Polishing

What does polishing mean?

This is another concept that many developers have tried to nail with a formal definition. As you know by now, we don’t like formal definitions, so be warned that the notion of what polish is might vary from developer to developer, but most importantly from game to game! To polish a game means to raise the standard of its quality.

Why and how would you polish a pair of shoes or a plank of wood?

You don’t change the shoes or the shape of the plank. Polishing a pair of walking boots won’t turn them into a pair of patent leather formal shoes to go with your tuxedo. They are still boots, but they look great now! The goal of polishing is to smoothen the game experience, tweaking its values and refining its details until it feels really great and immediately pleasing on both an aesthetic and gameplay level.

The (in)famous scenario where the game designer finally does the full playthrough of their game and comes up with a...