Position Paper on Value of Technical Publications in the Gaming and Entertainment Industry

1. Position Paper on
Value of Technical Publications in
the Gaming and Entertainment Industry

3. Introduction
This paper systematically presents the need and TWB - Leading Technical Documentation
the value of quality Technical Publications in the
gaming and entertainment industry of today. Outsourcing Company
TWB is a leading technical publisher with an
The gaming industry, (popularly termed as
excellent record of providing unmatched technical
interactive entertainment) has grown enormously
documentation to many major companies.
over the past decade, and continues to do so at a
rapid pace. Seamlessly merging with mainstream
media by sheer demand and revenue generating Technical publications created in the gaming
capabilities, the gaming and entertainment industry industry today may range from production of a
is now a part of mainstream media culture. game’s instruction booklet to information
organization documents that are essential for
creation of video games. These publications vary
With customers demanding higher complexity and
from Level Design documents and Concept
realistic graphics, gaming is the fastest growing
documents, to Installation Guides and Game
industry amongst all sectors in the U.S. The U.S.
Manuals.
Bureau of Labor has forecasted that growth of
software publishing, (which encompasses video
game design) will expand by about 67.9% between TWB would be the ideal choice for leaders in the
2002 and 2012. Gaming and Entertainment industry. TWB helps
customers with all their technical documentation
needs such as user guides, administration guides,
With due credit to its revenue generating powers,
installation manuals, process and workflow
the industry still remains young. As of now, no
documentation, configuration documents and
significant standardized documentation, or
training materials.
information organization processes exist. The
absence of a standard process has underscored
the importance of a uniform and standardized way TWB works closely with client teams located
to document and organize information globally, and assists them in meeting their
appropriately. A void is often experienced between worldwide product announcements and launch
existing knowledge and the methods that are deadlines. We work round-the-clock with client
employed, with heavy reliance on documentation teams and help them with quick responses that
experts and Technical Communicators to bridge facilitate timely distribution of documents around
this gap. the globe.
Technical Communicators help meet customer “Knowledge is people, money, learning, flexibility
demands and increase customer satisfaction. They and competitive advantage. Knowledge is more
also provide marketing collaterals meant for relevant to sustained business than capital or
promotional purposes as well as support selling. labor. And yet knowledge remains the most
neglected asset of a business. TWB helps you
With tremendous growth, flourish of technology, unlock and share your technical knowledge with
and sufficient insulation from the Wall Street chaos, the world.”
it is fair to predict that market conditions will be
favorable for a considerable length of time. Gaming
now extends beyond PCs, to mobile phones,
handheld devices, and other media.
“TWB believes that technology cannot exist
without being communicated effectively.”
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4. Gaming and Interactive Entertainment - Technical Publications
stry – and Interactive Entertainment is a new, yet
Gaming
Technical Publications
flourishing industry that circumscribes various job Challenges and Solutions
descriptions and employs a sizeable number of
personnel. When other industries suffered drying up of
funds, and were victims of the Wall Street chaos, the Some of the greatest documentation challenges
gaming industry has thrived. Sales of new systems from that gaming industry faces today are:
Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, as well as hardware
and game accessories amassed almost $18 billion last
 Creating Level Design and Concept documents
year. This is a 43% increase, when compared to 2006,
as per the industry analyst NPD Group.  Catering to a varied audience
 Existing complexity of documents
 Maintaining accurate and quality gaming
documents
 Cost-cutting in various aspects
 Managing large volumes of documentation for
new game releases
 Shortening of development cycles
TWB’s long-standing, impeccable record in
handling various kinds of documentation, coupled
with its multi-domain industry expertise,, provides
the following solutions:
 Cost-effective knowledge documentation and
knowledge management
Major media players are also investing in the gaming  Integrated documentation process
industry. Disney has set forth $100 million for the  Simplified, multi-staged documentation and
creation of games based on some of its movies. review processes
Nickelodeon Division of MTV was planning to invest  Virtualization of work space enabling fast track
$100 million and add 1,600 games to its Web sites. reviews
 Goal-driven approach to ensure quality and
Growing industries should have firm support functions
in place to facilitate the successful transition. These accuracy
functions guide the industry seamlessly into 
mainstream entertainment as a leading player. Benefits
“We're in the boom part of the cycle, games Association with TWB can immensely benefit game
companies have been growing rapidly and are companies in saving costs and creating
rationalizing acquisitions as a way to continue professional documents and marketing collaterals.
