History Main / HollywoodGameDesign

* One episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' featured a game designer as the murderer of the week. It portrayed him as being only one of two people working on a game, asking whether the lighting on a level he was designing was OK (a designer places lamps in a level, and the engine uses them to light the level) and a review apparently not only mentioned him by name but ''criticized his programming'' as being "sterile". As anyone who's read a review will know, an individual programmer won't be known by name, nor would a programmer be criticized for the graphics (that would be the job of the designer). But it turned out that the level had an EasterEgg of the designers name, and the designer was one of the owners of the company, making him an uncredited producer as well.

* The live action version of ''Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' had Roger's profession updated from music composer to games designer. The process of making a game apparently involved him taking a game (which he presumably made on his own) to a group of suits who let an [[AnimationAgeGhetto obnoxious child]] review it (apparently having played it for a few minutes) and give him feedback.

** Deconstructed in [[http://threepanelsoul.com/2008/06/04/on-level-three a comic]] of ''Webcomic/ThreePanelSoul'', where the creators point out that video games aren't programmed by randomly mashing the buttons on a video game controller. Also, the last panel has one guy lamenting that his friend's mother's dementia is growing worse and worse every month.

* Commercials for Westwood College and Collins College follow this trope, as seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p73stdpg3_8&feature=related%22#t=m20s%22 here]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwlE1aASc4g&feature=related here]]. It's a good thing that guy was there to notice the graphics need tightening up.

** Deconstructed in [[http://threepanelsoul.com/2008/06/04/on-level-three a comic]] of ''ThreePanelSoul'', where the creators point out that video games aren't programmed by randomly mashing the buttons on a video game controller. Also, the last panel has one guy lamenting that his friend's mother's dementia is growing worse and worse every month.

Generally you can expect the team making the game to be composed of {{Hollywood Nerd}}s (with the odd CorruptCorporateExecutive who may or may not get along with them) surround by screens full of code or rotating 3D mesh models. Positive portrayals might gush about how they have to be "artistic" and skilled at the same time (nevermind that artistic and technical tasks tend to be done by different people). Negative portrayals might show them as lazy {{Manchild}}ren at best (because who could take [[AnimationAgeGhetto games seriously]], right?) and something akin to TheAggressiveDrugDealer (pushing {{Murder Simulator}}s on kids) at worst. They will be far too small to be making an AAA title (usually in the single digits) but their studio will still likely be far larger than an indie game company could hope to afford (and have a mocap studio, even if they appear to be working on 2D games).

Making VideoGames is a tricky business. While they're most often compared to other forms of media, they have both their own culture and a much stronger technological element. In addition TV and movie writers, have very little in the way of first-hand experience with their sister industry (even game writing, which arguably overlaps the most with "normal" scriptwriting, requires the writer to make the gameplay and narrative complement each other and can end up quite specialised). The result is this trope; other media tend to misunderstand the process of making a game (for more on this process see UsefulNotes/VideoGameDesign).

* One episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' featured a game designer as the murderer of the week. It portrayed him as being only one of two people working on a game, asking whether the lighting on a level he was designing was OK (a designer places lamps in a level, and the engine uses them to light the level) and a review apparently not only mentioned him by name but ''criticized his programming'' as being "sterile". As anyone who's read a review will know, an individual programmer won't be known by name, nor would a programmer be criticized for the graphics (that would be the job of the designer). But it turned out that the level had an EasterEgg of the designers name, and the designer was one of the owners of the company, making him an uncredited producer as well.

* ''Series/CSIMiami'' had an episode where a game executive built hype for a ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' clone by [[spoiler:providing some teenagers with TEC-9s and encouraging them to act out events]]. And to add insult to injury, made him much more of a JerkAss than even the most hated of real game industry suits.
* The chick-lit novel ''Lucy Crocker 2.0'' by Caroline Preston. The heroine is a housewife and one-time artist who helps her programmer husband make wildly successful computer games. Unfortunately, Preston can't even accurately describe a woman checking her e-mail, much less what goes into designing a game. The process seems to consist of Lucy Crocker painting something with watercolors, and her husband scanning the image into his computer.
* There was an episode of ''Series/VeronicaMars'' where two geeks make a world-class video game in their dorm room, all by themselves.
* ''Series/GrandmasBoy'' is essentially this trope layered over a StonerFlick.

