The High Concept

The High Concept a.k.a the ‘Pitch’ document

Transcript

2. What is the ‘high concept’? It’s the summary of the important conceptual elements of the game. It’s often part of a larger, more detailed design document. It should give the reader an overall sense of the game quickly and easily; it should be short and to the point (one or two pages – about 350 words). You want to entice your reader with the ‘high concept’.
3. The core of the document What the game is (game statement or ‘one liner’) Why the game is important Why the game is unique Who’ll be interested in the game (audience) Why should the game be published
4. The game statement a.k.a the ‘one liner’. A single sentence summarising your game. It should be short, snappy and instantly say everything you need to know about the game. If it takes more than a sentence, chances are it’s too complex!
5. Super Word Ninja is an educational Smartphone puzzle game for teenagers afflicted by dyslexia where the singular objective is to slice up long words into shorter ones, scoring points each time a new word is created successfully.
6. Task: In your groups, try writing a ‘one liner’ for the following two games: Mario Kart Tetris
7. Importance For example: ‘Super Word Ninja’ is important because it’s the first iOS and android game to offer those with letter-based learning difficulties a chance to have videogaming fun whilst simultaneously overcoming their difficulties with written language. Ask yourself, why is this game important? What does it have to offer that other games don’t? Why choose to make this game rather than any other?
8. TASK: In your groups, think about what elements you could highlight to demonstrate importance in your pitch document… Come up with at least FIVE unique examples
9. Potential areas you could have highlighted… Technological advancements: photorealistic graphics, ultra smooth polygons, new sound chips, etc Artistic style: hand drawn, watercolours, black and white, abstract, etc Innovative gameplay: unique win conditions, playing as the enemy rather than the hero, etc New genre or audience: targeting towards a previously untapped market like ‘octogenarian gamers’, etc Emotional storytelling: complex plotline, forging a special bond with the characters. Novel interfaces – motion controllers, balance boards, augmented reality, etc
10. Uniqueness How is this game going to be a ‘one of a kind’ or different from everything else on the market? For instance: ‘Super Word Ninja’ is unique as no other word game on a Smartphone is tailored specifically for those with dyslexia.
11. Audience TASK: In your groups, write a paragraph to highlight the potential target audience for ‘Super Word Ninja’ Who’ll be interested in playing my game? How do you know they’re your target market? What sort of research can you do to ensure you’re going to reach your customer base?
12. Super Word Ninja Audience Example… ‘Super Word Ninja’ is primarily aimed at young teenagers with word-based learning difficulties. Not only do 5-10% of the world suffer with dyslexia, but also, according to figures from OFCOM, 60% of teens say they’re addicted to their Smartphone, making iOS an engaging platform for launch. In a straw poll of 25 dyslexic learners, 88% said they’d ‘definitely’ buy the game ‘Super Word Ninja’ if it was available today.
13. Why publish the game? Financial gain: how much money could it potentially make? Market share: could you control the market and be the forerunner in the genre (e.g. Rockstar Games and the sandbox genre) Publicity: will the game have a high public profile? Industry Prestige: will the game garner industry awards and recognition? Is this game going to attract future employees and product awareness on name alone? Meeting Deadlines: is this going to be a long, medium or short term project? How will it fit into the publisher’s release schedule?
14. Publishing The Game: TASK In your groups, consider how each of these factors would affect the market for ‘Super Word Ninja’. Financial gain Market share Publicity Industry Prestige Meeting Deadlines