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this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2025
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Isnt that part of making a game, not of developing a game?
Disregard the down votes and comments. Your question is an honest one from anyone who hasn't read gaming news or is a techy.
I'm not sure why everyone responding feels the need to, you know, not just answer your question.
In most programs, games or otherwise, there are "programmers", often called "developers" that write code. But the overall "development" of said program is done by the whole team. So making and developing mean the same thing here.
My instance doesnt show downvotes
Thanks for the explanation!
Development is more than writing code.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development
I do think it's a grey area.
Like, if one person on a three person team is exclusively doing art for the game, would they count as a developer moreso than if the two person team contracted out the artwork to separate company? Or would the other company be considered as a developer?
I always thought of anyone that works on a game as a game developer. I dont thing that title isnintrinsicly linked to coders. Coders dont decide the genre or the story, or the direction or gameplay styles etc. They only write the code that makes it all work.
I guess apply the logic somewhere else. If i say i design shoes, but all i do is pick the fabric to be used on shoes, someone else designs the shape, another person works on the comfort and another does drawings and sketches etc. Am i not a shoe designer?
I think when a term becomes an industry like game development or footwear design or film maker or anything, it is fair to say you are that thing despite being a single cog in the machine.
What gives the artist less value than the coder? I cant play the code. Need a character on screen and a world for them to move around in. I need story, i need objectives, i need dialogue and music and sfx etc.
I thought software development and developing meant different things
Game dev is so much more than just programming, there's also:
Each of them are just as important as actually coding a game. You can make a super optimized game, but without the rest, there would be no direction and no flavor to the game.
Music and art are the first things you'd be exposed to, just by watching a trailer. It's usually what hooks people in and gets someone to try a game. Think about games like Ori, Tunic, etc. if you heard of those games, you most likely were first exposed to their art or music. These things set the tone for a game. A serious scene would be ruined if the music didn't fit, and likewise, you wouldn't want to hear serene piano music for a goofy game like TF2, who loves to use horns and trumpets for their goofy war game.
Game design is functionally separate from programming because programming does not rquate to being able to create good level design. Think about zelda games. Each region had to be planned out to provide a unique experience and avoid repeition. Lots of platformers do the same. Even multiplayer games need level design in the form of maps. Part of the fun of FPS games is being able to play different maps, like dust2 to nuke in CS.
Writing is an interesting part where some games might not need much, and some games need a lot of it. Games that rely on storytelling like the walking dead, abzu, etc. require a cohesive story, while others might just need a simple draft, like plants vs zombies or possibly none at all (think simple puzzle games like flow)
Obviously, people can work in multiple categories. I've done both art and programming for some college indie projects, and other game devs usually also have experience in multiple fields if they do indie.
I know that those things are extremely important
I thought that developing a game meant the same as coding a game
Wtf is the difference between making and developing a game???
It wouldnt be the strangest thing the english language does
I guess the same than between shooting and making a movie. But the term game development is confusing, as it includes more than actual development.
Technically developing a game is the process of iterating slowly over time into a cohesive product.
Making a game is the the construction of already known pieces.
Think the difference between a cookie cutter Ubisoft game where everyone knows it can be done given enough time and roughly what the final product will look like and hollow Knight a learn as we go who knows if it will be finished discover the ability to create on the fly.
Long story short:
Developing sounds more artsy.
Of course cookie cutter companies know that and use it for there own purpose so I guess there's no difference.
Game development as a term usually includes all the technical and creative work that goes into it, not just the actual writing code part or R&D.
No.
Isn't that part of being a jackass online, not using your brain?