 | From Concept to Contract |  |
 | How to Make a Successful Product Pitch |  |
David Mullich originally presented this lecture at the 1996 Game Developers Conference.
| Refining Your Concept | |
"I have the greatest idea for a game!" is how scores of hopeful game developers will introduce themselves to interactive publishers at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, if they are expecting a "you're the answer to my prayers" reception that will open the door to fame and riches, they will be sorely disappointed.
The reality is that great game ideas are a dime a dozen. People are creative creatures, and anyone can come up with a promising idea for a game. Just gather a random selection of people into a room, place an energetic discussion leader in front of them, and within an hour you will have a white board full of ideas that can develop into hit games.
"Can" is the operative word here. What makes a game concept valuable is not so much the idea itself, but people and planning behind the idea. In the software industry, implementation is as important as inspiration, and an idea must be accompanied by three elements to be valuable: passion, integrity and capability.
PASSION, the emotional element that drives your idea forward. The best games are the ones in which your entire development team shares an enduring enthusiasm or obsession, enabling your team to maintain its creative energy throughout the development period, typically one to two years. Moreover, the enthusiasm must be infectious. If the publisher's development, sales and marketing departments do not catch your enthusiasm for the game, their initial interest will soon be diverted to other games in development.
Try telling your game idea to some friends before approaching anyone in the industry about it. If you feel enthusiastic when talking about it, you will be more likely to get other people excited about your idea.
INTEGRITY, the intellectual element that stretches your idea to encompass all elements of the game. Integrity is evident when the game's text, graphics, music, story, interface, game play, documentation, packaging and advertising fit together so seamlessly and supportively that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. An example of integrity in a space flight simulation is a message that reads "Rolling vehicle onto launch pad" instead of "Program Loading...Please Wait." Attention to detail is what separates excellence from mediocrity.
Try imagining what the music or the package art would be like for the game. If the secondary details come easily, you will be able to describe your concept not just as a brief idea, but as a complete product.
CAPABILITY, the physical element that enables your idea to become a reality. Implementation is at least as important as inspiration for successfully making a game. It is vital to demonstrate that you have the creative, technical, managerial and financial wherewithal to participate in the game's development before a publisher would seriously consider enter into negotiations with you.
Try assess what resources you need to develop the game, where to acquire those resources, and how to maintain them. If you find that you don't have a clue about how to implement the game, you are probably not in a good position to be pitching the concept to a publisher.
Having a great game idea is not sufficient for pitching a game. It must exude passion, integrity and capability before you should even say "hello" to a publisher. If you lack any of these elements, return to the drawing board for idea in which you can be further involved in developing the concept, or consider finding a development partner who can bring more to the negotiating table when you are ready to visit a publisher.
