Nowadays, video games, as well as mobile products, are not only a type of entertainment but have also become an individual industry, which is often highlighted in esports news. That is why game creation is a fast developing vertical, which will only evolve.
The process of developing a new game encompasses lots of steps, and coding is, undoubtedly, among the most important ones. In this article, we will consider popular programming languages for game development and key peculiarities of the industry.
What is game development?
The art of creating gaming products is much-discussed in the modern world. With the IT world being on the rise, more and more people want to become game developers and be involved in this vertical. At the same time, game development is a complex process, which requires a wide range of professionals and skills.
In general, game development means the creation of a product from scratch for a certain platform (e.g. mobile, PC, console, etc.). This process covers such tasks as design, coding, engineering, testing, etc. It is worth mentioning that, usually, it also consists of several stages:
- Pre-production. At this stage, a development team should prepare everything for further steps. However, the main thing is to outline the concept of the future product and its main idea. The next step is the creation of documentation, which will become the basis for a game.
- Production. It is the longest and the most vital part of the whole process. During it, a game starts to take shape as it gets plot, characters, settings, etc. This stage requires more employees involved in comparison to the first one. Among them are artists, 3D modelers, animators, sound designers, and many more. At this point, a game is already created but still needs to be polished.
- Post-production. It is a final stage during which the development team is responsible for the finishing touches. This includes testing for detecting bugs and other procedures, which will make a game perfect for players.
Here is how the development process looks like. However, the major role belongs to a game developer – a programmer who is writing code for a product. This person should know how to apply a stack of technologies and languages necessary for this vertical. Let’s consider the most widely used programming languages and game engines, which serve as a basis for development.
Things to know about Unity game development
Unity is a popular game engine and tool that allows developers to create 3D and 2D games. Its biggest advantage is an easy implementation. The engine has all features for adaptation to twenty-five platforms, including graphics optimization, resolution settings, etc.
No doubt, it is the trendiest solution among developers. The major reason for this, as has been mentioned above, is its all-encompassing application. While creating multiplatform products, Unity becomes the most convenient tool because developers use the same scripts for different devices. In addition to this, it is very simple and relatively cheap in comparison to other engines. Speaking about other perks, we can’t but mention solutions for AR and VR.
The game engine is also powerful in terms of graphics. For example, while creating water, fire textures, and motion, developers will be impressed by the pictures’ high quality. Moreover, the Unity store offers a wide selection of plugins, which help to make visuals in a game extremely realistic.
Although Unity is an excellent tool, it has several drawbacks, which are worth keeping in mind before utilizing it. Here are some of them:
- Some parts of the documentation are outdated.
- Several features connected with textures are too complicated.
- Not all features are updated for the full list of platforms.
At any rate, Unity is good for game development. It has an admirable set of tools that meet any developers’ needs. Of course, you won’t find top esports teams that play Unity-based games. However, this game engine is a perfect framework for entertainment products.
Introduction to C++ game development
Many experienced game developers will confirm the fact that C++ is the most preferred language for this type of programming. Undoubtedly, it has a lot of advantages but the main one is that it is a language for the majority of the personal computer and console games.
Another strong point is a well-packed library, which consists of useful solutions for design and graphics. In addition to this, the programming language provides the opportunity to control every single aspect of the software. Developers get access to several features allowing them to find and fix bugs quickly and easily as well as to manage memory manually.
Like Unity, C++ is also widely used in the game development industry, especially for Triple-A products. Obviously, it attracts developers with its capability for advanced control of many aspects. At the same time, although knowledge and experience in C++ are required by almost all studios, whether it is worth applying or not depends only on a game.
5 important facts about Android game development
The topic of game development for Android-based devices is broad to discuss. The popularity of Android as a platform for users and developers can’t be exaggerated. Currently, there are more than two billion Android users in the world. Of course, this means a high level of demand for applications, including games. Whether you want to play the best competitive mobile games or puzzles, or whatever you want, you will always find something in Google Play.
