Practical Game Design

Prototyping

We will talk about prototyping in detail later; for now, let's just get some basics:

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept.

Only 15 years ago, building a prototype for a video game concept or to just try out some mechanics was out of the question for most game developers. Today, with tools such as Unity and other accessible game engines, prototyping is extremely quick and efficient, and most importantly, not only a prerogative of games programmers.

Imagine that you want to make a 3D game where two armies clash in battle. Developing a playable demo of such a game, with 3D models of every soldier, the battleground, and the rules behind movement and fighting, is a massive amount of ...