John M. Guilfoil
How exactly is a video game made? How long does it take? See the interactive timeline below to learn about this multi-year, multi-million dollar process.
Massachusetts is a virtual Mecca of video games. With 2K Games down in Quincy, and Harmonix Music Systems in Cambridge, it's a great place if you're a hardcore gamer or someone who wants to work in the industry.
But most people don't understand exactly how much effort goes into their favorite game.
Game development teams can consist of 100 people and thousands of volunteer testers. A modern game can cost more than $5 million to produce.
Gaming is a multi-billion-dollar business in this country alone, and to find out exactly what goes into development, we did some research with Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which educates a lot of great future game developers.
Take a look at the timeline above to see how much time, money, and effort is expended.