That is why many developers focus only on this platform. It has several noticeable advantages, which make it a perfect environment for IT professionals who love games. Among them are the following:
- The platform supports the idea of user-friendly design and intuitive functionality. Nobody wants to go crazy with excessively complicated things, neither game creators nor players. Android SDK tools are full of solutions for the effortless creation of a product.
- Android has much to offer in terms of graphics and design. The system’s technologies allow developers to add any visual effects to gaming software and make graphics impressively realistic.
- Android provides a flexible and simple development framework with foolproof technical means.
- Mobile games revenue comprises ninety percent of the overall profit from Google Play.
- It is easy to add an application to Google Play. It is also a significant advantage for developers as they not only create a game but need to market it.
All in all, Android is very developer-friendly. It allows programmers to use languages the most familiar to them while building their apps, namely C++ and Java. Due to this, the game making process becomes much easier.
Everything you should know about Java game development
If you know at least something about Android app development, you have heard about such a programming language as Java for sure. The first games built on this language were far from excellence but the technology was evolving, which led to its usage for the creation of high-quality products.
Building games using Java is a controversial topic nowadays. While some developers insist that it is convenient and effective for this purpose, others disagree, saying that it is useless. The dispute can be settled with one statement – everything, again, depends on a game. Java is a perfect choice for mobile games but isn’t appropriate for AAA and independent games (or indie games).
Mobile game development and Java complement each other extremely well. That is why this programming language is used for the majority of games for Android devices. However, there is one important thing to remember – if you create a game based on Java, forget about targeting Apple users. This language is compatible only with Android.
Another interesting fact about Java games – they can be coded in various languages but, in the end, they are framed with this language. So, if you choose it as a primary language for coding, then your focus is Android applications. Experienced video game developers don’t recommend utilizing Java for video games because there are languages, which meet the needs of such products much better.
Peculiarities of video game development
When fans speak about the upcoming Project Awakening, they feel a thrill and excitement, which proves the unique power of video games and their special place in the digital space. Video game development companies provide players with the opportunity to find exclusive products again and again. Players are ready to wait for years for the release of their favorite game. They can’t even imagine how difficult the process of creation is.
The truth is that a game creation process can really take several years. On average, one product for a personal computer or console requires from three to five years. Software development in the gaming industry isn’t less time or money consuming than in other verticals.
You probably have a question: why is it so long to create a game if a programmer just needs to write code using various tools? The answer is simple: game software engineers have a huge amount of work to do before a game appears on a console or PC. Here are the elements of the game development process.
- Creation of physics. Developers create animations based on 3D technology to make all actions in a game look realistic and natural.
- Implementation of artificial intelligence. Its major role is to make games responsive. AI creates interaction and communication between a software and a player as it interprets users’ actions and reacts to them. This technology is widely implemented in the game development industry. It makes games smarter, which also increases players’ satisfaction from the gaming process.
- Gameplay. It is difficult to imagine a game that doesn’t follow certain rules and include features. A software engineer who is working on gameplay is responsible for displaying features in connection with the plot.
- Creation of scripts. In other words, it is the creation of scenarios, which predetermine how commands will result. Users see the operation of scripts while doing tasks in a game.
- User interface. A game’s backend is a set of huge parts of codes, which should be displayed to players somehow and interact with them. The user interface is a bridge between software and a user.
- Connection to various devices. The gaming process requires devices that allow a player to carry out actions. This includes a computer mouse, keyboard, or a gamepad if we talk about console games.
As you can see, the development of video games is a complex process, which consists of many parts. To introduce a top-notch game to the world, software engineers, in collaboration with other members of the development team, should consider every detail, every single move of game characters, and any event that takes part in the story. Everything should be coded and represented to a player in a user-friendly interface. Software engineers can apply a wide range of tools and use the most popular game engines and programming languages to create gaming masterpieces.
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