Unit 8: Games Development
ASSIGNMENT 1
Contents & Page Numbers
Table of Contents
Contents & Page Numbers.....................................................................................................................1
Social Trends in Computer Gaming........................................................................................................2
Popular Genres..................................................................................................................................2
Player Demographics.........................................................................................................................2
Game Production...............................................................................................................................4
Earning Revenue Issues.................................................................................................................5
Multiplayer........................................................................................................................................6
Artificial Intelligence (AI)....................................................................................................................7
Emerging Technologies......................................................................................................................9
Virtual Reality (VR).........................................................................................................................9
Augmented Reality (AR)...............................................................................................................10
Security Concerns............................................................................................................................11
Technologies Used in Computer Gaming.............................................................................................11
Benefits and limitations of different platform options for the development of computer games...11
Personal Computers (PC).............................................................................................................11
Consoles.......................................................................................................................................12
Mobile Devices.............................................................................................................................13
Web-Based...................................................................................................................................14
Evolution of Gaming Platforms Timeline Infographic...................................................................15
Hardware options and their effect on the development of computer games.................................16
Central Processing Unit (CPU) & Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)................................................16
Storage.........................................................................................................................................16
Memory.......................................................................................................................................17
Output & Input............................................................................................................................18
Connections.................................................................................................................................18
Hardware Requirements Evolving Over Time..............................................................................19
Software options and their effect on the development of computer games...................................20
Operating System (OS).................................................................................................................20
Programming Language...............................................................................................................20
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Device Drivers..............................................................................................................................21
Graphic Options (APIs).................................................................................................................21
Audio Options (APIs)....................................................................................................................22
Uses of game engines, their capabilities and how they aid computer game developers.................22
Rendering Engines.......................................................................................................................22
Scripting.......................................................................................................................................24
Animation....................................................................................................................................24
Physics Engines............................................................................................................................24
References...........................................................................................................................................27
Social Trends in Computer Gaming
Popular Genres
Here are the top 10 selling video games of the PlayStation and PlayStation 4 with their genres.
PlayStation Genres PlayStation 4 Genres
Open world, Mission
Gran Turismo Sim racing Grand Theft Auto V
based driving, TPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Final Fantasy VII Action RPG FPS, Adventure, War
3
Final Fantasy VIII Action RPG Call of Duty: WWII FPS, War
Crash Bandicoot 3: Red Dead Redemption Open world, TPS,
Platformer
Warped 2 Action-adventure
Crash Bandicoot Platformer FIFA 18 Sport, Multiplayer
Action-adventure,
Metal Gear Solid FIFA 17 Sport, Multiplayer
stealth, shooter
Action, Adventure,
Final Fantasy IX Uncharted TPS, Action-Adventure
RPG
Action-adventure, Call of Duty: Infinite
Tomb Raiser II FPS, Sci-fi, War
TPS Warfare
Crash Bandicoot 2:
Platform Fallout 4 Open world, RPG, FPS
Cortex Strikes Back
Tomb Raider: The Open world, mission
Action, Adventure Marvel’s Spider-Man
Last Revelation based, superhero
In PS4 the most popular genres were Shooter & Action, Open world/mission based. However, in PS
there are less shooters/mission-based/open-world. Rather there are more of Action and adventure
games.
Player Demographics
Women Players in US
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Female gamers are gaining popularity. According to an Entertainment Software Association poll,
women gamers in the United States climbed from 40% in 2010 to 48% in 2014. Despite popular
belief that males make up the majority of gamers, the ratio of female to male players is currently
pretty much equal, matching the overall population.
Teens
According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project research from 2008, 65 percent of males and 35
percent of women describe themselves as everyday gamers among teenagers. The younger the age
group, the greater the trend was discovered.
Adults
Adult men are substantially more likely to play console games than adult women, according to the
survey, although they are equal likely to play on other platforms. Even in this sector, though, the
statistics are trending in the right direction: Nintendo announced in 2012 that half of its users were
women, and 2015 research indicated that more American women (42%) than males (37%) owned
video game consoles. Female involvement grew with age, according to Variety in 2013. (61 percent
of women and 57 percent of men aged 45 to 64 played games).
A mid-2015 survey reported by UKIE indicates that 42% of UK gamers are female.
International comparison of gamer gender ratios (Source: Wikipedia)
2012 Ratio 2013 Ratio 2016 Ratio
Region/Country
(female to male) (female to male) (female to male)
USA 47 : 53 45 : 55 41 : 59
Great Britain 46 : 54 Not available 42 : 58
Spain 44 : 56 Not available 45 : 55
New Zealand 46 : 54 Not available 46 : 54
Australia 47 : 53 Not available 47 : 53
Interests in motivation and genre of game between genders
Primary Motivation Description Women Men
Finishing everything, finding all collectibles and
Completion 17% 10%
locations
Fantasy Immersion in and exploring other worlds 16% 09%
Expressing themselves, building or customizing
Design 15% 06%
things
Community Socializing and collaborating with others 10% 09%
Story Elaborate narrative, well-developed characters 09% 06%
Destruction Blowing things up, creating chaos 08% 12%
Discovery Asking "what if?", looking for novel outcomes 07% 06%
Competition Competing with other players 05% 14%
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Decision-making and planning, balancing
Strategy 05% 08%
resources, and goals
Maximizing power in the game, obtaining the
Power 04% 06%
best items
Excitement Action, thrills, fast-paced gameplay 03% 06%
Exercising personal skill and ability, requiring
Challenge 03% 07%
practice
Green = Highest Percentages Red = Lowest Percentages
From this piece of data, we can see that more male players love to play games that includes
destroying and fighting things however female players are more interested in Immersion in and
exploring other worlds. This shows the overall interest of both genders in gaming genres.
Ratio of females/males in the video game industry comparative to that play games
According to a 2020 survey of the top fourteen global gaming businesses, males hold 84% of
executive roles in the sector. Women make up just 24% of individuals employed in the industry
outside of the executive ranks. Female representation continues to be an issue. Those who are
already employed in the industry may find that their gender is a disadvantage. According to the
Guardian's 2015 Gender Balance Workforce Survey, 45 percent of women working in the UK game
business believe their gender is a restricting factor in their career advancement. In the same study,
33% of respondents said they have been subjected to direct harassment or bullying as a result of
their gender.
Game Production
Production is the stage of games development where the game's assets and source code are
created. Artists create game elements such as sprites and 3D models, while programmers produce
new source code. Overall meaning of game production is, the making and releasing a game.
- Designing and Concept Art
Before a game is produced, designs and paintings are generated to showcase how the game world
should appear and feel. The concept art will be used throughout the game's development to ensure
that everyone on the team understands what the game should look like and what feelings it should
evoke in the user.
- Mainstream Production
The term "mainstream production" refers to the moment when a project is fully prepared.
- Mainstream Publishers
Publishers of video games pay developers in advance to create a game. They agree to work with a
studio (game development studio) to create a game based on a pre-determined brief. The publisher
then works closely with the studio's game developer to ensure that the game is completed as agreed
on budget, and on schedule.
Publishers provide employment to the studio in order to fund the game's development. They help in
marketing and quality assurance (testing). They also address product and brand management, which
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