ScriptableObject-Based Data Architecture for 2D Management Games: A Case Study of "BUTIKKU"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56873/jitu.9.1.6088Keywords:
2D game, Data management , Management game, ScriptableObject, Type Object PatternAbstract
Hard-coded data management in small-scale Unity game development introduces three fundamental problems: data-logic entanglement, high inter-system coupling, and restricted content scalability. This study implements a ScriptableObject-based data management system in the 2D boutique management game "BUTIKKU" as a realization of the Type Object Pattern and the Open/Closed Principle in game software engineering. The ScriptableObject approach was selected based on three technical considerations: native integration with the Unity editor, type-safe object referencing, and documented memory efficiency. The development process followed the Game Development Life Cycle (GDLC) framework comprising three stages: pre-production (requirements analysis and data schema design), production (ScriptableObject class creation, data asset population, and gameplay system integration), and post-production (black-box functional testing through combined static code review and Inspector-based verification). Five ScriptableObject classes were implemented: MaterialSO, ItemSO, CatalogSO, OrderSO, and OrderLibrarySO, forming a hierarchical data ecosystem fully separated from program logic. All four functional test scenarios yielded a pass status, confirming data-logic separation, asset structural completeness, inter-class object reference integrity, and data-driven order selection logic. The OrderLibrarySO weighted random selection mechanism demonstrates that ScriptableObject is capable of functioning as a data-driven decision engine, in which runtime behavioral variation is achieved through data configuration rather than code modification.
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