The World of Computer Gaming

The two main divisions involved in creating a video game are the development and production teams. The functions of the development team are to design the game and move it from an initial concept into a fully realized, playable, and entertaining video game. Development jobs are usually more creative and artistic than production jobs. The role of the production team is to oversee the development team, make sure the game develops into an entertaining product, and eventually market and sell the game to the largest buying audience possible. In most cases, the production team is responsible for the financial funding behind the game. Often, but not always, production jobs are oriented more toward people with managerial and business-related skills.

Sometimes it is the production team that has an idea for a video game and then searches for the right development team to bring it to life. At other times, it is the developers who pitch an original idea to different production companies in hopes of finding the right company to turn their idea into a reality. Regardless of who comes up with the initial idea, every video game needs to have one team in charge of the actual building and design of the game and one team in charge of overseeing, financing, and marketing the game.

While the production and development teams usually work separately, many video game companies find it easier to do both jobs themselves. The way a video game company does this is by having its own in-house development team. In other words, the people responsible for designing and building the game work exclusively for that production company and develop games only for it. This is referred to as internal development. If a development team doesn't work exclusively for one video game company, then it is referred to as external development.

Whether you're interested in working on the production side or the development side (or both), understanding the differences between the two is an integral part of understanding how video games are made.