* Commercials for Westwood College and Collins College follow this trope, as seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p73stdpg3_8&feature=related%22#t=m20s%22 here]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwlE1aASc4g&feature=related here]]. It's a good thing that guy was there to notice the graphics need tightening up.
** Deconstructed in [[http://threepanelsoul.com/2008/06/04/on-level-three a comic]] of ''ThreePanelSoul'', where the creators point out that video games aren't programmed by randomly mashing the buttons on a video game controller. Also, the last panel has one guy lamenting that his friend's mother's dementia is growing worse and worse every month.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', two nerds at the community college make a full-length ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' clone, with Hank as the protagonist, just to mock him. After giving Hank the only copy (which naturally works perfectly), they apparently just get bored of it and never release the game at all.
** It could be a mod of an existing game, which would be much more believable for two people to produce. And Hank is shown playing online with at least some other people.
* The eponymous game of ''StayAlive'' was apparently made by one guy drawing creepy pictures in a notebook. Over the course of the movie we see almost his entire house ''[[HeadDesk and he doesn't even have a computer.]]''

** ''[[Film/WarGames [=WarGames:=] The Dead Code]]'' uses a similar premise, with the added WTF that the MMO in question is (pre-cancellation) Stargate Online.
* The Creator/DavidCronenberg film ''EXistenZ'' depicts Allegra Geller as the world's premiere game designer of the eponymous game. Aside from egregious playing straight of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, none of her associates even seem to have the slightest idea what eXistenZ is actually about. [[spoiler:Justified, as none of the people playing transCendenZ are professional game designers.]]

* There was an episode of ''VeronicaMars'' where two geeks make a world-class video game in their dorm room, all by themselves.
* ''GrandmasBoy'' is essentially this trope layered over a StonerFlick.

Making VideoGames is a tricky business. While they're most often compared to movies, they have both their own culture and very different technologies driving them. A game is not only a complex computer program, it can have a full-blown GUI and render 3D graphics in real time (as opposed to the nearest non-interactive equivalent, CGI movies, which have the luxury of using existing software to "film" and can spend hours or even days on a single frame, rather than 1/30 of a second). The technologies involved also shift much faster than in movies. TV and movie writers, however, have very little in the way of first-hand experience with their sister industry (even game writing, which arguably overlaps the most with "normal" scriptwriting, requires the writer to make the gameplay and narrative complement each other). The result is this trope; other media tend to misunderstand the complex process of making a game. A few simple points that address common misconceptions are below:

The days of commercial, non-indie games being made by a guy in his basement on his own are gone. A commercially viable game made from scratch requires a large team to put together thanks to the many skill sets needed: graphic programmers, physics programmers, AI designers, level designers, character modelers...
* Various "libraries" (collections of pre-written code), some open-source and some paid, have been developed to handle part of this task. Games with smaller teams often use these libraries (for example, a standard UsefulNotes/{{API}} to handle the graphics) or license an existing GameEngine.
* More recently, this idea has made a comeback, since DigitalDistribution services like Steam and the [=iPhone=] app store allow smaller developers to produce and sell simpler games. The prohibitive cost of "dev stations" (modified consoles which allow prototype versions of a game to be played on them) keeps this from working for big console releases or multiplayer {{Party Game}}s, and so-called "indie" games tend to be relatively short, with a simple ([[{{Retraux}} often retro]]) aesthetic.

