GDLC [Game Development Life Cycle]

Overview :

The game is the one kind of software of program  with a goal to provide entertainment. When we plan to start and developing the any games, simply adopting the software development life cycle (SDLC) is not enough for any game developer, as the developer face several challenges during the making any game development life cycle.(challenges like: Graphics, Visuals, Sounds, Animations, Physics, Collisions, AI, Gestures and User inputs, etc).

To overcome the problem of every game developer, a new specific approach will arrive it's known as GDLC(Game Development Life Cycle).

In this article, presents the process of Developing the Game from scratch to deployment . For starting every  new gaming project should follow the all the steps mentioned in this article for makes Successful Game.

GDLC Model :

Phase 1 - Story/ Idea :

Here Story/Idea is the actual game concept and requirement of the our project. Those all should  mentioned in the requirement/project document. Ideas represents just bits and pieces of your game. It's actual prototype of the game, which have covered all the ideas. The group of ideas are called Game Concept/ Game Story.

Phase 2 - Conceptual Analysis :

As per the story or concepts need to analyze the requirement in depth.

The feasibility study should be made before the game development starts. So we should have to analyzed the some areas,
  • Actual Requirements
  • Pricing
  • Technical Capabilities
  • Organizational , Cultural or Legal Issues and Solutions
  • Skills and Scope of the project

Don't compromising  or don't apply any shortcuts to analyze feasibility study and requirements gathering.

Phase 3 - Planning :

After the grabbing all the requirements and studies data need to planning of the game development.

Need to create project plan or blue print of the game. List out all the features and tasks and ideas on the document or make chart.
  • Make list of task (graphics, animations, sounds etc)
  • Time scheduling and estimation of each task
  • Create document/chart of the flow of task
  • Decide the work flow and test cases & test plans.
  • Decide flow of work submission of task
  • Taken care about rework and submit final bug free product

Phase 4 - Team Building  :

To start the design and development need a Team for make our concepts true. So need team members as per the game's requirements like designers, programmers, testers etc.

In general, there are so many categorized people needed in the game development, here we have listed the general categorized and occupations peoples for any games.

Phase 5 - Concept Design :

Concept Design means design prototype of actual requirement/idea/story, It's also called Game Design.

Game Design is the heart of any game/product. Game Design is the proof of the mastery of the craft to bring an idea to a reality.

It is a most innovative, creative and complex process of any game. It's must needed to makes a good and quality games. It's requires a critical interactive thinking, understanding, implementing, executing, behavior, UI of the design.
Before starting the development game designer create one document it's known as, "Game Design Document (GDD)".

In GDD describe all the virtual ideas and design as a blueprint of the game/product.

Game Design Elements :
  • UI Interface
  • Game Data
  • Player Data & Characteristics
  • Level Design
  • Game play & Mechanism
  • 3D/2D Game Arena
  • Game Objects/Powers/Properties
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • VFX/Animations
  • Sound Music
  • Support & Future Enhancements

Phase 6 - Development :

After completing the GDD, now the time to start development of the actual game concept/idea as per describe in the Game Design.

To select the Game Engine and it's supportive modules/plug-ins/frameworks/platforms should be start the programming for the development.

Lead programmer have the major responsibilities about the game development progress and quality, he/she should make the checklist of the pending/working/completed task list as per the developer's task. Every programmer/developer have to submit their work to lead programmer. Lead developer must follow the code review system as per the game architecture he/she has chosen.

For programmer input and output data is simple, however handling that with art, visuals, animation, VFX ,collision, physics, sounds. scene/level management, AI, dynamic object spawning and destroying, loading and unloading resources, shaders, rendering, garbage collector handling, CPU&GPU usage, game load, multi-platforms supports, advertising integration, virtual goods implementations makes it complex.

Lead Developer/ Developer should have ability of  coding system & it's terminology.
  • Abstraction
  • Modularity
  • Design Pattern
  • Software/Game Architecture
  • Coding Structure/Style
  • OOP skills
  • Robust programming
  • Use less resources & Generate more output
  • Feel end user experience

Phase 7 - Testing :

Testing is the mirror of our final product.

Testing is the most important part of the GDLC. Testing and game design have the same weight in the any game/concept development architecture.

Testing is not just playing the game at your workplace/arena. It's actual end user experience with the respect to our product. It is repetitive and interactive  process of the same screen flow input and expecting the output from the user for quality of games.

QA under Bugs Tracker Report and Testing team must work on two documents,
            I) Test Cases Documents
            II) Test Plans Documents

QA team must ensure the some documents and file system involves in the every testing process.
  • Defect/Bug
  • Reproduce
  • Module
  • Frequency
  • Bug Log Number
  • Status/Occurrence
  • Screenshots
  • Platforms
  • Date Time

There are some types of testing methodology also have to do by QA team like Functional Testing, Interruption Testing, Module Testing, Performance Testing, Load Testing, Memory Testing, Compatibility Testing, Compliance Testing, Behavior Testing, End user experience Testing, Network Testing etc.

Phase 8 - Pre-Production (Alpha/Beta Release) :

Pre-Production technique is the art or good sign of successful Manager/Director/Producer.

Before the real production/release the any product make sure make it for pre production. Must release that game product for alpha/beta release for find out or tracking the real time bugs / user experience.

Alpha/Beta Release is the good way to knowing the user's experience and user's acceptance related to our product. If we did any mistakes even after the completion of testing part, so we can identifying that with the use of pre production technique before main production.

Need to generate report for output of the Alpha/Beta Release, If rework needed then must do it for your product and prepare it for Main Production/ Main Release.

Phase  9 - Main Production :

At production stage prepare a short video same like as trailer of your game and capture some attractive screenshot.  Then finally  deploy the game properly hit publish and make it live for your appropriate stores!

To prepare release note and privacy policies and terms and condition of usage of your product, listed it in well main tend document.

The Game Credit is very important for game and team for their hard work due shall be given.

This stage may be sound not too important, because that at the one moment you want to celebrate your success and feeling of relief that your product/game live on market, due to hard work and time spent actually it's seen on live.

Phase 10 - Sales & Marketing :

After releasing the final product now new task started by sales and marketing team.

The marketing team have to continues focus and analyzing the data report of the our live game, and generate report of the user experience.

Marketing peoples also check the rating/reviews those given by users, related to our products and also give appropriate answer to that users, also provide supports for user's query. Submit query report to QA team, and then QA team take action and inform to related departments.

Marketing peoples also boost up the product also using online and offline marketing methodologies.

For attract the user more and make boosting up the game need to apply marketing methodology  for getting more audience.

Marketing Team have to track the all data of current game, current concurrent users, current game play,  and analyze the data and if any changes needed then inform to appropriate department, these team will work with the current audience and try to increase the peoples.  

Marketing Team also making some planning for increase the revenue, and produce new ideas and terminology for helping to revenue generation.

Marketing Team also keep watch on the our competitor's activity and new releases. For to keep product on Top Position it's needed to know who are our competitor and how's it's product? How we can improve our product then others and keep it always on Top Position.



Comments

  1. This Information will help many people 👍👍

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  2. Very Helpful information for the person working in game industry

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  4. Can you please also share some the advantages and disadvantages that this model have, compared to other models?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your comment.

      Sure I will defiantly cover the pros and cons of this model in my next article.

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