Game engine terminology/glossary

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: RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short internet researched definition and URL
link)
DESCRIBE
THE
RELEVANCE
OF THE
RESEARCHE
D TERM TO
YOUR OWN
PRODUCTIO
N
PRACTICE?
IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image and/or
video link of said term being used in a
game)
VIDEO
GAMES
/ VIDEO
GAME
TESTIN
G
Demo A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration of an upcoming or recently released
game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_demo
A demo
would be
useful to see
what players
l ike and
di s like about
my game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJBIc5iSDY0
Beta The word Beta in the video game industry refers to a products stage of development. Beta
refers to a point where a game is closed to being released but still needs testing.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/what-does-beta-software-really-mean/
A beta
vers ion of a
game would
by useful as i t
al lows me to
spot and
correct any
bugs /glitches.

IG2 Task 1
2
Alpha The word Alpha in the video game industry also refers to a products stage of development.
Alpha refers to the halfway point of a games development.
An Alpha
vers ion of a
game would
by useful as i t
al lows me to
spot and
correct any
bugs /glitches.
Pre-Alpha The word pre-alpha in the video game industry also refers to a products stage of
development.
Pre-alpha refers to the very beginning of a games development.
A Pre-Alpha
vers ion of a
game would
by useful as i t
al lows me to
spot and
correct any
bugs /glitches.
Gold Whe n a vi deo game is ‘gold’ it means that the development cycl e is completed.
http://www.gamespot.com/forums/playstation-discussion-1000002/what-does-it-mean-when-
a-game-goes-gold-26614050/
Thi s would
mean that my
game has
been
developed
and i s ready
to be
di s tributed.

IG2 Task 1
3
Debug A debug menu is a section of a game where developers can test a game and access areas
unavailable during gameplay.
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Debug_menu
Thi s would be
useful to
al low players
to edi t
aspects of my
game which
they do not
l ike or think
needs
improvement.
Automatio
n
In software testing, test automation is the use of special software (separate from the
software being tested) to control the execution of tests and the comparison of actual
outcomes with predicted outcomes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_automation
Thi s would be
useful to test
my finished
game.

IG2 Task 1
4
White-Box
Testing
A software testing technique whereby explicit knowledge of the internal workings of the
item being tested are used to s elect the test data.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/White_Box_Testing.html
Bug A bug or gl itch i s a short l ived fault in a game. It describes a fault that usually corrects i tself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch
Any bugs in
my game
need to be
removed.
GAME
ENGINE
S
Vertex
Shader
A Vertex Shader i s a GPU component and i s programmed using a specific assembly-like
language. They are oriented to the scene geometry and can do things like adding cartoony
s i lhouette edges to objects.
http://s tackoverflow.com/questions/832545/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders
Thi s would be
useful when
des igning
characters for
my game.

IG2 Task 1
5
GAME
ENGINE
S
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/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders
Thi s would be
useful when
des igning
s cenery for
my game.
Post
Processing
Thi s setting controls the colour, lighting and blurs effects which largely determine the
"cinematic" look of a game.
http://www.tweakguides.com/Crys is3_8.html
Thi s would
al so be useful
during the
production of
s cenery.
Rendering Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model (or models in what
col lectively could be called a scene file), by means of computer programs.
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Rendering_(computer_graphics).
html
Thi s
processed
would be
used when
creating an
envi ronment
for my game.

IG2 Task 1
6
Normal
Map
Thes e are images that s tore a direction, the direction of normals directly in the RGB values of
an image. They are much more accurate, as rather than only simulating the pixel being away
from the face along a line, they can simulate that pixel being moved at any direction, in an
arbi trary way.
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Manual/Textures/Influence/Material/Bump_and
_Normal
Entity A unique ID that tags each game-object as a separate item.
http://entity-systems.wikidot.com/
Thi s would be
useful when
adding items
into my game.
UV Map UV mapping is the 3D modeling process of making a 2D image representation of a 3D
model's surface.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping
I would use
thi s process
when creating
characters for
my game.

IG2 Task 1
7
Procedural
Texture
A procedural texture is a computer-generated image created using an algorithm intended to
create a realistic representation of natural elements such
as wood, marble, granite, metal, s tone, and others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_texture
Thi s would be
used when
texturing my
game.
Physics Computer animation physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws
of phys ics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the
purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_physics
I should make
sure that the
phys ics in my
game are
realistic and
work
correctly.
Collision Col l ision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the
intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with i ts use
in video games and other physical s imulations, i t also has applications in robotics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_detection
If something
i s colliding in
my game it
means that
the objects
need to be
edited.
Lighting Lighting has the capacity to bring life to a group of objects and take them to the next level of
quality. Its purpose goes further than just giving the players the ability to see where they are
going. It creates atmosphere. It makes places look scary/cozy or warm/cold.
http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-envi ronments-the-hows-and-whys
Lighting
would be
used when
creating an
envi ronment
for my game.

IG2 Task 1
8
AA – Anti-
Aliasing
Anti -aliasing can detect rough edges and smooth them out using a quick s can of them. If the
higher the number the more edges it can scan at once.
https ://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100420031929AAON6YB
I would use
thi s at the
end of the
creation of
my game to
ensure that
the textures
are correct.
LoD –
Level of
Detail
The level of detail within a game is how much detail has been put into the scenery and
characters of the game.
The level of
deta il of my
game will
depend on
the engine I
use and the
amount of
time I spend
creating my
game.
Animation Animation in video games refers to how things physically look, which includes everything
from the texture of the skin on each character, to the graphical user interface, to the way a
character rolls her ankle when she walks.
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/413/game_art_and_animation_an_introductio
n.php
Animation
would be
used when
creating
characters for
my game.

IG2 Task 1
9
Sprite In computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names; see Synonyms below) is a two-dimensional
image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene. Initially including just
graphical objects handled separately from the memory bitmap of a video display, this now
includes various manners of graphical overlays.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)
Thi s will only
be used when
creating my
2d game.
Scene In game engines the s cene is a certain point within a game where the player does not have
control of what is happening.
Scenery in my
game will
depend on
what game
engine I use.
Library A l ibrary refers to different game engines. A l ibrary wi ll
be the
di fferent
game engines
I have to
choos e from.

IG2 Task 1
10
UI Abbreviated UI, the junction between a user and a computer program. An interface i s a s et
of commands or menus through which a user communicates with a program. A command-driven
interface i s one in which you enter commands.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/user_interface.html
The us er
interface of
my game will
depend on
what game
engine is
used.
Frames Frames in a game refer to every point within gameplay. Frames are used to separate
di fferent parts of the game into sequences.
The amount
of frames in
my game will
depend on
how long it
ends up
being.
Concept A concept is an idea for a game or something in a game. Concept for
my game will
be done at
the very
beginning of
the creating
process.
Event

IG2 Task 1
11
Path
finding
Path finding or pathing is the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route
between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding
Path finding
wi l l be used
when creating
objects that
need to be
l inked
together.

Game engine terminology/glossary

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