Comparative Analysis of Requirements Specification Methods for Game Software
TL;DR
Based on a comparative analysis of five methods across the criteria of formality degree, applicability to non-functional requirements, compatibility with agile methodologies, and learning threshold, it is established that no single method is universal.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of existing requirements specification methods applied in game software development. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that up to 65% of problems in game development arise at the pre-production stage due to ambiguous or incomplete requirements. This indicates a conceptual gap between the creative language of game design documentation and the formal requirements needed for software implementation. The study was conducted using methods of analysis, comparative analysis, and systematization based on 8 publications from the IEEE Xplore, Springer, ACM Digital Library, and eLIBRARY databases for the period of 2005–2022. The paper examines methods of game design document formalization based on the IEEE 830 standard (the iGDD template), UML modeling of game systems, agile requirements management methodologies, and non-functional requirements, the significance of which significantly depends on the game genre. Based on a comparative analysis of five methods across the criteria of formality degree, applicability to non-functional requirements, compatibility with agile methodologies, and learning threshold, it is established that no single method is universal. However, the application of iGDD combined with an adapted Scrum methodology reduces the normalized rework volume from 11.50% to 2.73%. Practical recommendations for the step-by-step translation of creative requirements into formal specifications are formulated for small and medium development studios.