Games are a great source of entertainment. After playing a video game or mobile game, a person gets refreshed. With stress levels rising among the youngsters, the popularity of games has increased. This is the reason that game development education is being taken up by more students.
A game has various aspects that include programming, sound effects, visuals, etc. Some of the aspects have been discussed below:
The Platform
A platform of game is a combination of software and hardware which provides a basis for a game to run. Some popular game platforms are – Mobile (Android, iPhone, others), Handheld, Web Browser Based, Console (Wii, Xbox, PS2/PS3), PC (Mac, Windows), Arcade machines (machines specific to games in game parlours of malls), etc.
Type of platform may or may not restrict the type of game. For consoles, the hardware is different and the games that can run on them are also different. The best part is, on knowing about the hardware, one can design customized games.
Stages of development
Development of games can be divided into two phases – Content creation and runtime.
In the content creation phase, one defines the theme of the game, characters to be placed, levels of animations, etc. This is done offline on tools like Game design tools, Photoshop, etc. In the runtime phase, interaction between server and engine takes place. Both of them interact with the user to define each frame of the game for the user to play.
Graphics in movies is different from that in games. In movies, the animation and graphics are computed well in advance and saved. One just needs to open the file and it shows that sequences. However, in a game, the graphics and results depend on the inputs from the user. The graphics and animations have to be decided in real-time.
Different Components
A game comprises of many parts. Some of them are:
The game renderer: This calculates all the computer graphics like reflection of light, lighting, etc. It adds the feature of clarity and accuracy to the game. It starts to look more real.
The game renderer: This calculates all the computer graphics like reflection of light, lighting, etc. It adds the feature of clarity and accuracy to the game. It starts to look more real.
Physics: For the games that involve steps where a character has to jump from a building, an object is thrown, etc. the physics laws and principles have to be incorporate. Trajectory motions, newton’s laws find their implementation here.
Artificial Intelligence: This includes the coding that monitors response of the characters in the game. In order to make the game as realistic as possible, the responses should be based or coded similar to the human behaviour. This is done though AI algorithms.
Audio: This forms an important part of the game and makes them more interesting to play. The commentary or instrumentals in a game should respond as per the outcomes of the inputs given by the user.
User Interface: This defines how the user will interact with the game. It can be through buttons, sensors, etc.
The above mentioned aspects are only a part of the game development process. It includes much more. Opting for game development Education can provide a person with good knowledge to move ahead in this field.