There are a number of distinct groups involved in the technical side of game production. These are not formal or standardized, so the lines between them can be blurred (for example, programmers might know something about design, and designers probably know the basics of programming).
* '''Game Designers''' develop the rules, mechanics, and systems of the game. In an [[RealTimeStrategy RTS]], they decide what stats units have, in [[FirstPersonShooter FPSes]] they decide what guns do, and so forth. Generally they are led by a "Lead Designer" or similar, who is roughly analogous to a film director. Though they are arguably the most essential element in production, they tend not to show up much in media, since (unlike programmers, artists, or executives) most people [[WhatExactlyIsHisJob don't have a clear handle on what they actually do]].
* '''Programmers''' write the skeleton and muscles of the game (as it were); they create the actual program which makes everything move, allows enemies to think, and so on. When their job isn't done you end up with {{Vaporware}} (i.e. nothing), or at best, an obvious GameMaker work.
* '''Artists''' (including visual artists, writers, animators, musicians, etc.) put the flesh and skin on this skeleton; without their sounds and visuals PacManFever would still be a TruthInTelevision. One of the major debates in game design is whether good games tend to start with designers or these guys -- obviously, designers are essential for good gameplay, but starting with a solid story or art tends to make a more "cinematic" experience.
* '''Quality Assurance''', as their name suggests, extensively test the game for [[GameBreakingBug bugs]], [[GameBreaker balance issues]], and hardware/software compatibility. While sometimes dismissed as glorified testers, a good QA developer is invaluable for making sure the game's design and programming are all working like they should. When their job isn't done right, you end up with an ObviousBeta. Note that being a QA tester is ''not'' a slacker's dream job where you get to play awesome video games all day and get paid fat bucks for it. [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/1/25/ This]] ''PennyArcade'' comic (and [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/1/25/ its accompanying news item]]) provide some insight.
* '''Producers''' foot the bill for the project as a whole and have various oversight roles, making sure that everybody else is doing what they're supposed to be, and is on time and budget. They have a reputation for being [[ExecutiveMeddling curmudgeonly bastards with no respect for Art]], but they have an important role [[ProtectionFromEditors keeping the project grounded in reality]]. Often the ''producers'' are a separate company from the ''developers'', which certain people -- [[FanDumb fans]], [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer the media]], Jack Thompson -- are [[{{Misblamed}} apt to forget]].

Game developers have a variety of working environments (as one might imagine given the number of different jobs).
* Programmers have Stereotype A, the screen full of unreadably-tiny code; most programmers are given small chunks of the game to work on, so only the head honchos usually have actual working copies of everything. Later in development, once the game has reached the alpha/beta stage, programmers will be called on to bug-hunt or otherwise make small modifications in the code, but the ability to see those changes in real time remains rare. (Most games take a non-trivial amount of time to compile, especially if changes have been made to art.)
* Some artists and designers have Stereotype B, the on-screen 3D model. This one shows up especially often in media, but isn't all that common in actual game design. ''Some'' games use a setup like this is design their levels, maps, and so forth, but unless it is part of an existing engine, creating utilities for level creation is the responsibility of the programmers. Such utilities tend to be ''very'' game-specific and not suited for use with other projects; dress them up a little and they become "map editors" and the like for making user-created content.
* For the most part, artists such as animators and musicians use their own sets of industry-standard tools, not too different from what they might use in film or their own work. Many of these specialists are freelancers, contracted by the development studio on a project-by-project basis.
* Designers have unusual workspaces, which tend to vary depending on the type of game and personal preference. [[TheBigBoard Whiteboards]] and other means of mapping out information are common, since the designers often deal with problems such as interactions between rules, "cycles" of gameplay actions, and other processes that lend themselves well to visual representation.

Making a game follows several stages, which determine who is working on the game and what they're doing at any particular point. Specific steps vary from company to company, but typically include:
* '''Pre-alpha''': This covers the beginning of the game's development, starting from the basic idea. In early pre-alpha, the game generally doesn't exist outside of prototypes and concepts, which means it can be easy to make sweeping changes ("what if it was co-op?" "what if the player was a rabbit?" "what if we added aliens?"). Eventually, a core concept and feature set emerge and are agreed upon, and programmers begin to hash out the essential ''features'' -- the basic functions the game will need to do what they want it to. At this point, the in-house artist(s), if any, will work on ''concept art'' that defines the visual and audio styles.
* '''Alpha''': The alpha stage begins once the game is "feature-complete" and has its essential framework in place. Writers, artists, and sound designers are called in to begin fleshing out the game. Levels, maps, etc. are designed and implemented as well. On the programming side, bugs are the rule rather than the exception at this point, and much effort is put toward weeding them out.
* '''Beta''': At this point, the product is sufficiently developed to allow play, if not necessarily ''smooth'' play. Generally, a beta will include not just gameplay but also a first pass on story, art, and sound. Testing is the focus at this point, to the extent that "beta" often refers specifically to the testing process. Beta tests can be "in-house", which includes developers and full-time testers, or "open", which recruit much more broadly (often from players of the company's other games). In either case, beta-testers are often required to sign agreements to the effect that they won't reveal any details about the game.
* '''Release''': After a protracted beta period, spent pounding bugs flat and polishing the assets, the game is ''finally'' ready to sell. However, this isn't necessarily the end of the job. Often the team is kept on to work on DownloadableContent or sequels. In addition, modern games are expected to be "supported" for a period after launch, meaning that programmers will be kept on to fix bugs and other problems that show up after release.

