The video game development industry is like any other industry that depends on the transfer of data across networks. Oftentimes, it relies on the input of stakeholders that live on opposite ends of the globe. Still, the demands of the game development industry, especially in the present, are not the kinds that can be delayed. With the increasingly rapid introduction of visual and auditory support tech into the global market, game developers are having to put more effort into their trade.
Currently, a game development project might necessitate your working with other designers across multiple platforms, driven by multiple objectives, and having multiple milestones to look forward to. Thus, creating a game design document, which once was a semi-optional requirement, helps you manage the cross-platform, cross-objective, and cross-milestone video game design terrain effectively. This is where file-sharing comes into the picture.
An efficient file-sharing option that allows you to send data to fellow developers or your boss/client is not a luxury. It is a must-have. Having access to such options that guarantee secure file transfer could mean the difference between an exciting, well-made video game and one that crashes more times than the typical Grand Theft Auto player.
So if you want to know how to send large files, private files, unencrypted files, and every other kind of file that is part of the world of video game development, this article was written for you.
Video Games: A Brave New World
Video games are gradually taking over the world of personal and indoor entertainment. According to a report by Statista, around 3 billion people are regular video game players across the globe. A slightly exaggerated way of understanding this estimate is that one person out of every three individuals in the world today is an active video gamer. But that makes the world of gaming a profitable one, doesn’t it?
In 2020, the value of the video game market in the US alone was around $86 billion. There are also the other astounding stats from hardware and software sales, all of which saw a big bump. Then again, it is only natural that the numbers keep increasing when exciting video games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even the time-dilating adventures in Dying Light 2, are still in the market.
The COVID-19 pandemic might have helped to increase the thirst for virtual adventures, but video games are—all by themselves—an accessible brave new world at the tip of your thumbs. But all of these are from the perspective of the consumers, the gamers who can their take time to indulge their fantasies. The video game developer doesn’t have it quite as easy.
Bringing Order Out of Chaos in the Development of Games
Building interactive and adrenaline-rushing video games is not an easy affair. The process is often messy, especially when it involves dozens of developers straining their minds, thumbs, and eyes to create virtual worlds. But, sometimes, the biggest difficulty comes in the form of the game design document.
The conventional game design document is a software design document that includes the basics of the video game, including the concept and genre, mechanics of gameplay, characters, and more. This long document might serve as the ‘carrot’ with which to attract stakeholders or potential investors. This way, every potential investor knows what the video game is all about and can work out whether the game is worth it or not.
But game design documents are also useful because they can serve as templates for subsequent video games—consider the still-growing franchise that is Hitman. As such, these documents serve as a solid foundation for better and—most importantly—easier future game design and development.
Game design documents are not everything. What about all other files that make up the game? Solid video games seldom come in a single executable file. Even when it appears that they do, such a file even when compressed can still manage to tip the data size scale at 5GB at the minimum. Furthermore, considering the traditionally participatory nature of video game designs, game files are sent back and forth across developers until perfection is reached.
So, what is the best way to bring order out of this chaos?
Cloud Storage Services to the Rescue?
Cloud storage is certainly the best method to keep and share game documents and files. Because the underlying model is virtual and does not require direct physical go-betweens (in the form of hard drives, for example), cloud storage services are cheaper by comparison. Also, good cloud storage service providers are efficient in terms of saving time and have no problem circumventing long physical distances.
Currently, there are a thousand and one cloud storage service providers that video game developers can utilize. Google Drive and Dropbox are just some of the most popular. But there are several limitations to using these cloud storage services, including slow transfer speeds, the problem of privacy, and the lack of support.
The majority of cloud storage services try to provide transfers that are as smooth as possible. However, these services are not very efficient when it comes to sending large game files from one station to another. The speed of the transfer is entirely dependent on the speed of your internet. So, if your internet speed is mediocre, the cloud storage service will not do anything to bump it up. After all, it isn’t equipped to do so. So, imagine sending 6.5GB of game files to your developer partner somewhere else in the world and having to wait approximately 65 minutes for each gigabyte to upload.
