. The pattern of multiplayer experiences online is a new form of socializing in which players work together to solve problems to win. But Researchers have shown that video games can also motivate friends to gather in person.

  • They can help improve your decision-making skills.

We know someone who seems to have a faster device than the rest of us, capable of fetching information or reacting in a split second. For some, that potential might be strengthened through video gaming because new information is regularly being displayed during play. As a result, video game players are forced to adapt fastly. For example, in one study, video game players in fast-paced video games reacted faster to queries about an image they had just seen than non-video game players.

  • Video games can reduce stress.

While some video games are thought to persuade stress—especially when you see your character struck down countless times—the opposite can be true. A major study that tracked players over six months and calculated heart rate found that definite titles decreased the anxiety response by over 50 percent.

  • Greater Multitasking Ability

Video games have been shown to upgrade your multitasking ability. This is one of the most notable advantages of video gaming because it allows you to achieve your daily tasks better and more productively and complete several tasks simultaneously.

Many video games force gamers to perform many tasks simultaneously – especially action games. For example, while playing, a player has to look at the enemy on the screen, keep track of the movement and other stats, and play for the character. Also, a player might be speaking to their teammates and friends over the microphone. This is how video gamers do multitasking, which will also help them multitask in other works. 

  • Faster and More Accurate Decision-Making

Some researchers from the University of Rochester found that video games can help a person make decisions faster and more accurately, transforming into better decision-making ability in real life.

They also found that you’re generally more likely to make decisions faster and more accurately than non-video gamers if you play action video games. For example, when presented with an issue, action video game players were up to 25 percent faster than gamers of slow-paced video games, and they also made accurate decisions. This skill is so important in areas of work where faster and more accurate decision-making is crucial.

  • More Physical Activity

Playing video games that encourage you to stay active might improve your physical health, especially when compared to other games for which you remain idle the whole time.

As an example, take VR games. You have to move around to play these games, or at least you have to stand up, which is already better for your physical health than playing games where you remain seated the whole time.

Video Gamers also find VR gaming more immersive, exciting, and satisfactory than traditional gaming, so it’s only a concern of time. In the next few years or decades, VR games will become the norm.

How does video game development benefit your business? 

Video Game Development Benefits for Businesses
Figure 05: Business Benefits of Video Game Development

If you’re new to this sector or want to take video game development as your business and don’t find how it can help you to grow your business, then this video game development ultimate guide for beginners is for you.

The young generation is highly attracted to video games or game apps, and it can produce huge opportunities for entrepreneurs if they grab this chance. There are many new gaming apps launched in the industry daily. With the creation or the launching of new video games, the demand for video game developers has also increased diversely. 

In this way, various game development companies are creating their video games or game apps. We can mention that video game development not only encouraged or entertained worldwide video gamers but also built a new way of earning a good amount for businesses worldwide. 

  • By creating new attractive, interesting, and unique video games, you can promote your products online and offline. With the help of viral marketing of your video game, you can generate more traffic to your website and boost revenue.
  • The most commonly used platform for creating video gaming software is Unity. It is utilized to create cross-platform video games for Android and IOS apps which will be developed free of cost. With this software- smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs can also get the advantage; it was not available free of cost before. With its free accessibility, it has grown the number of developers for the same.

What are the different Video Game Genres?

Video Game Genres
Figure 06: Video Game Genres

There are various types of video games, and typically, they’re classified by the game characteristics or underlying objectives. Video games have categories or genres then; they can also have subgenres, and many video games are matched with multiple genres!

It can not be very clear, surely, but by breaking down the game mechanics into some criteria. So in this video game development tutorial I try to make you understand how developers and publishers categorize their titles.

  • Action: Action games concentrate on physical challenges that require hand-eye coordination and quick moves. First-person shooters, survival games, platformers, rhythm games, and fighting games are all a part of the action genre. Call of Duty (2003) and Halo (2001) are two well-known action games, while games like Mortal Kombat (1992) and Street Fighter (1987) are perfect examples of classic action games. 
  • Adventure: Adventure games feature minimal battle, mainly concentrating on narrative and logical ideas to progress in the game. Puzzle games, interactive novels, and text-based games are also included in adventure games.
  • Action-adventure: Action-adventure games combined with the high physicality action games and narrative puzzles. The action-adventure genre consists of survival-horror, notably the Resident Evil (1996) franchise, and platformers like Metroid (1986) as subgenres.
  • Strategy: Strategy video games consist of the idea of strategic thinking to succeed, rather than force or power. These strategy games sometimes concentrate on building and defense, or they can perform as real-time strategy games, like Age of Empires (1997). League of Legends (2009), the multiplayer battle arena (MOBA)-style game, is considered a real-time strategy game where players have to show smart teamwork to win over their opponents.
  • Simulation: Video games that copy or simulate real-life features are known as simulation games. These games are made focusing on operating businesses and building cities. One of the simulation games is The Sims (2000), which focuses on building characters’ lives to experience the world a player has created. In contrast, Roller Coaster Tycoon (1999) is about building a theme park and looking upon the people and patrons who work and visit there. Flight and racing simulation games are also included in this genre.