See also: PacManFever, UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 (misconceptions about games and gameplay) and SmallReferencePools.

* The DavidCronenberg film ''EXistenZ'' depicts Allegra Geller as the world's premiere game designer of the eponymous game. Aside from egregious playing straight of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, none of her associates even seem to have the slightest idea what eXistenZ is actually about. [[spoiler:Justified, as none of the people playing transCendenZ are professional game designers.]]

** WarGames 2 uses a similar premise, with the added WTF that the MMO in question is (pre-cancellation) Stargate Online.

** Deconstructed in an [[http://threepanelsoul.com/2008/06/04/on-level-three]] of ''ThreePanelSoul'', where the creators point out that video games aren't programmed by randomly mashing the buttons on a video game controller. Also, the last panel has one guy lamenting that his friend's mother's dementia is growing worse and worse every month.

* One episode of ''LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' featured a game designer as the murderer of the week. It portrayed him as being only one of two people working on a game, asking whether the lighting on a level he was designing was OK (a designer places lamps in a level, and the engine uses them to light the level) and a review apparently not only mentioned him by name but ''criticized his programming'' as being "sterile". As anyone who's read a review will know, an individual programmer won't be known by name, nor would a programmer be criticized for the graphics (that would be the job of the designer). But it turned out that the level had an EasterEgg of the designers name, and the designer was one of the owners of the company, making him an uncredited producer as well.

* Averted in JohnSandford's "Prey series" where Lucas Davenport only comes up with the storylines and rules (he started out doing wargame scenarios) and leaves the coding to first, one expert, and later an entire building of them. [[ShownTheirWork He started out trying to do all the coding himself, but quickly realized that it was beyond him]].

* Various "libraries" (collections of pre-written code), some open-source and some paid, have been developed to handle part of this task. Games with smaller teams often use these libraries (for example, a standard {{API}} to handle the graphics) or license an existing GameEngine.

* One episode of ''LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' featured a game designer as the murderer of the week. It portrayed him as being only one of two people working on a game, asking whether the lighting on a level he was designing was OK (a designer places lamps in a level, and the engine uses them to light the level) and a review apparently not only mentioned him by name but ''criticized his programming'' as being "sterile". As anyone who's read a review will know, an individual programmer won't be known by name, nor would a programmer be criticized for the graphics (that would be the job of the designer). But it turned out that the level had an EasterEgg of the designers name, and the designer was one of the owners of the company.

* ''CSIMiami'' had an episode where a game executive [[spoiler: provided some teenagers with TEC-9s and encouraged them to act out events from his GTA clone to build up hype]].
** And to add insult to injury, made him much more of a JerkAss than even the most hated of real game industry suits.

* ''NCISLosAngeles'' had Calen go undercover as a game tester. It quickly becomes apparent that he is horrible at it so the team cuts the power to the building before the real testers in the company can discover that he is faking.

The days of commercial games being made by a guy in his basement on his own are gone. A commercially viable game made from scratch requires a large team to put together thanks to the many skill sets needed: graphic programmers, physics programmers, AI designers, level designers, character modelers...

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode "Kill Screen" has the lead programmer for an online game insert a sophisticated piece of code into the game with the intent to create a botnet supercomputer able to hack into the Pentagon. The company he works for is portrayed as a fairly large and successful organization and it is quite implausible that he would be able to sneak something like that into the program without it being detected by other programmers and testers (particularly since it ignores the fact that the software would be tested as above). Perfectly possible in reality, especially for a lead programmer. Programmers are usually responsible for a distinct part of the app and are too busy to check what others are doing. Of course, the ideas that a) the Pentagon would be vulnerable to such a botnet and b) an MMO would be the best way to create one are... dubious at best.

