Application
This unit applies to games designers, games programmers, animators and other personnel working in the game development industry.
Prerequisites
Not applicable.
Elements and Performance Criteria
1. Identify required game assets in a team environment | 1.1 Obtain project brief and other relevant documents 1.2 Identify game-production assets required to meet creative and production requirements and technical specifications 1.3 Discuss formats of assets and issues of asset integration with appropriate personnel 1.4 Determine sequence for development of beta-version prototype for testing game play 1.5 Create a schedule for production and testing 1.6 Determine strategies for monitoring production progress against schedule |
2. Identify capability of game-engine software and tools and make selection in a team environment | 2.1 Identify and review the range of industry standard game-engine software and development tools available 2.2 Assess the software and tools related to specified game concept and play requirements 2.3 Discuss considerations for selection of game-engine software with relevant personnel to ensure selection will meet specified outcomes 2.4 Select game-engine software and development tools |
3. Create or acquire required assets for a game in a team environment | 3.1 Establish an environment for a project that supports sharing of project assets produced by team members 3.2 Review the attributes of assets required in a game project related to chosen game engine 3.3 Create or acquire visual assets for a games project 3.4 Customise asset attributes to suit the game design and chosen game engine |
4. Use game-engine software and development tools in a team environment | 4.1 Collaborate in the use of tools and features of software relevant to the game-production process 4.2 Create, modify or access scripts or code to combine assets and achieve agreed project goals 4.3 Create and check game-play elements according to creative and technical requirements 4.4 Test and run game prototype as a presentation to ensure sequences meet creative, production and technical requirements |
5. Evaluate game prototype in a team environment | 5.1 Demonstrate initial prototype to relevant personnel 5.2 Evaluate against criteria, including achievement of a creative and user-friendly product 5.3 Discuss and agree on required changes 5.4 Assist if required in tests and user trials 5.5 Evaluate feedback from user trials 5.6 Confirm endorsement from relevant personnel to develop prototype into complete product |
6. Transform prototype into final publication | 6.1 Make necessary changes as indicated by user trials 6.2 Integrate all game elements as required by specifications 6.3 Make final checks to ensure all sequences conform to the navigation design 6.4 Assemble final publication for final distribution |
Required Skills
Required skills
analytical skills to analyse documentation and images to inform implementation of game specifications
communication skills to:
check and confirm brief requirements
communicate clearly using speech and text
communicate technical requirements related to software development, graphics requirements and code development to supervisors and other team members
give constructive feedback
literacy and numeracy skills to read briefs, game documentation, scripts, storyboards, scenarios, images, and technical and conceptual information
planning and organisational skills to:
appropriately refer decisions to a higher project authority for review and endorsement
balance talent, experience and budget
delegate tasks and responsibility appropriately
establish clear roles and goals to achieve required game development outcomes
meet project deadlines
problem-solving skills to recognise and address quality issues and problems
teamwork skills to:
contribute to and work in a collaborative team
realise a unified game-play vision
technical skills to:
resolve basic hardware, software and other technical issues associated with game production
use file formats and archiving procedures.
Required knowledge
basic programming techniques
capabilities and constraints of game engines
computer games development, including specific terminology
current game-play hardware and software products
risk and critical path management
technical constraints that hardware imposes on software development, graphics requirements, code development and creative visual design.
