Game Design Research

[JaymeW]

Good morning all

I have a few questions on game design research. I'm currently outlining a novel in which the main character (a woman) works in the industry. As I'm sure you can understand, I'd like to make the story as accurate as possible.

In a perfect world, I'd like to write her as someone who works an artist by day, doing character conception sketches for a game design firm, but who spends her free time developing her own game, one where she would be doing actual rendering of the characters she's developed.

I have computer knowledge (hardware, software) but no game design knowledge (other than spending way too many hours of my life playing them) so I'm hoping someone on the forums might be interested in giving me a few pointers on the industry, the software used, etc.

If you're up to it, let me know. I promise to try and limit the number of stupid questions I ask!

[tsloper]

Read, read, read! For starters:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson28.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson7.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson10.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/article60.htm

[JaymeW]

I've actually been devouring those articles for the past few days- the entire website is an amazing resource.

[yaustar]

This could help: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur..._the_side_.php

[tsloper]

Originally Posted by JaymeW

I've actually been devouring those articles for the past few days

Not very carefully, you haven't.
You wouldn't use the phrase "game design firm" if you knew from those articles what the phrase "game design" really means. I suggest you re-read FAQ 28, the Game Biz Glossary.