Software Architectures and the Creative Processes in Game Development

Game development is different from traditional software engineering in that there are no real functional requirements and the customers buy and use the software only because it is engaging and fun. This article investigates how game developers think about and use software architecture in the development of games. Further, it looks at how creative development processes are managed and supported. The results presented in this article come from responses to a questionnaire and a survey among thirteen game developers. The research questions answered in this study are: what role does the software architecture play in game development, how do game developers manage changes to the software architecture, how are creative development processes managed and supported, and how has game development evolved the last couple of years. Some of our findings are that software architectures play a central role in game development where the focus is mainly on achieving software with good performance and high modifiability, creative processes are supported through flexible game engines and tools, use of scripting and dynamic loading of assets, and feature-based teams with both creative and technical professions represented, and game developers are incrementally using more game-specific engines, tools and middleware in their development now compared to earlier.