Now in this beginners guide to Video Game Development aricle, I’ll discuss the 7 significant stages of video game development.

What are the 7 Stages of Video Game Development?

7 Stages of Video Game Development
Figure 07: 7 Stages of Video Game Development

Some people who design and build video games will say that video game development is never as pretty as strategized. Meeting deadlines, bottlenecks in production, pressure from video game publishers, and endless work weeks are just some of the many challenges during the development cycle.

Many aren’t aware of this development cycle of madness and its many stages, so we help you shed some light on video game development.

Pre-production

This stage is considered the creation of the foundation of a video game, the formation of the skeleton, or the design of the roots, call it as you want to call it. The bottom line is that it provides a course for the main work. And the more detailed you work it out, the more harmonious, smoother, and error-free the further development will be. The steps that should be considered in this stage are:

  • Video Game budget
  • Video Game type
  • Video Gaming platform
  • Video Gaming genres
  • The target audience

Production

Moving on to the next video game development phase is production. It is considered one of the most active and dynamic phases. The video game development production phase is when the studio takes the ideas created during pre-production and converts them into source code and several assets. It’s where the value of your time, effort, and resources go. During this phase, various teams work in parallel:

  • Design
  • Programming
  • Art
  • Graphics
  • Audio

Testing

The video game development timeline is always very tense and responsible, and every client prioritizes its stages in different ways. The testing stands out from other phases of video game development in that it keeps the game from failure. First, testers check the accuracy of all areas of the video game. Sometimes the testers are classified into different groups to ensure that different outlooks of the game are tested. Finally, they implement a 100% playthrough with all the accomplishments and prizes to ensure everything is working correctly.

Pre-launch

The procedure of making a video game may sometimes not include this stage. The activities can differ from one to another: commercials with gameplay elements, articles/blogs, reviews, screenshots from the video game, etc. Also, sometimes exclusive previews of the video game are strategized at game conferences or thematic meetings.

The scale of the advertising campaign is usually proportional to the scale of the video game. Sometimes the budget for such activities can exceed the cost of developing the entire video game. It should always be considered, and it will be a smart decision to store funds for potential promotion.

Launch

The most important step is the release of the video game. The team can still apply minor edits and additions until releasing the game. It usually concerns the visual range: upgrading the quality of textures, upgrading Animation. Launching a game means providing it to game stores for the end-users. Depending on the platform it is released for and on what terms, players will buy it or download it for free.

Post-production

After the game’s final version is released, it enters the final stage of the game development process – the post-production. The primary purpose of this stage is game maintenance, which mainly includes:

  • Bug-fixing
  • New content

Adding brand new content keeps players engaged and brings them back to the video game even when it’s finished. In a competitive video gaming environment, this is an important activity so that the video game continues boosting as long as possible and does not dismiss its counterparts.

To develop a video game, you have to have clear knowledge about video game development tools. Because without using tools, you cannot develop a video game. So, now in this video game development article, I’ll mention about some tools.

What are the Video Game Development Tools? 

Video Game Development Tools
Figure 08: Video Game Development Tools

Various tech and digital tools are considered the initial steps to developing video games. Some are highly specialized and complicated, while others may be familiar to many people. 

What are the programming languages used for video games development?

Programming language skills are necessary to make a video game from its ideation stage to something playable. Often, a full team of expert programmers works to build out the video game environment, and sometimes they will be teamed up with the video game development and design team members.

The particular programming languages employed differ depending on several factors, including the user console and the type of video game. Some common programming languages which are used in the video game industry include:

  • C++: C++ is a gaming standard. It’s more difficult than other languages like Java comparatively, but when it comes to design, it is used for more autonomy and freedom. 
  • Java: Java is considered one of the most versatile programming languages ever. Many people consider this programming language their favorite because it has been proven to run on nearly everything available throughout the years. The versatility is commendable and could help you along with your project.
  • HTML: To customize the function and appearance of web pages, HML is used. 
  • JavaScript: JavaScrip is a web-programming language. It is used to create effects within a web browser.

