Game creation involves several different areas of work and knowledge, from artistic creation to low level computer programming. For each area, there are helping or developing tools and specialized technology. Most of these tools can be used independently giving the game developer teams the ability of working separately for a big part of the project. In the final stages of the development, all the work from different teams and creators is integrated into the final product. To get this done, the game development team uses software that takes all the elements of the game and generates the final product. This software is able to manage images, sounds, videos, together with a set of rules or a program and generate the actual game.

Essentially, creating a game is programming, like in creating any other software. However, as software evolves and specialization increases, differences arise between games and general software development. And the tools used to assist software developers evolve and get specialized as a result. Often, software companies bring new tools to make any program, web development, embedded software, etc, that promises a leap in simplification and efficiency in that field. This is also true in game development tools.

However, unlike other software sectors, game development technologies range from very tailored tools to greatly open ones. There are some tools that can be used to create complex games of any genre, whereas other tools have the goal of create a very specific type of game. There are even some games that come with the necessary tools to expand that game with new characters, or levels, creating a mixed game-development tool product.

In addition game development shares some key technologies with other areas of science and Information technologies. For example 3D imaging is a large part of game revolution, and the underlaying foundations are also the base of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), Computer Aided surgery, Global map viewers (google Earth), and so on.