GOOGLEPEDIA

Search Log:

• I search on google “the process of making video games” and read the little information box that usually pops up and is posted at the top of the google search results (the information box, from what I know of is mostly linked to Wikipedia ironically).
• It is always easy to just go into the search bar for google and get the results you need or get closer to the results you need. In my opinion, it is fast and usually a reliable source to get information on the internet.
• Naturally, after reading the little information box found after a common google search, I clicked the link directly below it that shows where said information came from. It just so happens that this time it was coincidently a Wikipedia search that showed up and gave me the top result of my google search.
• I stayed and read as much as I needed to see if I can get the answer I wanted from the wiki page. Sure enough, the wiki page gave me exactly what I came for since it explained the different stages of development of a video game and how each process varies.

My Findings

During my time reading that wiki page I found that many different teams help develop and produce video games, but that much was something I already knew. What I did learn though was that there are way more stages to the development of a game than what I had originally thought. First off, there are a lot of steps to take before even developing the game, developers have to worry about secure funding for the game through the pitch and concept of the game to see if said game would be profitable. After funding is secured, production comes next and is obviously the main stage of development for the game. Programming, art, designs, level creation, and audio production all occur during this stage until the game is playable and ready for testing. Everything after that I pretty much knew already, the development team gets feedback from the testers and improve the game into its alpha stage where all major features are present in the game. Then it goes into code freeze where they don’t touch any of the assets or add anything in, they just make bug changes until it hits the beta and they get more feedback from testers. After beta it goes into code release where many bugs are addressed and fixed and then sent to be reviewed by console manufacturers. Gold master is next when the game is completed and is used as a master for production of the game.