Suit & Tie
This group is the "voice" of the industry, represent the interests of developers worldwide.
IGDA - International Game Developers Association
High-budget, high-profile games produced by large publishers.
AAA - Triple-A
Sony’s specific list of technical requirements a game must pass to launch on PlayStation.
TRC - Technical Requirements Checklist
The percentage of profit made compared to the money spent on development.
ROI - Return on Investment
The world’s largest professional game industry event held annually in San Francisco.
GDC - Game Developers Conference
If you’re selling games in the US, this board gives you the rating (E, T, M).
ESRB - Entertainment Software Rating Board
These folks find the bugs before the players do.
QA - Quality Assurance
Microsoft’s equivalent to the TRC for Xbox.
TCR - Technical Certification Requirements)
The "Day 0" version of a game that is ready to be sent to manufacturing.
ZBC - Zero Bug Commitment/Commonly linked to "Gold Master"
The Canadian summit held in Montreal for industry pros.
MIGS - Montreal International Game Summit
This trade association represents US computer and video game publishers; they also run E3.
ESA - Entertainment Software Association
The "Top Boss" on a project who handles the budget and high-level vision.
EP - Executive Producer
The document that serves as the "Bible" for the game's mechanics and story.
GDD - Game Design Document)
An individual or company that handles the marketing and distribution of a game.
AP - Associate Publisher
The Australian version of the GDC.
AGDC - Austin or Australian Game Developers Conference
Similar to the ESA, this European organization manages the PEGI rating system.
ISFE - Interactive Software Federation of Europe, or EMA for retailers
A coding paradigm based on "objects" rather than just functions.
OOD - Object-Oriented Design
A coding practice where you write the test before you write the actual code.
TDD - Test-Driven Development
The advocate group for the "consumers" of the industry.
ECA - Entertainment Consumers Association
This is the detailed breakdown of how much money a project needs to launch.
DD - Due Diligence
These specific interest groups exist within the IGDA to focus on topics like AI or Writing.
SIGs - Special Interest Groups
A management style that uses "Sprints" and "Scrum" to hit milestones.
PMP - Project Management Professional
The standard for 3D graphics, often celebrated at a massive annual conference.
SIGGRAPH - Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques)
This term refers to the "health" and happiness of the developers on a team.
QoL - Quality of Life)
A specialized summit focused specifically on the "Women in Games" initiative.
WiG