In this thesis the reader will be presented with a definition of the nebulous term Polish used in relation to computer games, mainly derived from literary sources. The term has been processed from different perspectives and split into three overall topics: Polish, Appeal, and Measures.
The topic of Polish relate to the elements used to add Appeal to a computer game. The topic of Measures relate to how the intentions of the game’s Appeal are being verified through the pre–production and the production phases in the making of a computer game. These three topics will form the cornerstones of this master thesis.
The overall methodology of the study consist of two parts. The first part being a series of correspondences with game designers via e–mail and online discussion forums dedicated to game design issues. The second phase of the methodology has been to verify the responses through a series of interviews with professional game developers working at different levels in the game industry.
The results are presented according to the cornerstones, Polish, Appeal and Measures reflecting the respondents’ opinions on how the elements of Polish are being evaluated in pre–production and production of computer games. It is clear that players are not included in pre–productions as much as in productions. The elements of Polish should not be treated as those with functional and pleasing purposes separately, as there are rarely added any elements of Polish that does not have a distinct function in the game.
Several aspects of game design are being discussed, however an effort is made towards making the proposed methodology independent of the established definition of staged software development. In relation to this there is being proposed a more fluid way to describe the process of game development through the terms Concept, Design, and Content.
The conclusion of the thesis proposes a simple methodology of designing games that is independent of software production methodologies.