“The best way to learn games is to play games. The best way to make games is to work.” – Alan Emrich
Your Weekly Homework:
Be sure to read the Review Sheet (which contains more information than the classroom lectures and you are responsible for knowing everything presented here) and the Required Reading section of the web site.
Game Storming, Part 2
A. Step 1: Realize [gain a
purpose]
Your homework is to write down at least two new product proposals
(at least one in each category of Action and First Person
perspective - such as a First
Person Shooter).
These can be new games using already-existing licenses or
original ideas, or sequels / expansions to their existing line. You’re trying to
come up with the game idea that you think will be the biggest success for Atari,
your company (the Developer for this game), and with the players and critics.
1. Your ideas will be handed in and graded (for up to 5 points) by the instructor.
2. You will present your ideas, orally, to a small group of other students in class; they will also present their ideas. You will be evaluating each other’s presentations and comments during this ‘brain storming’ session on a Score Sheet. These Score Sheets will be handed in and graded by the instructor (for up to 5 points). See illustration below.
3. The best idea will be elected from
each group. Each group’s best idea and its advocate will go on to the Final
Group. The Final Group will have these best ideas presented to each other, the
class, and the instructor. The class will observe and the instructor will
comment. Then the best idea from the Final Group will be selected. That idea is
the ‘winner’ in the Arena of Ideas and will be the one that our [fictional]
company would develop and ‘pitch’ to Atari.
B. Step 2: Educate
[gain knowledge]
1. Go to
the Atari US Home Page.
2. Examine the Action and FPS genres on the side bar and review the lists of those Atari products. Be sure to click on the game’s links to learn more about them.
3. You would be wise to also learn about the competition from other company’s in that category so you can envision products that are better than theirs. I’ll leave this up to you, but if you want to ‘win’ in the Arena of Ideas, you need to do a good job researching so that your ideas and arguments will carry more force.
C. Step 3: Think [devise a successful idea]
1. Come up with at least two (you can do more) brilliant new product proposals, at least one for each category of Action and FPS. These need to be ones that are so good that if Atari saw a presentation pitching that idea, they would commit millions of dollars to make it.
2. Remember, a fresh new idea is
exciting but risky. A sequel is less exciting, but also less risky. Every
company is looking for exciting ideas and little risk. Good luck achieving
that goal.
D. Step 4: Plan [the method by which this successful idea will be realized]
Put your new product proposals in writing. Be sure each of your proposals includes all of the following basic information:
Title
Platform(s)
Turn Type
Category (Action or FPS)
Epoch
Hook
One-Sentence Marketing Description
Optional: Features list / back-of-the-box descriptive hype
You must be prepared to answer the questions: “Why is this game going to be successful and make us a lot of money? What’s cool about it? How much risk (in time, money, talent, subject matter and/or new technology) must Atari assume to make this new product (less is better)?”
Sample Atari Game Proposal Concept Document .PDF files are available here:
Vinh Ha: presents two outstanding documents: Toys R Bust (Action) and Familiar Life (RPG)
Nestor Carpintero: Korea: End of Sides (Strategy) + Darkest Freedom (RPG)
Kurt
Papstein: Aliens: Marines in Combat (Action) + Eye of the
Martial Artist (FP Fighting)
Derrick Kastl:
presents a beautiful document with Commander: An Epic
Voyage (RTS)
E. Step 5: Do [gain experience]
1. Have your written new product descriptions ready to hand in during class.
2.
Practice speaking to others about your game idea.
You’d be amazed how much more clear your ideas become when you
have to explain them to others and, more importantly, if you ask them to explain
them back to you. This is good practice in communication, which is what you’ll
be doing in class. This exercise only takes a few minutes, but I guarantee you
that will be time very well spent!
3. Have the talking points about your game ideas ready and with you in class. Present them, orally, to the other students in your group and be ready to address their questions, comments, and critiques. Be sure to give thoughtful questions, comments, and critiques to the ideas of others in your group.
F. Step 6: Analyze [gain wisdom]
1. Evaluate other’s ideas (voting the best to the Final Group) and their presentation characteristics (on a separate Evaluation Sheet handed out in class).
2. Heed what others say about your ideas and presentation characteristics. These are things that you need to be aware of as either your strengths or areas where you can improve.
You need to devise at least two (and no more than three, total) ideas / Inception Documents for an Action and a First-Person perspective game that will save Atari U.S. (10 points).
”The games of our future have not all been invented yet; that task is ours.” – Alan Emrich
