So I used Unity to create a program that I use in college research. In writing my thesis, I plan to describe in some detail the process of creating this program. However there are a few things I’m not sure about.
How should I cite Unity? Is there an article somewhere I can use (occasionally one cites programs with a technical review)? Should I just treat it like some kind of software reference?
Calling it a “game engine” just sounds tacky. Would I call it an IDE? “The program was developed with the Unity [?].”
Are there any Unity-specific requirements as far as citing go? Like, putting their symbol or whatever. I don’t know.
I would say It is definitely not an ide (because it needs to utilize MonoDevelop/VS) I would call it “Unity Engine”/“Unity Editor” or a “Game Engine”. “Game Engine” doesn’t sound tacky to me.
If you’re talking like for a bibliography, any handbook for APA/MLA should have a template for how to cite software specifically.
It’s a game engine. You don’t have to gild the lily on that. Raster image manipulation program sounds cool, but calling photoshop that just makes you sound like a douche (still a common thing in academia admittedly).
I guess I can call it a game engine. Thing is though, I’m not using it in a “game” format in any way whatsoever - the only GameObjects there are are UI elements and empty ones for scripts. It’s not like I’m making a game but pretending it’s not a game.
Though I suppose the difference between “game” and “program” is a bit academic.
That’s amusing to me, because the website still is unity3d.com.
If you feel like you must avoid the word game and sound unneccessarily fancy, you could maybe call it “Unity - a flexible framework and toolset for creating interactive visualizations of complex data”.
That’s what I’d do, because that’s exactly what it is. If you were referencing PowerPoint how would you do that? Same deal here - you’re using an Editor to create some content which is then used externally from the Editor later (though I do realise that most slide decks are just run straight from PowerPoint anyway).
I work in an environment where I create content that is interactive and real-time. I do not work on games at this work place.
Describing Unity as “The Unity Game Engine” would make executive-like individuals I work around and present content to balk at the notion a Game Engine is being used to create content for serious, real life applications.
I do not have time or energy to explain the word game to these people without loosing sight of the content and the end goal.
Even considering to use the oddly sounding Serious Game moniker - to me - sounds stupid!
When discussing Unity - I describe it as Unity3D. Unity3D is the software application I use that provides a solution for interactive 3D content to be displayed in the browser, behind a tightly controlled/restricted, standardized environment, without having to use a plug-in or risk security concerns.
It fits well for my situation especially when I am explaining I use 3D Max to create the 3D animated content to be placed into Unity 3D to add interactivity and to add control of the 3D content.
Hiding the game engine part is going to be pretty moot. Anybody already familiar with the platform knows it’s a game engine. Anybody not familiar with the platform is only a single Google search away from discovering it’s a game engine.
Imagine one works with a man in his 70s who won’t bother to check, who when you say “it’s traditionally used to make video games” says things like “so there’s hope for my grandson who plays video games?”
Thankfully it wasn’t a sticking point, but that was the response.
