Game Development

The development of video games is no longer a task to be undertaken by a single person. In the past, it was possible for an individual to create an entire video game by his or herself. It's still possible for a person to make a game by themselves, but the process in modern game development is so complex, the likeliness anyone would attempt this is low. Due to the technological limitations in graphics and memory, there wasn't much content, which was what allowed individuals to develop a game by themselves. (Moore) Now, however, the content is generally so extensive that if a person were to attempt to build a game by themselves, it could take years longer than if they worked with a team.



The development of the computers we have today, has led to technology that allows for the creation of larger games. In early 2000s it became increasingly common to use middleware game engines, such as, Quake engine or Unreal engine.(Bethke) The trend to use these game engines for development has continued, and has also expanded into the teaching of game development techniques. When I attended Richland College, they used Unreal Editor to teach students about level design, programming, and texturing in video games.



Likewise, the industry of video game development has been growing. In 2009 games market annual value is estimated between $7–30 billion, depending on which sales figures are included. This is on par with films box office market.(McGuire) The steady rate of increase of video game sales popularity doesn't show one definite contributing source. It could safely be said, however, that the increasing attentiveness of developers and publishers toward gamers that are considered "casual gamers" is a factor in the rise of game popularity.. Casual gamers are people who typically do not play video games often. They may also include those who either do not want to, or do not have time to play games that are more time-intensive. Games geared toward casual gamers are generally shorter, or less complicated than other "hard core" games.

References:
(Moore, Michael E.; Novak, Jeannie (2010). Game Industry Career Guide. Delmar: Cengage Learning. )
(Bethke, Erik (2003). Game development and production. Texas: Wordware Publishing, Inc)
 (McGuire, Morgan; Jenkins, Odest Chadwicke (2009). Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology. Wellesley, Massachusetts: A K Peters.)