BRAINSTORMING ANDGAME PITCHES

Session 1

David Mullich

Concept Workshop - Game PreProduction

The Los Angeles Film School

Ideas

All games start out as ideas. Some games come from one powerful idea, but most are formed by combining many ideas to create a unique whole. It’s very possible that initial ideas will be (or should be) abandoned, and lots of new ideas will be considered during the process.

Game Idea Sources

Brilliant Inspiration Licensing Hook Technology Hook Filling A Gap Following Coattails Orders From Above Sequels

Brainstorming

A group creativity technique to find a conclusion to a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. In games, brainstorming is used to generate a large number of ideas about game's concept, mechanics, setting, characters, etc.

Brainstorming

Osborn’s method of brainstorming has four general rules: Focus on quantity Withhold criticism Welcome unusual ideas Combine and improve

ideasAlex F. Osborn

Advice About Ideas

Come up with more ideas than you’ll need Never rule out an idea as bad until you’ve

tested it Never accept an idea as good until you’ve

tested it Do not get emotionally attached to ideas

Pitch PresentationA pitch is a concise verbal (and sometimes visual) presentation for a film, TV series, or game, made by the producer to an executive in the hope of getting the financing to do development.  "Pitch" is a contraction of "sales pitch."

Elevator PitchAn elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product and its value.  The name "elevator pitch" reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.  

The term itself comes from the scenario of accidentally meeting someone important in an elevator.  If the conversation inside the elevator in those few seconds is interesting and value adding, then the conversation will continue after the elevator ride or end in the exchange of a business card or a scheduled meeting.

Example PitchSomehow it always falls to Mustachio to rally his friends for their many adventures. Run and jump through a side-scrolling world made of and inhabited by blocks. With mustaches. A world full of action, puzzles and arbitrary danger that Mustachio faces boldly with his mustache-fueled power to make block duplicates of himself. What? Cloning AND mustaches?! You betcha!

Receive 3 game mechanics from your instructor Brainstorm a game using these three mechanics. Present an elevator pitch for your game, including:

Game Title Target Player Game Genre 3 Game Mechanics What Makes It Fun (Play Value) Competition What Makes It Unique

Concept vs. Design

Concept Proposal Game Design Documents

PowerPoint Slideshow Wikispaces Wiki

Summary Details

Sizzle Steak

Greenlighting

To green-light is to give permission to go ahead to move forward with a project.  The term is a reference to a green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".  In the context of the game industry, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, and to commit to this financing, thereby allowing the project to move forward from pre-production to production.

Create Game Design Document Wiki pages Overview Ideal Play Session Inspirational Media Game Play Systems User Interface Narrative and World Game Levels

Create Technical Design Document Wiki pages Controls Camera Character Main Game Loop Staff Risks

Create Art Document Wiki Pages Color Palette Mood Board Environments Characters Props Music Art Assets Audio Assets

Find 3 games to use as inspiration Create Inspirational Media Page Wiki Page For each of the 3 games

1. Screenshot

2. Link

3. Genre

4. Game Mechanics

5. Goals

6. Resources

7. Obstacles

8. Play Value (What Makes It Fun)

9. What Inspires You About This Game