Games

From DAU and EULA to COT and QADE, here’s a list of game industry terms, industry jargon and their general meanings, as compiled by staff at Screen Australia.

Please note: this is not a legal document and these are not legal definitions. Legal definitions are set out in various funding agreements with Screen Australia and these may differ to the definitions set out below. These definitions are intended for guidance purposes only, are non-binding and do not take precedence over similar terms that may appear in Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, funding guidelines, funding agreements or applicable legislation. In the event of inconsistency, the definitions set out in any contract with Screen Australia will prevail. For information about contracting with Screen Australia please refer to Screen Australia’s website here.

A

AAA – pronounced ‘Triple-A’, a reference to big games with big budgets and relatively large teams.

Alpha – an early, incomplete yet playable version of a game, akin to a first draft, that includes core gameplay.

Augmented Reality or AR – a technology that overlays computer-generated information or game elements over a view of the real world, typically through a mobile device or specialised headset.

Assets – content or elements that are made for and used in a game, including art, sound effects, music, sprites, textures, models, animation, levels, etc.

B

Beta – an incomplete yet playable version of a game, further refined than an alpha, that includes most of the game’s functionality and is ready to be playtested.

Budget – a document that outlines the costs to make your game. In the budget, an extensive itemised list is compiled to detail and track how much money is being spent and where. You may have heard about the ‘A to Z’ budget, which is one of the standard formats in Australia.

Build – an exported version of a game, usually stamped with a specific version number. May also refer to a set of weapons or armour a character equips.

C

Closed Beta Test or CBT – a beta testing period that occurs on an invite-only basis, and may often involve signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Client – a local game executable or launcher application that connects a player to a game server and communicates with it.

Console – an electronic hardware device typically connected to a screen that is used to play videogames. May also refer to a ‘terminal’ window that can be opened in-game to run developer commands.

Contingency – a portion of a budget that is earmarked for unforeseeable costs, such as overtime. It is often calculated as roughly 5% of total budgeted costs in the independent games sector.

Co-operative or co-op – a ‘co-operative’ mode of multiplayer games where players work together towards shared goals.

Chain of Title or COT – a compilation of documents and agreements that prove that an applicant or applicant company has all the necessary rights to produce, release and distribute a project.

D

Daily Active Users or DAU – a metric that counts the unique number of players who engage with a game on a given day, typically used as a quantitative measure of performance of a game, especially for online games and Free-to-Play (F2P) mobile games.

Debug – the process of troubleshooting and fixing errors (bugs) in a game’s code, content or gameplay.

Demo – a limited, playable sample of a game released to showcase its gameplay and features before its full release.

Development – the end-to-end process of creating a game, including pre-production, production and release. May sometimes refer specifically to the pre-production phase. To note: use of development in the games industry is expressed differently to the screen industry.

Devkit – a specialised hardware and software kit provided by a platform holder to enable developers to build and test games for that platform.

Digital Games Tax Offset or DGTO – a 30% refundable tax offset for qualifying Australian development expenditure on eligible games, administered by the Office For The Arts (OFTA). Find out more about DGTO here.

Downloadable Content or DLC – new content released after a game’s launch that adds new features, gameplay, levels, items, characters or story. DLC can range from free content to tiered pricing.

E

Early Access – a public release of an unfinished version of a game that players can buy and begin playing while development continues. This model allows gamemakers to gather player feedback while sales is able to contribute to financing the development of the game. Not to be confused with Presales.

End User License Agreement or EULA – a legal document that outlines the terms under which players may use a game.

F

Free-to-Play or F2P – a business model where a game is free to download and play with alternative methods of monetisation, including ads and in-app purchases.

Finance Plan – a document that outlines the different people, agencies and organisations who will be providing the funds to finance a project e.g. you might get funds from Publishers, Platform Holders and other funding sources such as state/federal screen agency grants and/or incentives. This is all reflected in a document called the Finance Plan. You can consult this sample finance plan to see how it would look. The Finance Plan also shows the percentage of each financier’s contribution to the Budget and their share of equity.

FOSS or Free Open-Source Software – free software whose source code is publicly available to use, study, modify and distribute.

G

Games as a Service or GaaS – a business and development model where a game is continually updated with new content over time that allows for monetising content for sustained or continued income.

Game Engine – a software development tool that enables the creation of a game. Game engines often come with built-in libraries, code and components that handle physics, graphics, audio, animation and networking to avoid gamemakers having to code these from scratch.

Game Loop – the foundational, repetitive cycle of actions and activities in a game that make up the core of gameplay, often repeatable with progression.

Gamefeel – the sensory quality of how gameplay feels to a player, in response to visuals, animation, audio, timing and feedback.

Gamemaker – the umbrella term used to refer to any creative member of a team who is responsible for the making and creating of a game, akin to a Filmmaker.

Gameplay – the moment-to-moment interactive experience of a game, facilitated by a game mechanics and systems.

Game Design Document or GDD – a detailed document that outlines all aspects of a game’s intended design and vision, including its mechanics, systems, story, characters and other production details.

Gold Master – the final, finished build of a game that is intended for release and distribution.

H

Hardware – the physical device or components of a device that a game is played on, e.g. console, gamepad, monitor, etc.

