Open-Source Game Development: A Systematic Literature Review

Aim/Purpose Open-source software has transformed how technology solutions are developed across both academia and industry, especially within the game development field. Background This study explores open-source tools used in creating digital games and examines the factors driving their evolution. Methodology A systematic literature review, following the methodology of Kitchenham and Charters, was conducted across 44 studies sourced from ACM and Scopus. A thematic analysis was then performed using a modified version of Braun and Clarke’s framework. Contribution Themes of adapted approaches, education, development processes, cost-effectiveness, passion, academic research, and intrinsic/extrinsic reward are themes that contribute to how game development tools evolve when impacted by the application of open-source concepts. Findings After reviewing the seven themes, findings show that open-source game development has methods of evolution similar to other open-source projects. They are often subject to the same community formats and have similar methods of evolving tools. Recommendations for Practitioners Practitioners are encouraged to consider using and contributing to open-source game development tools to broaden the pool of resources for developers and researchers. Recommendations for Researchers Researchers are encouraged to seek out and use open-source tools for research, as game development is not a well-documented field that would benefit from more explorative studies with open-source tools. Impact on Society Game development is a field with opportunities for study that would benefit most from projects that allow opportunities to analyze processes and tools. Future Research Future work will expand to more data sources and apply a more rigorous methodology to ensure themes are accurate and understandable. Subthemes will also be discussed to describe the themes found in this paper more accurately.