Game Development Naming Conventions

I am still amazed by the amount of game developers that don’t use naming conventions. Yes, developers need freedom to create original expressive code but unless you are working alone with Yoda in the Dagobah system, you and your code will need to work with others. Even if you are working completely alone, a code naming convention can help if you are working on multiple projects over many years. There is nothing worse that looking back over your previous code and going…..what the %$*! Is going on here.

I have uploaded a sample of the Fierce Fun coding conventions. Also here are our asset naming guidelines. Most are based on universal standards such as PascalCase though some are particular to us. Hopefully you may find them useful and I would encourage all developers to adopt some form of naming convention.

GameDevelopmentCodingConventions

GameDevelopmentAssetNamingGuidelines

Bespoke Custom Games for business – Works every time.

As the gaming community has known for a long time, a game is not just about winning or losing, its far more important than that. Games are increasing in complexity all the time and are now firmly rooted in our everyday lives. Recent daily news reports about the invasion of PokemonGO players to such diverse locations as The White House to Ayers Rock, causing mayhem in their wake, are proof of this. To ignore the power of games to influence people and create market share would be a mistake for business especially those involved in building their brand. The future of marketing is complex and apps and games are a very useful vehicle and tool to drive business forward. This is not surprising to us at Fierce Fun, but what does surprise us, is the amount of companies both large and small, that are completely unaware of the marketing potential a bespoke game can have to their bottom line. Not only do games have the power to influence our lives but they are a powerful force for marketing and in the area of education and learning.

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Generation Z and Social Media

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In a recent U.S. college survey by Fluent marketing and insights, conducted in March 2016, students between the ages of 17-24, (a.k.a. Gen Z)  were asked about the social media platforms they use most. The results are not surprising with Facebook getting a resounding, 67%, Snapchat at 51% and Instagram at 50%. Predictably the Snapchat phenomenon is continuing unabated with the steady rise of this platform worrying the Facebook executives.  33% of respondent stated they have increased usage of Snapchat and no major increase in the use of  Facebook.

However, it was found that Facebook retains its dominant position in the social media sphere, being the favoured platform for friends, family, and brands. But the findings indicate it needs to keep evolving if it is to keep its position as the default social media platform of choice. Snapchat and Instagram appear to be used by Gen Z for tighter close-knit friendships or groups.

The survey’s most interesting findings revealed what the platforms are being primarily used for.  

Facebook is the Daddy. Primarily being used for general digital profiles and regarded as necessary. Regarding advertising on Facebook, respondents indicated they preferred display ads as opposed to news feed ads. Despite Facebook heavily promoting  video lately, respondents still favour using specific video platforms like You Tube.

Snapchat & Instagram: The good buddy platforms. These platforms are used several times a day by the respondents and are used to communicate with close friends and their campus community. They are open to ads on these platforms if they are brief and not pretending to be content which is perceived as disingenuous.  

YouTube & Pinterest are brand central. Respondents follow brands and celebrities on all channels, but they seem to favour interaction with  brands on Youtube and Pinterest. They also like following celebrities on these platforms. Twitter is also popular for following celebs. Respondents expect  ads on these platforms, as they seem more brand oriented.  Adverts that service a need or address issues they care about are usually clicked on. The quality of visual content in Snapchat and You Tube, promote repeat visits, in contrast,  branded stories or celebrity endorsements do not engage respondent enough to buy a product.

Time is of the essence, but video is king.   Most respondents (74%) spend more than two hours a day on social media with just under half  (44%)  spending more than four hours a day. Video is popular on all platforms with You Tube, as expected being the top provider. Two-thirds of respondent watch up to two hours of video a day for entertainment, this may happen over several visits during this time. Unusually live streaming video conversation were not as popular as these figures would suggest, with in-person contact being the preferred method of communication.

 

Games Development & Publishing: Links We Like

Resource for Indie Game Developers
http://www.pixelprospector.com/

HTML5 Game Development – JavaScript Libraries
http://www.createjs.com/

Free Online Games
http://www.kongregate.com/

VC/Game Industry News and Information
http://venturebeat.com/category/games/

Make Games with Google
https://developers.google.com/games/

Facebook Games Developer Center
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/games

Irish Game Development - Gamedevelopers.ie
http://gamedevelopers.ie/home/

Adobe Gaming
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/games/gaming.html

Flash Game License
https://www.fgl.com/developer_home.php

Tech Blog: RunTheProgram
http://runtheprogram.com

Gamasutra – The Art and Business of Making Games
http://www.gamasutra.com/

Starling: Cross Platform Game Engine
http://gamua.com/starling

Casual Games Association
http://www.casualgamesassociation.org

Games Development Jobs
http://www.gamesrecruit.co.uk/Index.aspx

Mobile Games Monetisation and User Acquisition
https://www.chartboost.com/

Windows 10 Game Develop
https://dev.windows.com/en-us/games

Amazon AWS: Game Hosting Services
http://aws.amazon.com/game-hosting

Programming Guide For Video-Gamers
http://ithare.com/programming-guide-for-video-gamers/