How Excel Is Used In Game Development

When you think of Microsoft Excel, you most likely think of spreadsheets full of data, charts and maybe some formulas. It is generally a tool used in the finance, accounting or administrative worlds.

Did you know that Excel is also used in the world of game development? Many game designers actually rely on Excel as a basic planning and balancing tool in their work.

Designing games is a balance of creativity and science. Not only does the storyline need to be appealing, but the game also needs to function well in order to be successful and compliant.

Excel is valuable in game development because it allows for the quick, organised manipulation of large data sets. It provides game developers with a familiar interface to test logic, balance mechanics and map out core systems.

Excel is flexible, which makes it suitable for a whole range of projects, including everything from indie games to AAA titles. It is particularly useful to developers of online casino games such as online slots. These games need precise mathematics to ensure fairness and achieve compliance with regulations.

In this blog post, we take a look at how Microsoft Excel is used in game design and the different types of games that developers create when utilising this popular tool.

How Excel is used in game design

Here are some of the most common ways that game design and development teams utilise Excel in their work.

Balancing and tuning game mechanics

One way that game developers use Excel in game development is when balancing gameplay. This could be when setting the stats of characters in a role-playing game (RPG), or when calculating hit points and damage ratios in a fighting or first-person shooter game.

An example is when managing the in-game economy of a simulation game. Developers use spreadsheets to adjust values, test formulas and get instant feedback on the results of different scenarios.

Balancing is crucial in making sure that a game feels fair, challenging and enjoyable to play. Also, formulas and conditional formatting help to simulate player progress and ensure that the game’s difficulty curve is calibrated properly.

Managing game assets and content

Another important way that Excel is used is tracking the content in the game. Game developers have to deal with thousands of different elements. These can include characters, levels, items, enemies, quests and dialogue lines.

They need a system to manage all of this data efficiently. The tool provides a way to catalogue and tag all of these assets, and also to make notes, statuses and links to external files or tools.

Excel is particularly helpful during larger game projects where multiple teams are involved. The designers, writers, artists and programmers can use a shared spreadsheet to make sure that everyone is aligned and up to date on the current status of the project.

Excel and online slots

When creating online slots, such as the Mega Moolah slot game, the role of Excel is very important. These games rely on probability, odds and Return to Player (RTP) calculations, and these are all created with the help of spreadsheet modelling.

For instance, a game designer working on a slot machine could use Excel to model the reels, symbols and paylines. They could also use it to calculate the odds of hitting different combinations.

It can also be helpful when you need to simulate thousands of spins to analyse outcomes, or test different jackpot configurations and bonus round triggers. Game developers need to be able to ensure that they are compliant with gaming regulations by providing consistent RTP values.

Slots are maths-driven games and spreadsheets offer the perfect sandbox for testing values before they are coded into the final product.

Excel in other types of games

Beyond slots, Excel also plays a role in other types of game design.

In strategy games such as Civilization or XCOM, where a multitude of units, resources and rules interact, Excel helps designers plan mechanics and balance gameplay.

In simulation games, there is often the need to simulate economies or management systems (such as RollerCoaster Tycoon or The Sims). These are deeply rooted in numbers and Excel can be used to test how systems such as income, costs and growth interact over time.

In mobile and free-to-play games, Excel is key in modelling in-game currencies, energy systems and progression to ensure that players remain engaged without becoming frustrated or bored. 

While it may seem surprising, Excel is one of the most important behind-the-scenes tools in game development. Its ability to handle complex calculations, organise vast amounts of data and simulate systems makes it a valuable tool for game designers.

From balancing the stats in an RPG to testing the mechanics of a slot machine such as Mega Moolah, Excel enables developers to plan, test and perfect the gameplay before any lines of code are written.