A handbook for game development with coverage of both team management topics, such as task tracking and creating the technical design document, and outsourcing strategies for contents, such as motion capture and voice-over talent. It covers various aspects of game development.

How to achieve a happier and healthier game design process by connecting the creative aspects of game design with techniques for effective project management. This book teaches game designers, aspiring game developers, and game design students how to take a digital game project from start to finish—from conceptualizing and designing to building, playtesting, and iterating—while avoiding the uncontrolled overwork known among developers as “crunch.” Written by a legendary game designer, A Playful Production Process outlines a process that connects the creative aspects of game design with proven techniques for effective project management. The book outlines four project phases—ideation, preproduction, full production, and post-production—that give designers and developers the milestones they need to advance from the first glimmerings of an idea to a finished game.

What is a game? -- The game industry -- Roles on the team -- Teams -- Effective communication -- Game production overview -- Game concept -- Characters, setting, and story -- Game requirements -- Game plan -- Production cycle -- Voiceover and music -- Localization -- Testing and code releasing -- Marketing and public relations.

Game Development Essentials is the only four-color text in the market that offers a comprehensive introduction on game project management in an informal and accessible style, while concentrating on both theory and practice. Game Development Essentials is the only four-color text in the market that offers a comprehensive introduction on game project management in an informal and accessible style, while concentrating on both theory and practice.

Computer games are big business - tens of billions of dollars are spent annually by the worldwide video games market. The cost of producing video games has ballooned to beyond $20 million dollars in many cases, and team sizes are quickly growing past 100 team members. At the center of this storm is the producer - one person who transforms the money, the hours spent by the team, and the latest technology into a work of art that millions of people will call fun. This book will dig deeply into the role of the producer and expose secrets of game production that stand the test of time: how to build a great team, how to plan a major game development project, and how to pull the development team toward the vision of a great game.

Take control of your global game development team and make successful AAA game titles using the 'Distributed Development' model. Game industry veteran Tim Fields teaches you how to evaluate game deals, how to staff teams for highly distributed game development, and how to maintain challenging relationships in order to get great games to market. This book is filled with interviews with a broad spectrum of industry experts from top game publishers and business owners in the US and UK. A supplementary web site provides interviews from the book, a forum where developers and publishers can connect, and additional tips and tricks. Topics include:

Updated to reflect the rapidly evolving game development landscape, industry veteran Heather Chandler continues to educate game enthusiasts on the procedures and processes of game production. This Third Edition presents information that a producer, lead, or studio manager must know to successfully develop a game from concept to gold master.