What engines and platforms are used to develop video games?

A video game engine refers to the general architecture used to make the game. It permits the game developer to include physics, collision detection, rendering, and AI. There are some popular game engines, including:

  • Unity
  • Unreal Engine
  • AppGameKit
  • GameMaker

When choosing an engine for developing a video game, it’s also necessary to consider the platform on which the video game will ultimately be played.

Till now you come to know many important facts about video game development. But after having knowledge about all of the facts, one thing definitely comes to your mind is how much you need to spend for developing a video game. So, now in this video game development ultimate guide, I’ll let you know how you can estimate the cost.

How can you estimate the cost to develop a video game?

Video Game Development Cost
Figure 09: Video Game Development Cost

If you’re looking for a particular video game development cost, you won’t find it anywhere actually. Because every video game development process is unique and has many factors influencing cost, there is no accurate formula or algorithm by which you can use to get an appropriate estimate. But in this video game development guide I share how you can estimate a general price range for a video game. 

Test Prototype Cost

Test prototypes and demos are usually built as a stepping stone toward bigger projects or simply a way to prove an idea. As such, they do not need any critical functionality or beautiful artwork. Such releases need less investment of time and resources, so they can be the most affordable to make.

Hyper-casual Video Game Development cost

Hyper-casual games are considered the easiest ones to play. This is because most hyper-casual video games can generally be played by tapping the screen at the right time or making other simple movements. In addition, each stage of gameplay is very fast, and it takes just a few seconds to start again as the mechanics are very repetitive, so less budget is required, and the cost is still quite low.

Casual Video Game Development cost

Casual games are those targeted at a specific type of player. The players don’t play regularly– they may sometimes require something to entertain themselves while on the way to work or refresh their minds during a break. As a rule, casual games are very simple to play and do not need a significant investment of time. On the other hand, this game takes up more memory, has more content, and implements more advanced features than others, so their costs also tend to be huge.

Midcore Video Game Development Cost

From the developers’ point of view, midcore is the first “serious” kind of game. These video games are played by people who have a genuine likeness for video gaming and are willing to spend time on this activity. It might not be many hours. Besides time, mid-core titles need a fair amount of thinking and strategy. You can expect puzzles. Mysteries and advanced features.

 These projects are still quite accessible and appealing to small and mid-sized studios.

Hardcore Video Game Development Cost

The hardcore category games force users to dedicate time and effort to their playthroughs. As a result, they develop particular skills, apply strategic thinking capability, and make big decisions that affect the narrative.  

Due to the immersive and advanced features added to hardcore titles, along with the biggest amount of content available, they are very costly to make and usually need the backing of major investors and distributors.

The video game industry is growing so fast. It offers countless opportunities for aspiring developers and enterprises to find challenging, creative, and meaningful work. Utilize the resources assembled in this video game development article and enhance your knowledge.

Video Game Development FAQs

Get the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Video game Development here: 

How important are video games?

The popularity of smart gadgets has created a new avenue of entertainment in the gaming industry. And now, the video games market is a big part of the gaming ecosystem. So it has become the most important part of our lives and business also. 

Which are the available video gaming platforms ?

Various smart gadgets are running on various operating systems. The popular ones are smartphones: Apple iOS, Android, Windows.

What are the genres of video games?

The video game genres are:

  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Action-adventure
  • Strategy
  • Simulation

What are the tools and technologies used for Video Game Development?

The wide world of video game development needs sound knowledge of most of the popular and updated game engines. Here are some popular programming Tools and game engines for video games:

  • Cocos 2D
  • Unity 3D
  • Box2D
  • ChipMunk
  • OpenAL
  • Steam Programming
  • OpenGL ES(1.1- 2.0+)

Which engine is the best Video Game Development software for iOS and Android?

If you are looking for the best video game development software for both Android and iOS, then your choices should be

  • Unity game engine
  • Coco2d for cross-platform 2d games

What are the benefits of Video Games?

The benefits of video game development are:

  • Video games can improve your vision
  • Video games can help make you a better leader
  • Video games can make kids more active
  • Video games can help to slow down the aging process
  • Video games might help ease the pain
  • Video games can help people make new social connections
  • They can help improve your decision-making skills

This page was last edited on 17 December 2023, at 4:42 pm