Ever wonder what it takes to put together a blockbuster 3D game? Wonder no more. In this talk, we’ll discuss game theory as it relates to today’s gaming industry, examine the essential components of a 3D game, and survey the roles and specialties involved in making a AAA title.

1. Introduction to 3D Gaming Clint Edmonson

2. 6 Average budget ( in $millions ) for a blockbuster game title.

3. 50 Average size of development team for blockbuster game title.

4. 10 Average number of programmers on development team for blockbuster game title.

5. 32 Average number of months to develop a blockbuster 3D game from concept to delivery.

6. 6 Average number of months for team of expert programmers to develop a complete game engine from scratch.

7. 600,000 Number of dollars to license the Unreal game engine for 1 game on 1 platform.

8. 6 Average number of months saved by licensing a game engine.

9. 8 Current number of job openings at Epic Games, the makers of the Unreal game engine.

10. 107 Current number of programmer/engineer job postings on Gamasutra.com.

11. 9 Average number of gigabytes consumed by game installed to PC hard disk

12. 5 Average number of terabytes consumed by game assets created by development team.

13. What is a Game?

14. Play Learning in a safe environment

15. Interactivity The illusion of control in a controlled environment

16. Toys, Games, and Simulations What’s the difference between a toy and a game?

17. Toys Abstraction of reality Don’t have goals

18. Toys, Games, and Simulations What’s the difference between a game and a simulation?

19. Simulations Try to closely mimic reality Complexity may affect fun

20. Toys, Games, and Simulations TOY GAME SIMULATION Complexity Abstraction

21. Formal Elements

30. System Dynamics

34. Dramatic Elements

39. So what is a game?

42. Designing a 3D Game

51. Team Roles & Specialties

60. Remember: Design accounts for ¾ of entire production timeline