Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Technical writing
Some years ago, those involved in writing for games came from a variety of
backgrounds and often ones that had a more technical bent.The early history
of game development was filled with programmers who created games
completely on their own, originating all the graphics and writing the story
and in-game text if the game required it. Many of these people went on to
head successful development studios, specialised in areas of programming that
suited their particular skills or concentrated their career development on the
game design side of things. Some are still involved in aspects of game
development that involve writing, though not always directly involved with
the story or dialogue.
Writers with a technical background or a strong understanding of the
technical side of game development can be very valuable. This knowledge
may have come from extensive experience or simply a strong interest in
technical advances and progression and how they relate to game production,
but however the know-how was obtained the technical writer could be in a
position to help a studio meet its project deadlines during the pre-production
phase.
The technical lead on a project is often swamped by a number of vitally
important tasks - leading and supervising the other programmers, researching
the technology for the new game, developing schedules, helping to create the
prototype demo and writing the technical documents. The writing of the
documentation can be very time consuming, so if this is placed in the hands
of someone else, the technical lead is then free to use their time and skills to
better advantage.
The technical design review
Technology in games, like other areas, is highly specialised, particularly where
innovation is concerned. Many big-budget or leading-edge games succeed or
fail because of how they use advances in technology to deliver exciting, fun
gameplay. A developer must convince a publisher that their understanding of
this technology is strong if they are to obtain the funding the project needs
to carry it through development to completion. With games becoming
increasingly expensive to make, publishers are becoming ever more cautious