strengthening themselves.” - David Perry
(gaming entrepreneur and former game designer) TWB can help in:
 Knowledge transfer from experts to end user
 Breaking down complex information into an
“The primary purpose [of research] is to get
easy and understandable form
technical communicators thinking about design,
perhaps in a new way, and to lay the groundwork
for future research in this area. We believe that by “Development documents can be a key way of
analyzing the design of game applications, ‘holding the reins tightly’ on a project, to make
designers of business applications can gain sure it does not spin out of control because of
insight into how to help their users learn while the impractical ambitions of team members." -
they complete their tasks." - Rob Houser and Richard Rouse (a computer game designer,
Scott Deloach, (Game Researchers 1998) writer, and programmer)
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5. Value of Technical Publications
Technical Communication for Publications for Different Levels of
Transferring Product Knowledge Technical and Product Knowledge
ra
The purpose of technical communication is to transfer In technical publications, audience is the focal
product knowledge to end users in a comprehensible point. Hence, the style, language, and content
manner. The strategies of communication and levels must vary depending on the type of audience
of information vary depending on the type of product being addressed. Every user has a specific role
and audience. in the implementation and usage of the
technology. Therefore, it is important that
Providing end users with information about a documents be created keeping in mind the role
product’s operation and maintenance is critical to the of the person who will use them.
market performance of the product. Hence, the need
for quality documentation is imperative. For example, when you document for
professional gamers, who have played
Often technical publications are developed as an pervious versions of the game, it is sufficient to
afterthought. This usually results in inaccurate and provide the quick reference information to
incomprehensible documentation, which, in turn, guide them into various levels.
renders the users incapable of using the products.
For users who start without technical or product
Accurate, readily understandable, and quality knowledge, or those who are trying the games
documents determine how a product sells in the for the first time, it is important to provide
market and result in increased customer satisfaction. detailed information along with instructions on
how to go about playing the game.
Faulty Assumptions that Result in Attractive Publications as Useful
Problems in Documentation Marketing Tools
The faulty assumptions listed below result in
incomprehensible documents: Besides transferring knowledge, technical
publications are also used for marketing a product.
 Developers know their products better than Before a product is released in the market,
anyone else – due to time constraints and limited information about the product needs to be
resources, many companies assign their effectively communicated to the customers.
documentation tasks to the programmers. This
more often results in the creation of technology- Well-designed, accurately presented, and attractive
centered information, while end users require marketing collaterals increase the market prospects
task-oriented information. of a product and reduce support costs.
 Documentation of complex applications implies a
longer learning curve for the writer - learning the
product will not be a major obstacle for writers
with the right technical background.
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6. Conclusion
 Immense Growth in the Gaming and Entertainment Industry: The gaming industry, also known as
interactive entertainment, has demonstrated enormous growth over the last decade, and is continuously
growing at a rapid pace. Any growing industry heavily relies on quality, precise, and a well-timed
documentation process. Gaming and Entertainment now portrays a global presence, and needs technical
publications that help it capture various markets and establish a global footprint. The industry also requires
the support of both technical documents such as level-design documents as well as marketing collaterals,
which promote support selling.
 Technical Publication brings value to Gaming Industry: Technical Publications quintessentially transfer
product knowledge to end users. Providing a proper understanding about products and games, equips end-
users to efficiently use the product. Documenting and organizing information are crucial aspects of game
design. With the absence of uniform and standardized processes, the need to organize information and
substantially support development process is the need of the hour. It is important to have quality
documentation processes in place which replace faulty assumptions and create accurate and
comprehensible material. Effective publications provide reach to various markets, increase revenue, and
establish a global presence.
 Documentation Outsourcing is the key: The complexity involved in game and product design, necessitates
the gaming and entertainment industry to consider outsourcing documentation to well-established Technical
Publications Solution providers. By outsourcing their documentation needs, gaming companies can
significantly cut costs, and deliver games/ other products with quality documents supporting them.
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7. TWB Services
TWB is India’s leader in technical communication outsourcing and education. TWB offers a complete suite of services that allow
our customers to effectively publish their technical knowledge with their people and processes. TWB’s customers range from
Global 500 – including Cisco, Accenture, McAfee, LG, Samsung, Citrix, SAP, Siemens, AOL, Intel; Indian technology majors –
including Infosys, Wipro; Global defense majors - Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, DRDO, HAL; and exciting technology startups.
TWB's expertise in technical communication ranges from IT Products and Outsourcing, ITES, Banking, Financial, Aerospace,
Defense, Ship Building to Hi-tech Manufacturing, and Discrete and Process Manufacturing.
