Ekanaut or Scathis or anyone in the know

I'm just wondering what are the requirements for a title update/patch vs a dlc? Also can a patch go through with out microsoft certification?

For anything to get on to a game console requires it goes through some sort of approval process and compliance check. For Microsoft it's "TCR" (Technical Certification Requirements), for Sony it's "TRC" (Technical Requirement Checklist), and for Nintendo it's "LotCheck."

They're all basically the same thing.
* Does the game doesn't crash the console in normal play
* Do the expected error messages occur when someone's controller disconnects
* Do game relevant UI elements show up outside "title safe" area (a area around the screen that not all TVs display)
* On start up does the game display the required logos for that platform (they don't care about who made the game, who published it, what middleware was used, just that it says "Xbox" or "Playstation", and not the other)
* Lots and lots of other major and minor things

Little things like a line of text in the menus that say "XBox" instead of "Xbox", or "PlayStation" instead of "Playstation" are on their list and can be enough to get a game kicked out of the certification process.

Cool, cool. I can understand those nit picky things as I am an accountant and those nit picky things become big deals. Make sure you put the decimal points in the right place, don't have transposition errors and so on. I was just wondering mostly if there is any difference in the approval of a update vs a dlc.

Also, if I was X-Box, I would want the games on my system spelling my name right.

Talk a bout a small thing that makes a big difference. :lol:

Verily

They go through pretty much the same procedure.

A title update is limited in size and generally fixes bugs. DLC is much larger and for that reason may take longer to test and be more likely to contain issues that fail certification.

Coolio.

What sort of degree do you need to be a game designer? I know they have degrees in interactive media now, which I'm assuming is game design, but back in my day all we had was computer science/engineering which always seems like studying to classical piano when what you really want to do is make a Ramones cover band.

One thing to note with updates and DLC is they both modify the base game in some way. When they test, they're still effectively testing the entire game over again.

There are schools you can go to get a "Game Design" degree of varying levels of quality (just like anything else), but designers tend to come from all walks of life and educational backgrounds. Some companies require a base level of education, but for something like game design often the only way to learn it is to be a part of the process on a real title.

Some designers come from game testing, gleaning as much about design from witnessing the process as an outside observer.
Some designers come from game programming, thrust in to the role as a designer out of want for more control over the work they do, or to fill a gap left by that project's team dynamic.
Some designers come from game art, learning design often while working with a designer on a world directly or having your work be directly impacted to not be as aesthetically pleasing for game play reasons and wanting both.
Some come out the mod community for some game often doing a bit of all of the various disciplines.
Some get in to it just simply because of their love of game design itself with out any connection to any of these or any education directly related.

Asking how you become a game designer is similar to asking how do you become an inventor. Having a good analytical mind, critical thinking, and the skill to implement your ideas in the environment you're in are some of the key parts of being a designer.

I would say going to most schools with a "Game Design" degree, the degree itself won't help you get a job if you don't already have the mental and personality requirements.