“The whole process becoming like a video game design with everyone together working around one work space for a true collaborative effort.”
This article about Building Information Modeling (BIM) has interesting implications for game design:
For Scott Simpson, FAIA, LEED AP, senior director of architectural firm Kling-Stubbins, BIM is not a way of business; it is the way of business.
[BIM] includes visualization, simulation, coordination of the documents and quantification of what’s inside the building.
With BIM, “we can show the 3-D implications of the design decisions-the colors, the surfaces, the materials, the light … we can simulate how the acoustics will perform … how much things will cost, how they will look, feel behave, etc.,” said Simpson. “This is an incredibly powerful tool for us to make our clients true partners in the design process. I am a big believer that the more brainpower you get involved in the design process the better it’s going to be.”
… Simpson also shared some of what he views as “the brave new world of BIM.” This includes seeing every project [industry wide] being done on BIM; the whole process becoming like a video game design with everyone together working around one work space for a true collaborative effort; all documentation being done in 3-D and 4-D formats; all projects being done in a year or less; a world with no change orders.
See also Building Information Modelling @ Wikipedia
Speaking as a guy who has to deal with change orders (in software development, not building management, but the same complaint applies), I can assure you that “a world with no change orders” sounds good to me.