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the ability to: apply a variety of strategies for game trialling and testing apply original and innovative approaches to the creative development implement game development and production strategies maintain integrity of the design brief and game design document undertake risk assessment and critical path planning. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure access to: computer hardware, software, games engines and file storage copyright and intellectual property legislation OHS legislation and enterprise policy appropriate learning and assessment support when required modified equipment for people with special needs. |
Method of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: evaluation of work samples or simulated workplace activities observation of game production activities verbal questioning or interview concerning aspects of game development, including: capability of game engines and software tools to meet the requirements of the brief evaluating game prototypes from technical, design and game-play perspectives game testing and trialling procedures maintaining integrity of the design brief and game design document risk assessment and critical path planning translating design and technical specifications into working game prototypes. |
Guidance information for assessment | Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate. Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed. Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support. In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Project brief and other relevant documents may include: | concept drawings designer’s notes development environment description game design document game-play designs help notes information design operating manual storyboard style and design principles style and medium target market information technical design document and review process. |
Game-production assets may include: | current work files development kits existing digital product libraries: character models environments motion capture data sound effects game engines, including customised game engines personnel. |
Technical specifications may include: | backup procedures delivery platform difficulty levels disc or memory space format for final product navigation design pixel size polygon count source code and game assets archiving specifications for phases of game development: alpha version - pre-production beta version - playable prototype gold version - completed game trialling and testing systems and workplace standards for documentation, including: computer file management job lists progress reports target market. |
Personnel may include: | animators concept artists game-play designers graphic designers instructional designers modellers motion capture technicians producers programmers project manager sound engineers team members technical director writers other specialist and technical staff. |
Creating a schedule may involve: | allocating work tasks in consultation with other team members analysing key requirements of the brief assessing concept viability against resource availability conducting risk assessment regarding possible issues and constraints and potential solutions creating an overall project plan and schedule determining workflow with consideration to available resources identifying key milestones and associated deliverables: alpha version - pre-production beta version - playable prototype gold version - completed game trialling and testing identifying stakeholders and devising strategies to meet stakeholder needs identifying the critical path researching background information setting project objectives against achievable timeframes. |
Monitoring production progress may involve: | balancing quality and scheduling requirements coordinating the efforts of development, quality assurance, sales, marketing, public relations and finance ensuring the timely production of assets to brief requirements, including: animation components graphic images interfaces text video identifying and applying testing procedures monitoring workload allocated to individual personnel progressive game testing to ensure playability renegotiating variations and schedule slippage ahead of milestone dates sound identifying and applying contingency strategies. |
Game-engine software and development tools may include: | 3-D Studio Max Bullet Cinema 4D Corel Draw DirectSound DirectX FMOD Irrlicht Lightwave Maya Newton OGRE OpenGL Photoshop. |
Considerations for selection of game-engine software may include: | application of code libraries application of game-engine functionality for an interactive game assessing coding strategy for compliance to brief and for optimal performance of game engine: function testing test plan development validating results assessing viability of existing code in relation to interaction of game-play elements assessing strategy for game-play code basic code writing abilities for customising game-engine functions building code creation specifically for handling exceptions code creation strategy for interaction of game-play elements data structures documentation of code development environmental models game engine customising game platform and game platform logic sound capability spatial data structures technical constraints imposed by the architecture of given game engine integration of custom code into game engines. |
Attributes of assets may include: | alpha-channel colours or layers colour bit-depth dimensions of 2-D artwork file format compatible with game engine naming convention polygon count for 3-D models. |
Tools and features of software may include: | animation compilers debugging software development software efficiency flexible systems suitable for non-programmers graphics graphics-system design middleware operating systems plug-in tools programming for game integration rendering sound system architecture for real-time game environments and simulations tools for designers and play analysis. |
Game-play elements may involve: | chance fun logic playability rules skill strategy. |
Creating game prototype may involve: | bug fixing, bug databases, creating stable code bases and game tuning building flexible systems, configurable by others code review and test harnesses designing and implementing tests and incorporating feedback from quality assurance developing a comprehensive design for all missions and levels, including concept visuals developing a walkthrough for at least one mission or level developing story synopsis and scripts for each level knowledge of games as dynamic systems: applying game tuning strategies in light of feedback from actual play characteristics of a balanced game working with quality assurance and understanding play-test feedback use of appropriate tools and skills for fast, interactive development user-guide development. |
Evaluating game prototype may involve: | examining and analysing the impact of decisions, after the fact: business decisions design decisions methodology and process decisions product ‘post-mortems’ reviewing actual use of resources to achieve outcomes against initial project plan and schedule. |
Tests and user trials may involve play test procedures: | determining criteria for measurement of success with a given audience play testing to monitor player frustration, progress and enjoyment selecting test subjects testing game with target market and other diverse populations. |
Sectors
Game development
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills.
Licensing Information
No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement but users should confirm requirements with the relevant federal, state or territory authority.