Reference no: EM133718987

Game High Concept

Class Rules:

Introduction
The best way to learn game design is by doing it! In this assignment, you will come up with a vision for a game, then flesh out the details, and document them in the form of a high concept document.

Goals and Objectives
Define a unique game idea
Learn and apply game design concepts across storytelling, game play, user experience, and technology
Gain experience with the design documentation
Continue to learn the process of designing games
Brainstorm creative ideas and take the first step to bring them to fruition
Have fun!

Assignment
Brainstorm ideas for your game.

Ideas for games can come from many things. Ernest Adams refers to designing games as bringing dreams to life ... so your dreams may fuel your game ideas. Others may use life events, sports, movies, or even other games to inspire their game ideas. Use an approach that works for you.
However, keep the following in mind:

Your game idea must be original - it should not just be a clone of another game you have played. It can be similar to another game, but must be unique in some significant way.
Try to be unique and creative. This is your chance to innovate in the game space.
Your game idea does not necessarily need to be commerically viable. That is, you do not have to worry if the game will make money. Therefore, you have freedom to focus on niche markets, etc...
However, your game should be designed for your players, not just for you. Define the target audience and take a player-centric approach to your design.

After several rounds of brainstorming, attempt to answer the following questions:

What does the player do? (interactivity)
Where does the player do it? (setting, story, narration)
What are the constraints on the player? (core mechanics)
What sort of emotion is this game trying to evoke in the player? (affect)
How is this game unique? What differentiates it from other games? (defining elements and competitive analysis)

Elevator Pitch (High Concept Statement)

Refine the answers to the questions above into an "elevator pitch for the game" or a high- concept statement. This should be one paragraph that describe your game in a concise fashion. Remember, your goal is to sell your vision to others. Make it engaging and compelling! What is the "X" of your game?
Feature Set

Create a list of features for the game to support the high-concept statement. At this point the features should be written in a succinct manner, probably in a bulleted list. The details will be flushed out later. NOTE: You don't need to overdo it in terms of features. Think of them as the "pillars of your game". A building (and a game) can stand on 4 solid pillars.
Game Overview

Armed with the high-concept statement and features, now proceed on to creating an overview of the game.

The overview should include:

Player Motivation - what is the player trying to accomplish
Genre - what genre or mix of genres does the game fall into (or if it is something truly unique perhaps create a custom genre)
Target Audience - who will play this game

Unique selling points - what is new in this game?
Target hardware - what gaming platform will the game be developed for (this could be hypothetically)
Player Experience goals - what are the goals for the player's "experience".
Give your game a preliminary title (or "working title").

The title should be something that captures the imagination and excites the future potential player. You can always change the name later in the development cycle.
Create a concept image for the game

Include a visual image that communicates the concept or visual aesthetic of the game or gets the audience excited about the game. The concept image could be a custom sketch, painting, or a "mashup" of images from other games/media.

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Consider the "scope" of the project.

What features are "green light" features that MUST be in the game for the game to be playable/viable (aka, minimal viable product)? What features are "yellow light" features, which would enhance and polish the vision but are not necessary for the the minimal viable product? What features are "red light" features, which would be stretch goals that you likely would need to cut given limited resources but are features you would like to consider if resources become available or perhaps features that could be included in future game updates or sequels?
Armed with all the information above, complete the "High Concept Document" using the template provided on D2L.

The document should be written in clear, understandable English, contain no spelling or major grammatical errors and should look professional.