Kolette Dicero woke up, placed her favorite stuffed animal, Papa Bear, on her pillow and climbed down from her loft bed. She hurried to her closet to pick out a dress, wedge-heeled shoes and a purse.

While the deals and the stats of the gaming world are important, nothing would happen without the research, funding and, of course, development that goes into making a great game. So here’s a ...