ABSTRACT

The Game Production Toolbox focuses on the nuts and bolts of producing interactive content and how you can organize and support the creative, technical, and business efforts that are all part of interactive game development. This book isn’t going to tell you how to design a game or what technologies to use. Instead it provides techniques for and insights into managing, from concept to release, all the pieces that must come together in order to get a game into the hands of a player.

Readers will learn about each phase of game production: prototyping, defining the requirements, assembling the team, making the game, and releasing to the players. Interviews from professional game developers give a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make a game.

Key Features

  • A framework for how to get an interactive game from concept to release, including information on financing and pitching to publishers and investors.
  • Techniques for working with the game development team to get effective prototypes and documentation to prove out game concept and mechanics.
  • Concrete information on how to plan and execute the different aspects of game production, such as audio, localization, testing, and software ratings.
  • Advice from industry experts on managing teams, project management, communicating effectively, and keeping everyone happy.
  • Information about working effectively with marketing, PR, and other people that are involved with the publishing and release process.

part 1|53 pages

Overview

chapter 1|21 pages

Game Industry Overview

chapter 2|17 pages

Developer and Publisher Overview

chapter 3|11 pages

Legal Overview

part 2|48 pages

Creating the Prototype

chapter 4|24 pages

Laying the Groundwork

chapter 5|14 pages

Creating Concept

chapter 6|8 pages

Prototyping

part 3|41 pages

Establishing Requirements

chapter 7|15 pages

Schedule

chapter 8|8 pages

Budget

chapter 9|15 pages

Pitching Your Game

part 4|44 pages

Assembling the Game Team

chapter 10|10 pages

Hiring Talent

chapter 11|9 pages

Team Organization

chapter 12|16 pages

Managing Your Team

chapter 13|6 pages

Outsourcing

part 5|68 pages

Making the Game

chapter 14|14 pages

Executing the Plan

chapter 15|9 pages

User Experience (UX), UX

Written in Collaboration with Celia Hodent

chapter 16|16 pages

Audio

chapter 17|14 pages

Localization

chapter 18|12 pages

QA Testing

part 6|17 pages

Launching the Game

chapter 19|6 pages

Getting the Word Out

chapter 20|9 pages

Releasing to Players