Summary and Resources

By partitioning business logic, with all its inherent complexity and weight, outside of the game logic, game developers can be free to concentrate on the areas of game development that matter to them -- making good game play and design. The business logic can be executed outside of the game run-time, without bloating the game code and chewing up precious execution cycles.

However, the business logic is of paramount importance to the success of online games as a sustainable business model for the gaming industry, and having the flexibility to design and refine it outside of the game development, and even the game's life cycle, is critical. The ability to mix and match service providers to customers needs, without changing the game code, long after the game is released, enables the business model to support a longer life time and a continued revenue stream.

Open standards and business integration techniques are key enablers to achieving this within the gaming industry, but aren't immediately suitable for embedding within a game environment. The framework described here provides a bridge between programming models and operational run-times to allow the gaming industry to reap the benefits of becoming an on demand e-business.

Resources

• Download the IBM prototype implementation, Business Integration for Games from alphaWorks.
  
  
• Gamasutra is an extensive site dedicated to the technology of game software development.
  
  
• The International Game Developers Association holds regular meetings on the issues facing the game development industry.