How to Start Designing Games On Your Own (and What that Really Means)

How to Start Designing Games On Your Own (and What that Really Means) Tom Sloper Sloperama.com

What does “design” mean? »"Design" doesn't mean "programming." »"Design" doesn't mean "art." »"Design" doesn't mean "story." »You don't have to be a programmer. But it helps. »You don't have to be an artist. But it helps. »Story ≠ game. It's a subset.

Everybody wants to be the game designer »It takes a lot of people to make a video game. »Not everybody can be the designer. »They only give the job to someone they trust. »To become the designer, you need lots of experience. »Do the job to get the job.

Ways you can design games on your own are: »Write concept pitch documents. »Write GDDs. »Create game storyboards. »Create board game prototypes. »Create card games, parlor games, paper RPGs... »Make mods. »Whichever suits your talents.

WHY design games on your own? »Not to sell them (necessarily). »Why not just because it's fun?! »Because you're driven to. »Because nobody can stop you from doing it. »Because it's good practice. »It can lead to a career.

Concept pitch docs »Log line (high concept) »Elevator pitch »2-page concept »Treatment (~10-20 pages) »Powerpoint »Audience: game execs, VC's »Tone: exciting yet informative »Present tense »Competitive analysis »The plan: Who'll develop it? Will it be expensive?

Elevator pitch »45 seconds »Have it memorized »Smooth delivery »What is the concept? »What's exciting (different and good) about it? »Log line / high concept »Audience, purpose of pitch...

Concept doc »2 pages »Exciting opener »Evocative image »Brief description of game »Minimal description of story (if applicable) »Target audience, platform »Competitive analysis »Audience for / purpose of doc...

Treatment »~12-20 pages »More detail about the game concept and gameplay »More detail about the story, characters, universe »Description of the team who'll create the game; what's the plan? »Audience / purpose of treatment...

Powerpoint »10 slides – 20 minutes – 30-point font »Verbal fill »Present while audience flips through treatment »Audience, purpose – what you're really selling: yourself... your team(?)

Design docs »Describe every detail of the game. »Tone: descriptive, to the point. »Not like a game instruction manual. »Not like a movie script. Games are interactive. »Feature details similar to, different from, features of other games? »May be collection of docs / specs »Audience / purpose of GDD...

GDD contents (part 1) »Log line »Elevator pitch »Concept »Treatment »Main game screen(s) »Story elements »User controls »UI

GDD contents (cont’d.) »Game structure »Story breakdown/structure »Goal  Win conditions  Lose conditions »AI behavior »Scripted events »Gameplay walkthrough

GDD contents (cont’d.) »Levels »Modes »Scoring, achievements »Shell (front end) »Menus »User editing tools (if applicable)

Other docs »TDD »Art Design »Art asset list »Sound Design »Sound asset list  SFX list  Music spec  VO script »Onscreen text

Board games, paper RPGs »To test your game ideas, to balance them; »Or to make fun games to play on a tabletop. »Great portfolio material. »Rough prototype to playtest; »Better prototype for portfolio. »The publishing problem...

Prototyping board games »Boards »Pieces »Randomizers  Dice (cubical or multi-sided)  Spinners, dreidels »Cards »Rules / instructions

Card games »To test your game ideas, to balance them; »Or to make fun games to play on a tabletop. »Great portfolio material. »Easy to design, print. Card protectors/sleeves. »Getting published, though...

Storyboards »For the artistic. If you can't, don't. »As supplement to pitch docs or GDDs, not to replace them. »To illustrate your game ideas. »Not just to illustrate the cinematics. Not just about "story."

Storytelling »Story ≠ game, but know how to tell good stories. »The Hero With a Thousand Faces, the hero's journey (Joseph Campbell) »Literature, novels, mythology, movies, TV, and yes, comic books »Screenwriting »Emotion!!

Mods »Make a mod yourself, if able. »Otherwise, collaborate with others. »Some moddable games:  Half-Life  Unreal  Max Payne  Neverwinter Nights  Quake  Morrowind  Battlefield  Battlezone 2  Dungeon Siege  Freedom Force

Organize »Gamer contests »Developer gatherings »Promotional events »Online events »Ads, flyers – good portfolio fodder

Network »Three rules of networking:  No talking  No résumés  Business cards »Rules are meant to be broken »Where to network:  IGDA gatherings  Game conferences  Start a game dev school  Online

Portfolios »Design portfolios: the "unsolicited submission" problem »What else can go into a design portfolio  Photos of board games, card games you designed  Fliers of events you organized  Articles, reviews you wrote  Articles about you  Your art (if applicable)  Your code (if applicable)

Business plans »Why write one?  Not because you'll get a loan... ...Not yet anyway...  But because it's good practice, you'll learn a lot.  And it’s a necessary part of a pitch. »What goes into a business plan?

Business plan contents »Not just a single game idea »An entire business plan »Staffing plan »Office plan »Money needed  For startup  For ongoing costs  For how long »Profitability plan

Review »There are many aspects to game design; »There are many ways you can design games on your own. »Why do it? Because you want to. »You can't sell a game design. »There are always exceptions.

Thanks for listening »Questions? Tom Sloper