Big Game Pitcher

DEVELOP, June 2007

I received a lovely email last week. It wasn’t long, only three words, but what it lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality, for there are few sweeter sights than the magic words: ‘They approved it’. But getting from conceiving the initial design concept to receiving final development approval can be a longer and more arduous process than most would-be designers imagine, assuming that one is fortunate enough to get there at all.

The first thing to realise is that there is a substantial difference between an idea for a game and a game design concept. Ideas are worth little in themselves, as any experienced designer can attest, far too many people readily volunteer their unsolicited ideas for ‘what would be a really great game’. These ideas are only valuable for momentary amusement, as a little examination usually shows that the idea not only would not be a great game, but often isn’t even a game at all.

Seriously, ‘what if you were, like, a dinosaur, only in outer space’ is not a game idea. (1) What is the object of the game? (2) How is success defined? (3) Why would this be fun? If the idea does not at least implicitly answer these questions, it is not a concept that can serve as the basis for a successful game design. 

The game must be inherent in the idea. For example, consider how these two classic games can be identified from the way in which their designers answered the questions: 1. a) consuming dots; b) escaping the premises. 2. a) clearing the level by consuming all the dots; b) finding the exit and surviving to reach it. 3. a) pursuing monsters provide a dynamic challenge to eating all the dots; c) hordes of monsters block the exit route and require copious violence to remove the obstruction.

These answers are much more meaningful from a design perspective than simply saying, ‘imagine you’re a yellow circle’ or ‘suppose the player is a space marine’. And yet, you’d be surprised at how many designers still make their pitch in terms of the experiential reference instead of explaining the basic game concepts.

As with any other industry, personal contacts are the single most important aspect of selling a game design. You can’t sell a design to someone you’ve never met, and the sheer quantity of designs being submitted to various publishing houses preclude them from taking the unsolicited slush pile very seriously. Around five per cent of designs submitted get approved, so it’s not just important, it is vital to spend some time doing market research, learning who is responsible for the various levels of the decision-making process at the different publishing houses, and determining which genres are of interest to the various publishers.

It’s an especially good idea to discover what games have been produced in the past by the executive producers and vice presidents, because there’s no point in trying to present a Gears of War-style game to an executive whose resume indicates a strong interest in adventure titles. Every executive has his own preferences and biases, and if you can reasonably align your design with his historical preferences, your chances of success will be much greater.

Keep in mind that less is often more when it comes to a game design submission. Publishers don’t make their decisions based on 300-page design documents, but on ten-page summaries. They’re looking more to get a general sense of the game’s basic concepts and its sales potential than they are to learn precisely how the various mechanics are going to work, so investing a few hundred dollars in artwork that accurately conveys a sense of your vision can be an effective tactic. But you’d still better know your mechanics too, because somebody’s going to ask about them at some point.

Finally, the most important thing to keep in mind is not to get too caught up in your one great idea. If at first you can’t sell your game, put it on the back burner and occupy your mind with designing another one. Timing is everything and what looks like a hopelessly unsaleable game can turn out to be a prospective triple-A design a few years later. Later this year, I expect to sign a design with a major console publisher that I first drew up five years ago. Patience isn’t merely a virtue for the game designer, it’s part of his essential skill set.