Analytical approaches to games development

• Main Author: Ip, B.
• Published: Swansea University 2003
• Subjects: 004
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.637372

This thesis examines the application of various analytical approaches to video- and computer-games development. The review of relevant literature reveals a paucity of rigorous research with respect to the development of games, and indeed to the entire games industry. The thesis thus highlights the problems associated with the development of good-quality gameplay, the identification of various types of gamer, and the management and planning of the game-development process. A detailed survey concerned with some of the salient issues related to the games industry was conducted. Taking the results of this survey on board, the investigation focuses on the practical application of established management methodologies, and how these can be used to facilitate a reliable and systematic approach to the games development, especially by directly linking what customers say they want in a product to games development through quality function deployment. Further analytical procedures, such as conventional statistical tests, consumer segmentation, and the analytic hierarchy process, have been applied in. order to enhance the range and utility of the investigation. The resulting information can be used by decision-makers in the games industry to plan, structure and manage games projects.