A framework is a high-level solution for the reuse of software pieces, a st
ep forward in simple library-based reuse, that allows the sharing of not on
ly common functions but also the generic logic of a domain application. It
also ensures a better level of quality for the final product, given the fac
t that an important fraction of the application is already found within the
framework and has therefore already been tested. This case study takes the
systematic generation of hot-spot subsystems approach as a reference point
to describe the underlying concepts in the design of a framework for the d
evelopment of 2D action videogames for low-performance machines. The main g
oal of this paper is to show the applicability of framework-based reuse to
videogames. Both standard and framework-based game implementations are comp
ared and the results are analysed. Special attention is paid to the (potent
ial) benefits that the use of frameworks brings to the fulfillment of maint
enance tasks along the game's life cycle, a stage that normally consumes mo
st resources in software projects. At the end of the paper, based on the im
plementation results, this study shows the predicted conditions under which
building a framework is cost effective for the development of videogames s
imilar to the ones from the studied domain. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd.