College courses often artificially create this sort of project definition in terms of time (semester-long) and in terms of goals. For instance, writing classes often cover writing research papers as the larger project and then also cover grammar, argumentative structure, research skills, and citation in order to support the larger research paper form. As a class project expands from individual work into group work, the dynamic changes and the work must change. Video game development offers a large scale parallel, albeit one with shifting options and shifting demands.

 

 

10/7/2006

Because game development requires that developers have an organized sense of the global and the local aspects of the project so that the project can be altered as needed for different variables (new systems, new controllers, new schedules, and new budgets), a method for this organization is needed. Some projects use wikis or blogs for organization, like the wiki for “I, Mario” <http://imario.elwiki.com/I,_Mario>. While wikis and blogs can be useful, neither form is inherently well designed for game development. Content management systems, like The Corpament’s Video Game Design Pro, are more useful on an initial level because the more linear structure clarifies the connection between the local and global. While any customized content management system could be useful for game development, Video Game Design Pro is designed with current game design constraints in mind. Video Game Design Pro boasts both the content management organizational structure and the relevant components for game design, thus addressing both the global and local concerns.

 

As design constraints alter and expand, the need for organization increases. Video Game Design Pro answers these needs and even anticipates future needs, by providing a section for “future features” and even by providing details under the section for “controls.” While many games may only expand by having additional features added or by having expansion packs in subsequent releases, other games may have changes to the core design in re-releases or in the initial game.