AAA games make up the minority of games released each year, but receive the vast majority of news coverage, consumer hype, and cultural mindshare. Because of that, you’d assume that anyone would be able to definitively say which games are and are not AAA, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
At first, games were just games. Good games, bad games; big games, little games. Then came the rise of the AAA game. Suddenly a game either was or was not AAA. Inevitably, other classifications followed. In this article, we try to dig into what those are and what they mean. Along the way, we also propose some clearer and more concrete definitions for those terms than currently exist.
I have been doing design and development tests for over a decade now (I even did some art tests early in my career) and I have come to the conclusion that most tests are bad. The idea of testing people isn’t bad, in fact, it’s imperative in the games industry.
One of the weaknesses of the game industry is that we are fairly slow to adopt new processes. A great framework that has come out in the last few years is GIST. It allows teams to eliminate the use of road-maps and stay Agile in their planning as well as their implementation.
When talking to teams that are early in the development process, they often tell us they want to make either a vertical slice or an MVP (minimum viable product) of their game. We find these two terms get used interchangeably when in fact, they are very different. To clear up any confusion, let’s take a look at what the two terms mean, and better yet, how to use the concepts behind them to make a great game.
A Technical Designer is a facilitator, helping to move concepts from ideation to implementation. They serve as a practical bridge between disciplines (design and engineering), and as a professional “unblocker” for the design team.
I’m often asked by my former students, “What skills should I really be learning to get into the industry?” The answer to this question is really complicated, and depends largely on what the person wants to do. However, there are a few jobs that are very difficult to fill for many companies and if you…
The relationship between game development and marketing can be a contentious one. Many times when a game gets a negative reaction from fans on release, the reason is as much about how the game was marketed than anything else. Making sure that the public’s expectations are aligned with reality is essential to the success of…
YouTube has emerged as one of the best ways for game developers to share how their games are made. And more importantly, how you can make them too. This list is not about the design of your game, rather how to develop your game. That is to say, the below channels are less likely to…
Any die-hard Trekkies out there should be familiar with the Scotty Principle, even if you haven’t heard it referred to as that. You may not, however, know how it can apply to game development. Read on and you can find out. But first, for the uninitiated… What is the Scotty Principle? The Scotty Principle (also…
Podcasts are my personal favorite way to learn new things and absorb information. Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin, I have them playing all the time. Including whenever I do chores around the house like washing the dishes or hanging the laundry. I find the long-form conversations podcasting encourages are the perfect venue to explore the…
Talking to people who are disillusioned by crunch, we hear about a scenario that is becoming more and more common. A game studio goes through an intensive period of crunch to release a game. Everyone pulls together, works hard, and manages to meet their deadline. A few weeks or months of relative calm ensues. And…