I

In-App Purchase or IAP – a transaction made in-game to buy digital goods, subscriptions, virtual currency, or unlock content and premium features.

Investment Manager or IM – the Screen Australia staff member responsible for managing a games project or activity. May also refer to Instant Messaging – a real-time form of text communication between two or more people.

J

K

L

Live Operations or LiveOps – the ongoing management, updates, events and support that keeps a game running and engaging after release.

M

Monthly Active Users or MAU – a metric that counts the unique number of players who engage a game across a period of month, typically used as a quantitative measure of performance of a game, especially for online games and F2P mobile games.

Mechanics – the underlying rules and systems of a game that govern how a game is played.

Middleware – third party software and tools that aid in the creation of games, allowing for easier and faster development.

Massively Multiplayer Online or MMO – a game with a large number of players that interact in a shared world and gameplay experience.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game or MMORPG – a role-playing game with a large number of players that interact in a shared world and gameplay experience. All MMORPGs are MMOs, but not all MMOs are MMORPG.

Mod – a user created modification that changes, extends or adds content to an existing game. May also refer to a Moderator, someone who monitors discussions in an online game or social space.

Mixed Reality or MR – a technology that blends real world and digital elements to enable virtual objects to interact with physical space.

Microtransactions or MTX – small in-app purchases that provide additional in-game items, currency, boosts, or other goods.

Multiplayer – a game mode where multiple players interact, compete or co-operate in the same game session.

Minimum Viable Product or MVP – the simplest functional version of a game or feature used to test viability. May also refer to Most Valuable Player, a title given to the individual whose performance contributed the most to their team’s success.

N

O

Open Beta Test or OBT – a beta testing period that occurs on a publicly accessible basis, often used to test for balance and stability.

Office for the Arts or OFTA – an Australian Government entity within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts that develops policy and delivers funding. OFTA administers the DGTO, which you can learn more about here.

Optimisation – the process of improving a game’s performance so that it runs smoothly on a target hardware or platform.

P

Project Grant Agreement or PGA – Production Grant Agreement or Project Grant Agreement, depending on the relevant Screen Australia funding program. A core contract that governs the terms of Screen Australia’s provision of funding for a project by way of a non-recoupable grant.

Pitch Deck – a visually driven presentation used to pitch a game concept to publishers, investors, funding bodies or other stakeholders.

Platform – the hardware ecosystem that a game runs on, including PC, console and mobile.

Platform Holder – a company that owns and controls the distribution of games on a games platform.

Playtesting – the process of evaluating a game by observing players in the active process of playing the game in order to identify issues.

Porting – the process of adapting a game to run on a different platform than the one it was originally built for.

Premium – a game sold for an upfront price before it can be accessed and played.

Presale – sales made prior to public release of a game.

Production – the phase where the game is built, assets are created, and the complete game is delivered to scope and schedule.

Prototype – a limited, playable version of a game that demonstrates core mechanics and gameplay, often used to test feasibility.

PROPS – Program Operations – a unit at Screen Australia that process funding applications and are available to answer funding application questions during business hours on 1800 213 099.

Publisher – a company that funds, markets and distributes a game, typically in return for a percentage in sales or IP ownership.

Q

Quality Assurance or QA – the formalised process of thoroughly playing and testing a game for bugs, stability and usability.

Qualifying Australian Development Expenditure or QADE – related to the DGTO. Find out more about QADE here.

R

Release Candidate – a feature complete build of a game that is ready for launch, unless major issues are found.

S

Software Development Kit or SDK– a set of tools, utilities and libraries used to build or integrate game features.

Server – a remote computer that hosts a game or holds game data, for players to connect to over the internet to play games with others.

Ship – the process of publicly releasing a game.

Simultaneous Ship or Sim-Ship – the process of publicly releasing a game across multiple platforms at the same time.

Single-player – a game mode designed for one player with no online or multiplayer components.

Solicitor’s Opinion Letter or SOL – a legal document provided by a qualified solicitor that contains an opinion confirming the ownership of intellectual property and the rights of the applicant to carry out the intended activity.

Source Code – the collection of computer instructions that has been written to make the game function, typically not accessible by players or after a game has been built or released.

Splash Screen – an introductory title screen that appears for a few seconds when a game is first launched. It typically includes the logos of funders, publishers, middleware, development studios and any other stakeholders that require crediting.

T

Technical Design Document or TDD – a document created by technical team members after a Game Design Document has been created and analysed, which outlines exactly how the game’s systems and features will be implemented from a technical perspective.

U

User Interface or UI – the interface through which the player interacts with the game, including graphical components, as well as text, haptics, audio cues, gestures and accessibility. Includes Graphical User Interface (GUI) – visual on-screen information presented to the player to convey various information.

User Experience or UX – the overall perception or experience of a game or product, including its feel, ease of use, and functionality.

V

Venture Capital or VC – investment funding provided to a studio or project typically in exchange for equity or sales returns.

Vertical Slice – a small yet polished version of a game that demonstrates the intended final-quality gameplay, visuals and systems of the game.

Virtual Reality or VR – an immersive technology that allows players to step into and experience a simulated virtual space through the use of a headset and motion controllers.

W

X

Extended Reality or XR – the umbrella term used to describe VR, AR and MR technologies and experiences.

Y

Z

This Glossary of Terms may be updated from time to time.