TWB’s services include:
Technical Marketing Technical Product Documentation Quality
Solutions Documentation Management
 Datasheets
 Administrator’s Guide
 Datasheets  Copy Editing and Proof Reading
 API Document
 Cheat sheets  Managing Writing
 Configuration Guide
 Solution Briefs/Solution Brochures  Editing Services
 Functional Specifications Document
 Presentations –  Layout and Design
Products/Corporate Profile  Installation Manual
 Creating SLAs
 Brochures and marketing collateral  Interface Document
 Web content  Interactive Electronic Technical Business Documentation
Manual (IETM)
 Audio and video scripts
 Maintenance Manual  Business Proposals
 Press releases
 Online Help  Legal Disclaimers
 Direct mail
 Operation Manual  Policy Manuals
 Newsletter design copy
 Product Demo  Style Guide Design
 Sales catalogues
 Product Specifications Document  Template Design
 Sales sheets
 Product Overview Document
 Quick Reference Guide
Business Communication Content Management
 Release Notes
 Short Reports  Requirement Analysis Document
 Single Sourcing
 Proposals  SDK Document
 File Version Control
 Case Studies  Troubleshooting Manual
 Document Naming Conventions
 Lab Reports  User Manual
 Consistent Document Formatting
 Memos  Open Source Documentation
 Data Transformation
 Progress/Interim Reports  Programmers Guides
 Writing for Electronic Media  Functional Specifications Document
 Use Cases Web site Development
Illustrations  Online Help /Context Sensitive Help
 Web 2.0 development
 Troubleshooting Guides
 Graphic Designing  Web content

 Info graphics  Web applications
Qualitative Analytics for
 2D & 3D animation
Decision Support Translation and Localization
 Line drawings and illustrations
Services
 Economic Business Research
Process Documentation
 Industry Analysis  Software Translation Services
 Workflows  Market Opportunity Analysis  Document Translation Services
 Standard Operating Procedures  Competitive Business Analysis  Localization (L10N) Testing
 ISO Documentation  Company & Prospect Profiling  Internationalization (I18N) Testing
 CMM Documentation  Reporting Solutions
 Assessment of Unmet Market Needs Records Management
Deployment and Support  Status and Potential of Technologies
 Document Management Solutions
 Benchmarking of Strategies Vs
 Record Management Storage and
 Installation and Configuration Competition
Retrieval
Guides  Forecasting
 Operations Manual  Sales Force Effectiveness
 Market Assessments
 Competitive Intelligence
 Opinion Leadership
 Emerging Markets - evaluation and
research
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8. TWB Software Tools Expertise
Our technical proficiency in software and authoring tools includes:
Unstructured Content XML Structured Editors Multimedia/Authoring
Development
 Epic  Adobe Flash®
 Microsoft Word®  FrameMaker+SGML  Adobe Dreamweaver®
 Adobe FrameMaker®  X-Metal®  Microsoft FrontPage®
 Adobe InDesign®  Adobe Captivate®
 QuarkXPress® Macromedia Captivate
 Adobe PageMaker® Graphics/Animations
 Multimedia/Authoring/
Illustrations  Adobe Flash® Supporting tools
 Adobe Photoshop®
 Adobe Flash CS4 Professional  Adobe Fireworks®  Adobe Flash®
 Adobe Illustrator CS3  Adobe Flex®
 
CorelDRAW
Online Help Adobe AIR®
 Microsoft-Expression Graphic  Adobe Dreamweaver®
Designer  Adobe Acrobat®
 Xara Xtreme (Windows & Linux)  JavaHelp
 Microsoft Silverlight®
 CuteDraw  Adobe RoboHelp 7.0
 Adobe Authorware®
 Publisher3D(for animation)  HelpScribble
 Adobe Director®
 Sketsa SVG Editor (for vector  WebWorks Publisher
 Adobe Captivate®
graphics)  PowerCHM
 Trivantis Lectora®
 Techsmith Camtasia  Doc-To-Help
 ASP.NET
 Arbortext IsoDraw (technical  WinCHM
 JSP
illustrations for 2D and 3D)  HelpSmith 2.1.1(Windows)
 JAVA
 Fast-Help
 MadCap Flare Standards
Graphics/Animation  Help-Server
 NVU Help
 SCORM 1.2 / 2004
 Adobe Flash®  AICC
 Adobe Photoshop®
XML
 W3C
 Adobe Illustrator®  Section 508
 Adobe Fireworks®  XMetal®  QTI XML
 Microsoft Silverlight®  Microsoft Word 2003®,
 Microsoft Word 2007®
Databases Development and Publishing
tools
CMS/LMS
 Microsoft Access  XSLT/XSL
 Microsoft SQL Server  EDD
 Sharepoint®
 Moodle
Flowcharting  Joomla,
 WordPress
 Microsoft Visio  Media Wiki
 iGrafx  CMS Builder
 EDraw  Author-it (formerly AuthorIT)
 RFFlow  Alfresco
 Flowbreeze
 Smart Draw
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9. Industries Served
TWB services a wide range of technology and knowledge-driven industries, helping them meet their markets better:
 Banking, Insurance and Financial Services  ITES/ KPO/ BPO
 Consulting and Business Services  Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
 Defense, Aerospace and Hi-Tech Manufacturing  Process Manufacturing and Allied Industries
 Education and Learning  Steel, Ship Building, Construction and Aviation
 IT, ITES  Telecom and Digital Communications
TWB has been the preferred technical documentation outsourcing company for:
The TWB Building US Office:
No: 4062, 19th Main Road, TWB
HAL 2nd Stage, 11701 Norwegian Wood Drive
Bangalore – 560008 Austin, TX 78758
India.
Landmark: Behind Carlton Towers
Telephone: Telephone:
+91.80.40741400 / +1.512.586.8357
+91.80.41256367
Corporate Enquiries:
corp@twb.in
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