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Rapid Game Prototyping: Why is it

Important in Game Development?
By Starloop Studios |

5-6 minutos

Game prototyping is an important component in the game

development process. This involves creating a method to test the
concept of the game, to see if the idea of the video game can be
put into practice before investing too much money and time in the
project. Prototype development is also used to find methods to
modify certain game mechanics and make it more fun. It doesn’t
matter if the prototype development is done on paper or created in
a digital environment. Usually, a quick and rough game prototype is
used for qa testing and learning in the early stages, and more
detailed game prototypes are useful for testing or pilot trials near
the end of the project.

Why you need a game prototype?

When you start a video game project, it is not enough just to do

some research. Even if the ideas seem great and functional, they
must be tested if you want to be sure of the success of the video
game. If you start the game prototyping phase at an early stage,
you can discover as soon as possible, various interface or
mechanical problems that can be easily solved.

Game prototyping should be used both as idea generators and as

alternative exploration solutions. Because game prototypes are
physical representations of your ideas, it allows you to think by
doing – this means you will gain more value in the processes of
researching, defining, ideating, and testing.

You need game prototyping because it will help you exploring

and experimenting ideas, problems, and opportunities and test the
impact of the changes you will make during the project.

Also, game prototyping will help you better understand the

evolution of a problem: what generates it and how it can be solved.
A game prototype will generate trust to end-users or investors
because they will be able to physically see the ideas of the project.
For example, if they have a deeper understanding of the video
game, you can motivate them to get more involved in the project
and make more sales.

How good is your game idea? A game prototyping

will tell you.

Are you convinced that your idea is great and will bring you
success? You wouldn’t be the first to believe that. Many game
designers and developers failed precisely because they were very
sure of their idea and did not give a chance to a game prototype to
show them exactly if their idea can be brought to life. A game
prototype will tell you how solid your idea is and if it is well planned
how well you thought about it. If you are not sure if the game will be
fun for players, it is best to give them a chance to check it out. The
game prototype doesn’t have to be super polished and bug-free.
What it should be is playable enough that you can actually get
some feedback from people after they check it out.
How much should you dedicate to creating game
prototyping?

Prototypes should not look pretty but just answer certain questions,
discover problems in the game, and indicate how they can be
solved. That’s why you don’t have to invest a lot of time to make
them look pretty. Time is precious, so you can use it at other
important stages in the game development process. Generally, 1-2
days should be enough to prototyping the core mechanic of a
game. Keep in mind, that some ideas can be more complex and
may require a few extra days to prototype.

The advantages of game prototyping outsourcing

The experience that an outsourcing video game studio would have

in the game prototyping activity could save you a lot of resources.
They already know how things work, they have the tools and
people ready for this job and due to their experience, the quality of
the results will be higher, and the delivery time and costs will be at
a minimal cost.

At Starloop Studios, we help you to verify your game idea before

investing in full development. With over 10 years of experience in
the video game industry, we have created a lot of concepts and
prototypes on different platforms, so we know exactly how to make
this phase effective in every way.

How We Work

We offer full support in all phases of game prototyping: from the

output of prototypes in a wide range of platforms, game art &
design services, to programming for specific mechanics and
backend support development.

The first step is to send us your Prototype Description Document,

based on which we will create a short formal specification
document (PDD). After you have sent us all your requirements and
initial budget, our game prototype developers will begin the
consultation and research period so that all your requirements can
be well understood.

Thanks to the tools and communication methods we have

developed over time, we will keep you up to date with the entire
process until the project is delivered. Of course, along with the
game prototype results, you will also receive useful comments and
insights from our designers and engineers.

Our experienced outsorcing game development would be very

happy to help you with your projects. Contact us so we can offer
you a customized game prototyping solutions.