Midterm Paper
Due October 27.
Write a 5-7 page paper (2500-3000 words) outlining the concept for an original game. This game can be in any genre and intended for any platform. It may even be a non-computer game (e.g., a card or board game). You are not constrained by the commercial market -- art games and educational or "serious" games are allowed. However, this must be a project that could be completed with existing technologies and resources; also, you should be able to demonstrate plausibly that your game will be fun to play.
Your paper must include all the following sections, though it may also include others.
Concept: in a few sentences or a single paragraph, describe the nature and identity of your game, including genre or type, platform, and intended audience (age, background, game preferences).
Game play: In a few more paragraphs, describe player's experience of your game. You may want to include in this section a brief narrative of a play session (perhaps an early, introductory session). Indicate primary play mechanics: what will the player generally be doing, and how will s/he do it?
Game world: Describe the universe in which your game takes place. You may treat large-scale details briefly ("a world of floating cities somewhere in the far future..."), but include several paragraphs describing at least one game level in some detail. Include graphics if you like here.
Characters: Is there a major character, or choice of protagonist? Can the player custom-create characters? Who are the chief antagonists, villains, and/or level bosses? Include graphics if you like here.
Plausibility: Briefly state (in a paragraph or two) what tools and resources would be needed to produce your game. How large a team? Working for how long? How would you divide the labor?
Deciding factors: What is your chief innovation or point of departure from existing design practice? What makes this game idea different from any others? What will make this game uniquely impressive or enjoyable, thus effective in an artistic or commercial sense? This section should be more than a single paragraph, and should express an argument clearly supported by design choices discussed above. Statements like, This will be an awesome game that everyone will want to play till their eyeballs bleed will earn you few points. Explain the cause of the bleeding.
Submission instructions
Save your game in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), or in PDF if you do not have Microsoft products. Name your paper yourLastName_midterm (plus appropriate file extension) and send it to me as an e-mail attachment.
|