An Introduction to Video Game Writing and Design Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The video game industry can be complicated, especially when it comes to some of the business and commercial aspects. Several terms have risen to describe the different companies and people who make the games come to life. Which of the following terms would describe the people who physically create the video game's coding, and are typically the lowest on the totem pole, being paid less than other members of the industry?

Answer: game programmer

Game programmers are really the ground workers of video game creation, writing the code for each individual game. There are many specialized disciplines of programmer, ranging from sound and graphics programming to artificial intelligence programming.

Game designers have less to do with coding, and instead design the overall idea of the game. Many designers have limited experience with programming, and instead are experienced writers.

Game producers oversee the production of video games and make important decisions regarding contracts and finances as well as product quality.

Game publishers are most often companies who develop many different games at one time, and are responsible for manufacture and marketing of their product. Many times console manufacturers will have their own publishers to produce games solely for that console.

2. Video game writing has gained prestige over the years. Recent abilities to render three-dimensional, interactive characters and environments have allowed for greater versatility in creating intriguing storylines. Starting in 2008, which group has created the Video Game Writing Award?

Answer: Writers Guild of America

The Writers Guild of America decided to hand out the award due to the increasingly cinematic nature of video games. Video game writing has become more prestigious due to the growth of the video game market combined with the technology that allows for writers to create more engaging plotlines.

The Writers Guild of America also wishes to strengthen their ranks with video game writers, giving them protection from a typically thankless field.

3. Borrowed from the motion picture industry, which of the following is a common technique used by video game designers to create movie-like qualities within their work?

Answer: storyboarding

Storyboarding is a process in which video game designers produce a series of drawings or animations that give an initial idea as to what the storyline or plot of the video game is to be. From there, they can add or remove ideas which enhance or detract the game as a whole. Issues concerning the conversion from paper to the virtual world can also be worked out at this stage, and if a certain idea is considered too difficult to program in the virtual world, the idea is scrapped and replaced with another.

4. One of the most common types of video games, the role-playing game, finds its origins in the pen-and-paper and dice-based games that have existed for many decades. The video game has allowed this form of entertainment to be enjoyed in a much less demanding manner. Role-playing games such as "World Of Warcraft" have become insanely popular in recent years, claiming many millions of gamers. When creating an RPG such as "World of Warcraft", which of the following would be the LEAST important to consider?

Answer: real world resemblance

The legacy of RPGs has been the fact that they need not be set in real world environments. Fantasy and science fiction have been their primary outlets, and the majority of people who play RPGs suspend their beliefs to enjoy them. In fact, RPGs are considered to be the most extreme type of "escapism" when discussing video games.

Character class and stats are the lifeblood of RPGs. A player must have their own character to play and there are typically several classes to choose from, with stats being divided differently amongst the classes. Weapons and spellcasting are also mainstays of the genre, considering its fantastical nature. In today's world of video games, multiplayer (or more than one player) capabilities are vital to the success of an RPG because of the social nature of role-playing games.

5. Several universities, including DeVry and ITT Tech, have had courses and programs dedicated to video game design and development. In 2006, DeVry University first began offering a bachelor's degree which was titled what?

Answer: Game and Simulation Programming

This particular course focuses less on administrating the process of making video games, and more on the code and programming aspects. The program does require humanistic and English skills, though.

Video game design means money and if students are willing to pay to learn these skills from universities, they will offer the courses. Video game design was often learned outside of the professional world, especially in early days when it wasn't considered a profitable endeavor. With the video game boom, the market created a demand for technologically-savvy employees. Schools began to offer courses to attract those who wished to break into the video game market, often considered a dream-job field.

6. Some of the most successful game designers know that ideas for a single video game can be endless, and when time is an issue, these ideas can become a liability. Organization and stringency are often what are needed to complete a project on time while keeping the buyers content. What do most game designers create in order to keep their projects from getting bogged down with too many ideas?

Answer: game design document

The game design document allows a game designer to keep his/her initial plans intact while the game is in development. The designer will try to stick to the document as a means of inspiration. It acts almost as an outline to the game, where programmers, artists, and other staff can get an idea of what is to be expected. Ideas that stray too far from the game design document are often shelved, whether because of impracticality or a lack of time.

7. The process of creating video games is quickened by the ability to make multiple games on the same game engine.

Answer: True

Game engines are important to game creators in the fact that they include software and tools of development that can be applied to several video games. Not every form or shape must be recreated from scratch on a game engine, but can be applied to other games as well. This allows game makers to produce similar games more quickly, or to borrow pre-created graphics from other games (usually within the same company).

Gamers might have realized that some figures or environments in some games have similar qualities to those in others. This phenomenon could likely be from the two game creators using the same game engine.

8. Two approaches have surfaced in the field of video game studies that reflect the idea of video games holding a narrative status. One field, "narratology" holds that video games are interactive narratives, fiction that is simply played out to tell a story. The other field "ludology" suggests that video games are not narrative in which of the following senses?

Answer: All of these.

The battle between narratology and ludology has been waged between those who differ in opinion on how exactly games are seen and played by gamers. Narratologists would tell you that you are only a part in a story and are acting out to reach the conclusion of that story.

The games are stories with plotlines and characters. Ludologists believe that games are a group of smaller rule-based systems that come together to create a larger game. The games are systems with rules to be obeyed, and structures to uphold.

9. For some video games, when the writing and designing processes are supposed to be completed, game developers will conduct testing on their product, typically with a small audience of people outside of the company. What is this type of testing known as?

Answer: Beta testing

Beta testing is a common practice that comes after Alpha testing. Alpha testing usually takes place at the company, in which an independent entity or possible consumer tests the product for faults. When Alpha testing is through, Beta testing begins, and a larger sampling outside of the company's parameters test the product for any remaining bugs of faults. Typically when Beta testing is finished, and all faults fixed, the product is ready to be put on the market.

10. The International Game Development Association began working fervently in 2007 to create more "inclusive" guidelines in which important area of video game creation?

Answer: Game credits

The loose structure of the video game production process has been tightened in recent years as the field became more businesslike. It was important for any person who had worked on a video game to be included in the game's credits, so that they could use the credits to get further work. As many game makers have been guilty of being sloppy in crediting all their workers on a game, the IGDA organized a committee to create a set of guidelines for game makers to follow.

The credits may be the least important part of a video game for some gamers, but they are important in that they allow experienced designers, programmers, producers, artists, developers and others to continue to make the games that we value.

Source: Author trident

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

An Introduction to Video Game Writing and Design Quiz

Often scorned or outright ignored, video game writing and design have gained leaps and bounds throughout the years. Here's an introduction to the entertainment field.

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