The issue of privacy is not uncommon. Considering that Google Drive and Dropbox are free until you want more data space, you really have no right to complain about the lack of privacy. Or you can complain about it all you want, but make sure to zip and encrypt those private game files yourself before sharing them with other people using these services.
Then there is the issue of customer support which is as non-specific as possible. Again, you have little to complain about here considering that the services are free. Thus, if you have an issue you need to resolve before the next deadline, you have to take it up with other members of the cloud storage service community. Sometimes, you get quality support from these people, other times, not.
File Transfer Services Then?
Any informed internet user will tell you that cloud storage services are not your only option. Exclusive file transfer services are also a thing. These services are more geared towards providing the kind of service you want in terms of secure file transfer, high transfer speeds, customer support, etc.
WeTransfer is a leading option on this front. It has a reliable file-sharing system, a somewhat traditional security setup (TLS and AES-256), and a mostly satisfied customer base. But, if you want to send more than 2GB of data using this file transfer service, you would need to pay at least $12 monthly (or $120 every year) for Pro service or $23 monthly (or $228 every year) for Premium. Even so, you might want to zip and encrypt your data files yourself before sharing them.
FileWhopper
FileWhopper is also a file transfer service. However, unlike some of its analogues, the service was deliberately designed to serve as the perfect resource for the transfer of large files and folders. Thus, in terms of efficiency, safety and security, as well as ease of transfer, FileWhopper scores high points through and through.
Large File/Folder Sizes
FileWhopper handles the transfer of large files as you would expect from a service specifically designed for it. You can send anything from 500MB to 50GB to 5TB of data. The FileWhopper size limit is a ridiculous 10TB of data that you can send at once. In other words, you don’t have to split your game files into what you might consider ‘portable’ portions before sending them. Instead, as long as they are less than (or equal to) 10TB in size, you can share them all with a click using FileWhopper.
File Formats
FileWhopper does not categorize file formats. It doesn’t make a big deal out of file formats that are out of the ordinary, so the file transfer service will not grind to a halt because your game files are not in the format that all operating systems know how to deal with. Really, as long as whatever you are sending is a computer resource that records some data, FileWhopper is good to go.
Safety and Security
FileWhopper uses a zero-knowledge encryption option. This means that even the people at FileWhopper cannot successfully intercept the transfer process, peek into the shared files, and send them on their way. Instead, whoever tries to download the shared files/folders must have the password only you have. This protects your files from email hackers that might have gotten the transfer link.
Also, FileWhopper uses unique IDs to store shared files/folders. This means that hackers cannot specifically target you or your files. Furthermore, once the party at the other end of your transfer network has received the files/folders, the FileWhopper algorithm lets them (the files) stay on the server for 14 days and then deletes them. That way, there is no trace of the files you have sent which is another way to keep data private.
Payment/Subscription
FileWhopper uses a unique method to charge its users. You don’t have to subscribe daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Instead, you pay for the transfer service whenever you need it. Thus, if your video game design project requires you to send 1TB of data only once at the end of the project, you will not have wasted some money subscribing to the service.
As per the actual charging fees, FileWhopper lets you pay $0.99 for every transfer of files that are less than or equal to 5GB. For anything between 5GB and 10GB, you pay $1.99. For transfers starting from 11GB to 20GB, you pay $2.99. And it continues like this until 100GB for $23.99 and 1TB for $90.99.
Ease of Use
The FileWhopper interface is straightforward. The users of this file transfer service have noted that this is one of the best things about it. Moreover, you don’t have to download any particular app from any software store to use FileWhopper. As long as you have a working browser, the transfer service is yours to use. The pros of this feature should not be underestimated. After all, it is much easier to pause and resume uploads/downloads of files on browsers than on apps.
That’s our summary of what you need to know about secure file transfer for game design documents and large files. There is no perfect solution, but FileWhopper comes pretty close.
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