Unit 30 Vocabulary: Video Games II: Development

Noun (concept)
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AI (artificial intelligence)
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code designed to mimic human behavior by gradually increasing difficulty over time, adapting strategy, or similar responsive behaviors
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"Game AI is nothing new, it has been an integral part of video games for decades."
Noun (concept)
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Asset
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a single game item or element including artwork, special effects, music, sounds, or even code
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"Popular game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine normally include a collection of game assets to get you started."
Noun (thing)
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Bot
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a game character controlled entirely by internal AI
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"Even at the hardest difficulty level, the bots in CS:GO are no match for an experienced player."
Noun (thing)
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Cheat code
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a string of characters typed into a game to make it easier, such as getting free health or skipping levels
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"Cheat codes were originally developed so that software testers could save time by skipping early levels of a game."
Noun (concept)
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Collision detection
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the ability for a game engine to detect the intersection of two or more objects
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"Collision detection is one of the most fundamental principles of game design, and most games would be impossible to make without it."
Noun (thing)
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Cutscene
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a short full-motion video (FMV) sequence in a video game meant to enhance or explain gameplay
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"Although well-placed and directed cutscenes can add value and depth to a video game experience, most are just annoying diversions from gameplay."
Noun (concept)
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FPS (frames per second)
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a common measurement, of the frequency of screen refreshes
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"Fraps is a handy utility for gamers that subtly shows the current FPS in a corner of the screen."
Noun (thing)
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GDD (game design document)
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the basic story of a proposed game including gameplay, characters, maps, and anything else needed to convince the stakeholders to produce the game
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"The publisher said the GDD was completely irrelevant without including a playable demo."
Noun (concept)
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Game engine
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any framework used to create video games, often including sample assets, code libraries, and other useful tools for programmers
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"The project manager doomed his project by deciding to switch game engines in the middle of the development cycle."
Noun (concept)
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Genre
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a classification of a game based on its most basic gameplay elements
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"The boy said his favorite game genres were: shooters, platformers, and the occasional sports title."
Noun (thing)
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Hitbox
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an invisible shape around a game asset projectile
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"Game developers obsess about the properties of their hitboxes so players experience gameplay as more realistic and believable."
Noun (thing)
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Hurtbox
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the area around an asset that takes damage from a projectile
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"The smaller the hurtbox, the more precise one needs to be to trigger it."
Noun (thing)
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Lag
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a measure of network latency (delay) between the game client and the game server
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"Excessive ping times will make FPS games lag and thus be almost unplayable"
Noun (thing)
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Level editor
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a special type of software used to create content within a game
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"Some games such as Super Mario Maker, Minecraft, and Roblox are essentially glorified level editors."
Noun (thing)
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Lightmap
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a graphics technology using extra lumination textures to create more realistic looking game scenes
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"John Carmack was supposedly the first game dev to use lightmap textures during the rendering of his seminal game Quake."
Noun (thing)
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mod (modification)
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a user-made enhancement or alternate version of a game
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"Although most game companies encourage the creation of unofficial mods, the general rule is that you cannot sell them without permission."
Verb (infinitive)
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Nerf
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to reconfigure an existing game asset (such as a character or weapon) to make it less powerful
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"After analyzing hours of beta gameplay, the devs decided to nerf the BFG rocket launcher by reducing its splash damage by 60%."
Noun (concept)
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Replay value
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a subjective measure of how many times a person will play a single game
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"Games with high replay value tend to be complex, varied, and addictive without being too repetitive, long, or complicated."
Noun (thing)
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Skin
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a game mod or asset that changes the appearance of a character without affecting their capabilities
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"New game skins can be obtained in many different ways including loot boxes, achievements, and even traded online for real money."
Proper noun (thing)
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Unity
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a cross-platform game development package first announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in 2005
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"Unity, remains one of the most widely used third-party game development engines globally, despite facing challenges in 2024 that prompted some developers to explore alternative platforms like Unreal Engine, and Godot."
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