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1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
1
Produce a glossary of terms specific to the methods and principles of Video Game Design and Video Game Terms. Using a provided template,
you must research and gather definitions specific to provided glossary terms. Any definitions must be referenced with the URL link of the
website you have obtained the definition.
You must also, where possible, provide specific details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice.
Name:
Jake Hyatt
RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short
internet researched definition and URL
link)
DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF
THE RESEARCHED TERM TO
YOUR OWN PRODUCTION
PRACTICE?
IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image and/or video link of said
term being used in a game)
VIDEO
GAMES /
VIDEO
GAME
TESTING
Demo It i s my opinion that a demo in games is a
demonstration of how the game is played. It
wi l l normally tell you about how to go about
playing in the game in detail and will normally
take you through several boards of the game,
thi s is normally used to give you a feel for the
game and weather you might l ike the game
and how i t is played i f you are purchasing it. It
al so help to play through as far as you can
before the demo period normally ends.
https ://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi
d=20090423022627AA9nGkS
When the game is completely
finished to the best it can I will
release a demo of the game
which will be a teaser allowing
the player to get up to a certain
point in the game before they are
cut off and unable to play
anymore. This will create hype
for the game before it i s finally
released.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMUv4HW6X-0
Beta Beta is when the game is coming
along and everything is sort of
finalized and it's during a stage when
bugs and errors are being ironed out.
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/4405
11.page
After deciding what functions to
implement into the game I will
create an almost final copy of the
game (The beta) and this will be
tes ted and played multiple times
by a professional so that the
results are accurate and so that
every pos sible glitch/bug is
found. When the data i s collected
I wi l l begin to debug the game.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9D3jH964oY
Alpha Alpha is where they test the game
and change what needs to be
changed. This is when you will see
When I have implemented all the
functions and features I will
develop the game further and in
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka8HUofCEzU

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
more info coming out because they
can finally confirm what has made the
cut and what hasn't.
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/4405
11.page
more detail to create one
mi s sion/level/task to be tested
by a professional and I will then
get feedback for what was good
and what was bad. Off this test I
wi l l decide what game functions
to implement into the game.
Pre-Alpha Pre-alpha is basically implementing all
the systems and features in the
game. Once all those systems are in
the game then they move on to
Alpha.
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/4405
11.page
I would think of a game concept
and create a pre-alpha which will
bas ically have player movement,
a map, and possibly combat to
see if the community would
enjoy i t so that I could develop it
further. It will also tell me what is
mi s sing from the game and what
to add to improve it.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEAokUUM4Zw
Gold Basically, when a game goes "gold",
the beta-testing phase has been
successful and passed, therefore
allowing the game to be
duplicated/produced and published for
retail sale.
https ://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi
d=20070607052358AAxntHM
When my game goes gold I will
announce this and will then begin
to mas s produce it to then be put
into s tores and bundle deals to
sell the most amount of copies as
pos sible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkzY3L_WPTU
Debug In computers, debugging is the process of
locating and fixing or bypassing bugs (errors) in
computer program code or the engineering of
a hardware device.
http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/d
efinition/debugging
After I have conducted the pre-alpha,
alpha and beta tests I will
locate the bugs/glitches and
change the coding so that they
no longer exist or can no longer
be exploited.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/SR1/The_Debug_Menu.html
Automation Automation i s when you have a programme
that tes ts the game for you by typing in a
certa in programme and then letting it test the
game repeatedly until you want i t to stop.
Automation testing would be
useful because it takes away the
human errors that could occur
during the testing stage but also
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbSlW8jZFe8

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
for a person the constantly play
the same game over and over
would get tedious whereas the
automatic system could go
forever.
White-Box
Testing
White Box Testing is a software testing
method in which the internal structure/
design/ implementation of the item being
tested is known to the tester.
http://softwaretestingfundamentals.com/diffe
rences-between-black-box-testing-and-white-box-
testing/
I would use the method of white
box tes ting with a
participant/tester who would
know everything about the game
before hand so that they would
al ready have an idea of how i t
should work, what should
happen and what the final game
should be like.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bJcvBLJViQ
Bug A mi s take, or bug, usually in a computer
program or a video game.
“Dude , did you hear about the glitch in
Counter-Strike 1.6 that lets you shoot your
pi s tol when your shield is up?”
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?t
erm=Gl itch
Bugs are when something
happens in the game which
wa s n’t meant to be
there/happen. Bugs can be
exploited and manipulated so
skip sections of the game or to
level up at an incredible rate.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3g2840zXKY
GAME
ENGINES
Vertex
Shader
A Vertex Shader is also GPU component
and is also programmed using a specific
assembly-like language, like pixel shaders,
but are oriented to the scene geometry and
can do things like adding cartoony
silhouette edges to objects, etc.
http://s tackoverflow.com/questions/832545/w
hat-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders
Vertex shaders could be useful if I
wanted my game to have a
cartoon look to it i f my ta rget
audience was children or people
of a young age. However if I
wanted my game to look realistic
then I would not use the vertex
shaders.
http://www.evl.uic.edu/aej/525/lecture02.html

