Class Introduction

Game Idea Development

And now a word from our esteemed leader…..

• Tom Dowd– http://iam.colum.edu/tdowd/

How and what

• You now know roughly “how” a game is built.• Now we need to work on “what” you are

going to build.

J.J. Abrams

• http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/j_j_abrams_mystery_box.html

Self Awareness

• Is the key• It is where you are going to find “new”• Derivative game design will not be tolerated at

Columbia. (no GTA-esque, no Halo 19, no Left 4 Dead-ish designs.- Get it?)– “Don’t steal the shark”

• You absolutely MUST begin to find your own “money maker”– You will not be allowed to imitate someone else’s

Game Development

• Definition– The expression of a

game/narrative concept via technology by a team of developers.

No Game is an Island• Game development does not occur in a vacuum• Influenced by …– Aesthetics of the development team– Expertise of the development team– Recent, perceived, and projected future design trends– Dependencies on technology.– Publisher/Market demands or requirements– YOU

• What contributions and innovations are you going to make?• How does your “mystery box” inform the game industry?• How are you going to influence design trends?• What have you got to say that will add to the dialogue?

Two Quick Definitions

• Publisher – the company responsible for funding and bringing a product to market. They will market the product, physically produce it (packaging and content), and see to its distribution.– Examples – Electronic Arts, Vivendi-Universal,

Atari, Activision, Midway, etc.(Also Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo.)

The second one

• Developer – the company responsible for creating the project programming, art, design. Hired by the publisher.– Examples – Blizzard (WoW), Dice(Battlefield), Naughty Dog

(Jak and Daxter),Neversoft (Gun), Valve (Half Life), Bungie(Halo), Red Storm (Ghost Recon)

– Local: High Voltage (Leisure Suit Larry, Hunter: the Reckoning), Day:1:Studios(Mechassault), Wideload (Stubbs the Zombie), Midway, EA-Chicago

Developers and Publishers

• Many publishers own multiple exclusive developers.• Strong independent developers tend to get bought

when they hit AA+.– Fitch Ratings go from D to AAA– Why do you suppose they would get bought at AA+?

• We’re going to not worry about whether or not a developer is a publisher studio or independent.

Design

• Overall Game Design– Gameplay

• Game Systems +Play Balance– Narrative– World Design

• Mission Design– Functional Interface

• Testing• Documentation

Programming

• Technical Execution of the Game Design.– Overall Technical Design

• Game Engine• Networking• Data Management• Installation• Development Tools• Art Pipeline

Art/Animation

• Artistic Execution of the Game Design– Overall Visual Design

• Concept Art• World Environment– Objects, Terrain, VFX

• Characters– Modeling + Animation

• 2D Art– Textures, Interface

Sound

• Aural Execution of the Design– Overall Sound Design

• 3D Sound• World Sound– Ambient Sound– Sound Effects

• 2D Sound– Music– Interface Sound Effects

A Good Team is Priceless

Ideas for games can come from anywhere

We did the exercise last time

• Exercise – (this is just a quick one)– Watch Rives on 4AM• http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/rives_on_4_a_m.

html

– Make up your own conspiracy theory using tenuous and made up connections between disparate people, events , items etc

– Translate your new conspiracy theory into a game idea

– Do a mod (modification) of the game we built during class.

Lets share our mods.

• • I hope you are prepared.

Homework

• Favorite Game, Mystery Box and Minisaga– Due next time

• Start a journal/sketchbook/scrapbook.– You will work on this all semester

• Read pages 76-81 in the textbook• Read readingHomework01 and 02 (these are

the posted PDFs)