Game Design Patterns : Utilizing Design Patterns in Game Programming
Anni Rautakopra · Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen) · 2018
There is more to programming than the mere understanding of syntax. Badly planned and built code is difficult to understand or extend, making it invariably expensive to maintain. That is why it is important to be able to design code in an intelligent way. This skill is as valuable in game programming as it is to the development of any other software. The client of this thesis was the Option of Game Development of Tampere University of Applied Sciences: game development students would stand to gain from a study on code design, as there are no courses available on the subject. The research problem was to find out what design patterns are and whether they could be used in game programming to help organize code: making it easier to read, modify and maintain. The objective of this thesis was to answer the questions of the research problem, to offer the students of the Option of Game Development information about design patterns that can be used in game programming, and how to utilize them with Unity game engine. The objective was also to encourage the students to utilize design patterns in their own game projects, and to inspire them to find out more about design patterns on their own. The research was implemented as a constructive research, using qualitative methodology. The research method was text analysis. The practical part of the thesis consisted of applying the theory into practice by refactoring a tangled game project that was made with Unity, with the help of design patterns. The purpose of this thesis was to create a study for the Option of Game Development of Tampere University of Applied Sciences about design patterns, and how they could be utilized in game programming, by providing examples from the Unity game project that was refactored using design patterns. The results of the thesis confirmed that design patterns can also be used in game programming. It was also found that best programming practices play an important part in intelligent software design: many of the patterns rely heavily on them. The practical part of the thesis proved that design patterns can also be used in games made with a game engine like Unity, even though the structure of the development environment and the design of the code structure is different from the original frame of reference of design patterns. The field of computing evolves constantly, and so do design patterns along with it, but one thing remains the same: design patterns play a key part in designing and building code that is easy to read, modify and maintain. Design patterns are a powerful tool in building games, but they have to be used intelligently. Which design patterns to use, is determined by the type of the game and the requirements it imposes.