Design Documentation (HIGH CONCEPT DOCUMENT)

What is documentation? Who would use it? Why do we need it?

“Game documentation is created during the concept, pre-production and production phases to convey components of the project to team members and prospective partners (such as publishers and manufactures).” Jeannie Novak, 2008, Game Development Essentials, Delmare Cengage Leaning, pg 357

High Concept (1-2 pages) – Think of it as a CV for your game – Key ideas in bite sized chunks – Starts with a single punchy sentence called a ‘concept statement’ – E.g. ALIENS …In space, no one can hear you scream. – Used in the concept phase (Formulating your ideas) – Possibly used to get you a pitch with a publisher – Read and digest in no more than 5 mins Game Treatment (up to 15+ pages) – Present broad outline of the game, not all the details – Satisfy initial curiosity & inspire enthusiasm – Give to publisher after pitch or used acquire team members – Fills in gaps left by high concept Design Document ( pages) – Design tool, not to sell your ideas like the High Concept and Game Treatment documents – Reference guide to the development process – Used by the development team – Focus on gameplay, storyline, characters, interface and rules

Audience outside the game studio Expected to be:  Brief, Efficient, Energetic & Inspirational NOT expected to involve complex technical descriptions or discuss how ideas are to be implemented Present a design that can be expanded and worked on later by experts.

What content should be considered for a game proposal? – HIGH CONCEPT STATEMENT E.g. The beautiful game at its grittiest. No pads, no helmets, no refs, no field. It’s just you and the guys, a ball, and a lot of asphalt. Choose up sides and go for it, two on two. – MARKETING BLURB and HOOK - What’s your one-sentence description of the game to attract players? For MDK it was “He has a weapon so accurate, you can shoot your enemy in the eye a mile away.” E.g. The game you love played in a way you’ve never played it before! – GAME OVERVIEW- short statement that indicates what the player is trying to accomplish in the game - role and goal. “Mountain Quest is a side-scrolling RPG adventure game set in Mount Telj in the fictitious alpine country of Veln. You play as Tello who has the ultimate quest of conquering the evil Spurn who plans to rule the World by taking all Water from the Mountains” E.g. Players pick teams and try to win a 20-minute game of street football. In tournament mode, two-player teams made up of all available players compete for the championship.

Let’s start a High Concept document.. HIGH CONCEPT STATEMENT: 1 to 3 sentences that explains your game idea. Must be engaging and exciting. Ernest Adam example: “The game at its grittiest. No pads, no helmets, no refs, no field. It’s just you and the guys, a ball, and a lot of tarmac. Choose up sides and go for it, two on two” MARKETING BLURB and HOOK - What’s your one-sentence description of the game to attract players? For MDK it was “He has a weapon so accurate, you can shoot your enemy in the eye a mile away.” GAME OVERVIEW- short statement that indicates what the player is trying to accomplish in the game - role and goal.. ACTIVITY: In your groups, review your game idea and formulate a high concept statement, one-line sentence to market your game and a Game Overview and share with the group

What content should be considered for a game proposal? – GENRE - Indicate the genre of the game, For example, Genre: RPG. The game will feature a battle system and an inventory system. These gameplay feature are representative of the RPG genre. E.g. Sports arcade action with strong fighting-game overtones. Quick reflex required as well as competitive challenges. – NARRATIVE GENRE – Indicate the story type of the game (If applicable) not all games are a story. – E.g. Sci-fi – the game takes place in a fantasy – LICENSE - No more than a sentence or two. If you intend for the game to exploit a licensed property, say so here

What content should be considered for a game proposal? – TARGET AUDIENCE - What kind of person will buy this game? If age or sex is relevant, indicate that; more important, tell what other kinds of games they like to play. For example – “The targeted audience will be adventurous and like participating in outdoor activities such as hikes or camping. They will enjoy adventure games and role-playing games such as Game X and Game Y. Therefore the audience will mainly 12+, casual gamers who may have been involved with community groups such as Scouts and Brownies. Mountain bikers and rock climbers will also be targeted.” E.g. Aimed at sports players looking for something new in the sports genre. Ag, 7+ category. Mainly male who play current games such as NFL2K, Tecmo Super Bowl. Core and casual players alike.

What content should be considered for a game proposal? cont. UNIQUE SELLING POINTS - What’s new in this game? How will it stand out from what has gone before? E.g. Fighting moves in a sports game. Fighter-type personalities in a sports game Comedy in a sports game – COMPETITION - Are there already games on the market like this one? If so, list their names and indicate how this one is different or better than they are. – E.g., All-Pro Football 2K8, Bill Walsh, NFL2K, Tecmo Super Bowl, – TARGET PLATFORM FORMAT- Intended platforms. Also indicate whether the game requires or can make optional use of any special hardware or accessories, e.g. Kinect (Where appropriate) E.g. Main consoles, and handled markets. Not PC at this stage.

What content should be considered for a game proposal? cont. – LANGUAGE – List the languages you plan to release the game in. – E.g. Language: English, French, German, Italian and Japanese. – TERRITORIES - List the territories you plan to release the game in. – E.g. Territories North America, Europe and Japan.

Professional expectations – Writing style and language (Consider your Audience) Developers, programmers, publishers – NOT GAMERS !) Which is more appropriate for which audience? ‘Cannons allow you to blast your enemies to pieces!’ ‘Each cannon has four shots before it must be reloaded. Cannons are reloaded automatically, provided there is ammo available and a pirate is available to reload it. If no ammo is available…’ – Include selective graphic content (Concept Art/images) – Digitally produced / Word processed (High concept is a marketing tool for your game) Ways of Working: – Saving, versioning, backups, proofing and spell check

TASK Research and Create a ‘High Concept Document’ for your group game idea: Save and Upload to Moodle when finished. Content (You choose the order) Working game title High Concept Statement Hook and marketing description Marketing Blurb - one sentence. Game overview Licence (Franchised) if appropriate Game Platform format Game Genre Narrative Genre Audience Unique selling point (USP) Languages for development Territories the game will be sold