Game development is a critical part of any video game that comes to the market for a consumer to purchase. Games are developed essentially to make profit for that particular manufacturer. If a game is well made and tested properly then the chances of selling more is highly likely. It is important therefore to determine how successful a game might be and what it will actually cost to develop in the first place. There is no point in making a game that nobody will purchase when it hits the shelves. The gaming industry is such a big business nowadays that it pays to have a team dedicated to finishing a game and producing it to the highest standard they can. Each area of the development process must be carefully monitored to ensure that there is the budget for each particular phase. It has been discovered over the years that the gaming industry cannot survive unless it comes up with new ideas and original ones at that. Unless the original game was very popular it doesn’t pay to create sequels for it as they might not sell too well. Those companies that do make a healthy profit from a game they develop are then able to expand and grow with the capital. They are also 98win able to invest in other projects. A lot of larger companies actually work on several titles in one go as this is the best way to make profit. Plus, while they are waiting on the sales from one title they can work on the next one rather than hanging about. In the early years of video games it was not uncommon for one programmer alone to take on all tasks when it came to developing a game from the design to programming and testing. However, nowadays, with games becoming more complicated there has to a whole team dedicated to the project at hand. Once there is a game design then you need game testers in order to make sure that the game works as it should do before sending it out to the stores. The development of any video game starts with a design process that comes from the original concept. The idea that is generated by the designers is quite often a combination of features from an existing game or new ideas. The game may well fall into different genres of game from adventure to role playing for example. The target audience that the game is geared towards is important too so you know who will buy the game. Additionally, the story and characters will also be created in the design phase. The development of the game moves on from its early stages through to the programming and testing of the game. These are two highly important phases in the lifecycle as without these the game may not function as it’s supposed to. The testing phase will try to break the game before it goes to the market and for sale. This will iron out any problems in the game play for example. Some games take longer to produce than others but it is a process that must be correct to be successful.