* The 2001 horror movie ''HowToMakeAMonster'' was based around the premise of a monster from a game killing off its creators. As a remake of a movie which originally used a movie monster, it makes some mistakes. According to the typically vitriolic ''SomethingAwful'' [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/movie-reviews/how-make-monster.php review]], in it, a team of three people (responsible for AI, sounds and weapons, respectively) is given a month to make a computer game. No wonder they manage such an EpicFailure that the game actually starts killing them.

* Commercials for Westwood College and Collins College follow this trope, as seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p73stdpg3_8&feature=related%22#t=m20s%22 here]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwlE1aASc4g&feature=related here]]. It's a good thing that guy was there to notice the graphics need tightening up.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', two nerds at the community college make a full-length ''GrandTheftAuto'' clone, with Hank as the protagonist, just to mock him. After giving Hank the only copy (which naturally works perfectly), they apparently just get bored of it and never release the game at all.

* The DavidCronenberg film ''{{eXistenZ}}'' depicts Allegra Geller as the world's premiere game designer of the eponymous game. Aside from egregious playing straight of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, none of her associates even seem to have the slightest idea what eXistenZ is actually about. [[spoiler:Justified, as none of the people playing transCendenZ are professional game designers.]]
----

Making VideoGames is a tricky business. While they're most often compared to movies, they have both their own culture and very different technologies driving them. A game is not only a complex computer program, it can have a full-blown GUI and render 3D graphics in real time (as opposed to the nearest non-interactive equivalent, CGI movies, which have the luxury of using existing software to "film" and can spend hours or even days on a single frame, rather than 1/60 of a second). The technologies involved also shift much faster than in movies. TV and movie writers, however, have very little in the way of first-hand experience with their sister industry (even game writing, which arguably overlaps the most with "normal" scriptwriting, requires the writer to make the gameplay and narrative complement each other). The result is this trope; other media tend to misunderstand the complex process of making a game. A few simple points that address common misconceptions are below:

* '''Producers''' foot the bill for the project as a whole and have various oversight roles, making sure that everybody else is doing what they're supposed to be, and is on time and budget. They have a reputation for being [[ExecutiveMeddling curmudgeonly bastards with no respect for Art]], but they have an important role [[ProtectionFromEditors keeping the project grounded in reality]]. Often the ''producers'' are a separate company from the ''developers'', which certain people -- [[FanDumb fans]], [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer the media]], JackThompson -- are [[{{Misblamed}} apt to forget]].

* ''[=~Grandma's Boy~=]'' is essentially this trope layered over a StonerFlick.

* In an episode of ''KingOfTheHill'', two nerds at the community college make a full-length ''GrandTheftAuto'' clone, with Hank as the protagonist, just to mock him. After giving Hank the only copy (which naturally works perfectly), they apparently just get bored of it and never release the game at all.

* ''{{NCIS}}'' episode "Kill Screen" has the lead programmer for an online game insert a sophisticated piece of code into the game with the intent to create a botnet supercomputer able to hack into the Pentagon. The company he works for is portrayed as a fairly large and successful organization and it is quite implausible that he would be able to sneak something like that into the program without it being detected by other programmers and testers (particularly since it ignores the fact that the software would be tested as above).
** perfectly possible in reality, especially for a lead programmer. Programmers are usually responsible for a distinct part of the app and are too busy to check what others are doing.
** Of course, the ideas that a) the Pentagon would be vulnerable to such a botnet and b) an MMO would be the best way to create one are... dubious at best.

* The DavidCronenberg film ''{{eXistenZ}}'' depicts Allegra Geller as the world's premiere game designer of the titular game. Aside from egregious playing straight of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, none of her associates even seem to have the slightest idea what eXistenZ is actually about. [[spoiler:Justified, as none of the people playing transCendenZ are professional game designers.]]

* The DavidCronenberg film {{eXistenZ}} depicts Allegra Geller as the world's premiere game designer of the titular game. Aside from egregious playing straight of NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, none of her associates even seem to have the slightest idea what eXistenZ is actually about. [[spoiler:Justified, as none of the people playing transCendenZ are professional game designers.]]