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
GAME
ENGINES
Pixel Shader A Pixel Shader is a GPU (Graphic
Processing Unit) component that can be
programmed to operate on a per pixel
basis and take care of stuff like lighting and
bump mapping.
http://s tackoverflow.com/questions/832545/w
hat-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders
Pixel shaders are also useful as
they can shade each pixel to the
correct amount and this shader
makes your game look more
realistic rather than a cartoon
s tyle which would be better for a
more s erious game that isn’t
aimed at children.
http://www.overclock.net/t/12577/pixel-shader-v2-vs-v3
Post
Processing
Post-processing allows effects to be used
that require awareness of the entire image
(since normally each 3D object is rendered
in isolation). Such effects include: High
dynamic range rendering.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_post-processing
I would use post processing to
add the final details onto any
aspects that I feel needs to be
improved to blend in with the
whol e image or s cene.
http://nightsheep.deviantart.com/art/The-power-of-Post-Processing-
90463976
Rendering Rendering is the process of generating an
image from a model (or models in what
collectively could be called a scene file), by
means of computer programs.
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/
wiki100k/docs/Rendering_(computer_graphic
s).html
Rendering is extremely useful
because i t allows my
game/scenes to become
perfectly l ighted and shaded
depending on where the camera
i s and where the l ight source is. It
would also allow me to create a
3D s cene and then turn i t into a
2D image.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ysc9PViwgM
Normal Map A normal map is a way of adding high-resolution
detail to a game ready (low
resolution) model, without drastically affecting
the game's performance.
http://3d.about.com/od/3d-101-The-
Bas ics/tp/Current-Gen-Gameart-Workflow-
What-Is-Normal-Mapping.htm
Thi s would be useful because it
means that the game could first
be released with low resolution
but could later have an update to
change i t to a high resolution i f
the game becomes popular and
sells a mass amount of copies.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHzIx41eiD4

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
Entity In a database, anything about which
information can be stored; for example, a
person, concept, physical object or event.
Typically refers to a record structure.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/entity
Enti ties are also good in a game
because i t creates a challenge for
the pl ayer s o that your game isn’t
too easy and can be completed
without any work at all. Examples
of enti ties are enemies, buttons,
levers, moving platforms and
cannons/balls.
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Uthgerd_the_Unbroken
UV Map When you do UV mapping, you are remapping
the XYZ coordinates of your object in a new 3D
space. The coordinates of this space are
renamed UVW to distinguish from XYZ.
http://blenderartists.org/forum/archive/index.
php/t-173777.html
UV mapping would be useful as it
means that I can add any texture
or image to any shape/object
easily making the game making
process quicker and simpler to
use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvTUDgaXik
Procedural
Texture
An algorithmic way of describing a texture.
Unl ike a bitmapped texture, in which the
texture i s represented as a bitmap, a
procedural texture describes the texture
mathematically. Although not widely used, this
method is resolution independent and can
create more precise textures, especially i f
there i s great and varying depth to the objects
being textured. Procedural textures may be 2D
or 3D.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/4
9743/procedural-texture
Procedural textures are
important so that the player can
di s tinguish the difference
between materials because i f
they were all the same then the
level would be hard to navigate
and cause the player to become
frus trated. However with
procedural textures you cane
make something look like metal,
wood, marble, gravel etc.. this
makes the game more enjoyable
as i t is easier to navigate and tell
which object is made of what
material.
http://www.inear.se/2010/05/knocking-on-procedural-
wood/

6. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
6
Physics The branch of s cience concerned with the
nature and properties of matter and energy.
The subject matter of physics includes
mechanics, heat, l ight and other radiation,
sound, electricity, magnetism, and the
s tructure of atoms.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/
english/physics
Phys ics are important if you want
to make your game more realistic
and enjoyable, the main physic
that you need is gravity so that if
your player jumps then they
would fall back down instead of
jus t floating away or s taying on
the cei ling.
http://www.solidsmack.com/rockin-cool-stuff/incredible-game-engine-
has-better-physics-simulation-that-3d-software/
Collision Col l ision detection is an essential part in 3D
games. It ensures that the game physics are
relatively realistic, so that an object does not
cut through other objects or hovers when it
should fall. How well a game can detect
col l isions i s an integral part of the believability
and enjoyment of the game. A poorly
implemented collision detection system can be
a bane to a product, whereas an excellent
implementation can produce amazing results.
http://www.edenwaith.com/products/pige/tut
orials/collision.php
Col l ision detection is
fundamental in every game
because i t allows the player to
s tand on objects, pick up objects,
hi t enemies and not be able to
jump through walls. I would use a
col l ision detector on every aspect
of the game that needed i t so
that.
http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/game-programming/
general-collision-detection-for-games-using-ell-r1026
Lighting Lighting is one of the most important and
influential elements in environments. It
has the power to make or break the
visuals, theme and atmosphere. It creates
atmosphere. It makes places look
scary/cozy or warm/cold. It augments the
three dimensional feel of objects and it
creates composition and balance to lead
the player's eyes around.
http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-
environments-the-hows-and-whys
Lighting i s very important
be ca use i t doesn’t just light up
the area in which the player i s
but i t can also make items look
3D which makes the game look
better. It can also s et the tone of
the area, if everywhere had the
same lighting then the players
mood wouldn’t change but if the
l ighting got darker then it would
be a s erious part of the game
(bos s battle) but i f i t got lighter
then that area would be easy
going (bonus round).
http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-envi ronments-the-hows
-and-whys

7. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
7
AA – Anti-
Aliasing
Smoothing the jagged appearance of diagonal
l ines in a bitmapped image. The pixels that
surround the edges of the line are changed to
varying shades of gray or color in order to
blend the sharp edge into the background. This
technique is also called "dithering," but is
usually known as anti-aliasing when applied to
diagonal and curved lines.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/3
7810/anti -aliasing
Anti -Aliasing allows lines to blend
in more by using colours that are
a mix of the line and the
background so that they
ha rmonise easier and don’t look
blocky. This is useful because by
s imply using this i t makes the
overall appearance of your game
look better.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqi0114mwtY
LoD – Level
of Detail
Level of detail is a general design term for
video game landscapes in which closer objects
are rendered with more polygons than objects
that are farther away.
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/11791
/level-of-detail-lod
My game would have a high level
of design meaning more polygons
as i t would all the close up which
would make it easy to spot
gra phical errors if I didn’t have a
high level of design.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSclvuioZhc
Animation The manipulation of electronic images by
means of a computer in order to create moving
images.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/
english/animation
Animation could be useful to
create small cut s cenes in the
game that does a quick sweep of
the next level that the player
would be facing.
https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQjtvAkfRL8
Sprite a sprite i s a two-dimensional image or
animation that i s integrated into a larger scene.
http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/quest
ions/7771/what-is-a-sprite
I would include sprites, most
l ikely the enemies would be
s pri tes and they wouldn’t need
al l the motions that the main
pl a yer has and they a lso wouldn’t
need to be in as much detail.
http://blogs.unity3d.com/2013/08/28/unity-native-2d-tools/
Scene Small video clips that help to tell you
the story when an in game moment
would not be sufficient.
I would use scenes i f I wanted the
player to focus on something
specific l ike the exit or the
objects that they need and where
they need to take them to in
order for them to complete a
puzzl e.

8. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
8
http://www.gamespot.com/the-last-of-us/user-reviews/2200-
12566086/
Library A software library is a suite of data and
programming code that is used to develop
software programs and applications. It is
designed to assist both the programmer
and the programming language compiler in
building and executing software.
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3828/s
oftware-library
A software library would be
useful because it means that
everything I need would all be in
one place making i t easy to find.
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E24628_01/doc.121/e24473/softwarelib.ht
m#EMADM11674
UI Vi sual part of computer application or
operating system through which a user
interacts with a computer or a software.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition
/user-interface.html
My game/game menu would
have an easy to navigate user
interface because it makes the
ga me more enjoyable i f i t isn’t
di fficult to turn on/off certain
settings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7G0eYHIfzI
Frames A frame is uniquely defined by a
combination of the image to be
displayed and the time the image is
to be displayed. A sequence of frames
makes an animation. Each frame is
displayed on the screen until the next
frame overwrites it.
http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial/anim
ation/frames_and_layers.html
Frames are useful if you want to
create an animation that gets
triggered by the player e.g. they
do something each time they
finish the level but has no control
over the character while this
happens as it was scripted.
http://www.developingwebs.net/flash/frameXframeanimation.php
Concept A conce pt is a thought or i dea. It’s a general
idea about a thing or a group of things.
http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/conce
pt
I would come up with a lot of
concept ideas for the puzzles,
characters, enemies and maps.
After created these I would then
ge t pe ople’s opinions on each of
them and only implement the
mos t l iked ones into the game
making process.
http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1099/inside-the-
box-you-still-don-t-know-jack

9. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
9
Event An event i s when something happens at a
certa in time such as when the player interacts
wi th s omething, it’s a certain ti me of day or i f
the player has entered a certain area.
I would use events in my game
because i t makes it more
interactive for the user and it also
gets their brains working as they
would have to solve the puzzles
of how to advance to the next
level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s50JKbpDJ_4
Pathfinding Pathfinding is a term used mostly by computer
applications to plot the best route from point A
to point B. It is a more realistic variant on
solving mazes.
Used in a wide variety of games, it refers to AI
finding a path around an obstacle, such as a
wal l, door, or bookcase.
http://pathfinding.askdefinebeta.com/
I wold use pathfinding so that the
AI e nemies in the game didn’t
jus t wonder off the screen and
ki l l themselves as this would
make the game too easy. I would
set the paths for the enemies so
that i t gives the player a
chal lenge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding