- Question Set 1
- What is the difference between a “working” and a “display” prototype? A working prototype is “…intended for evaluation by playtesters and potential publishers” and display prototypes have “… finished art and components, intended for the eyes of distributors or chain buyers” (p. 108). Display prototypes are solely focused on aesthetics and may not even have finished rules.
- What is required of a working prototype, and what might cause one to fail? A working prototype must include everything needed to play the game, not include anything that hasn’t been thoroughly tested, be solely about the gameplay, playable, legible, and user-friendly. In general, if you don’t follow these rules, your working prototype may fail.
- What makes for a good prototype according to Dale Yu? You should try to make a good first impression, with a clean and nice design (doesn’t need to be totally finalized, obviously). Everything needed to play the game should be there and organized neatly.
- What advice from Richard Levy will help you pitch your game? Pitch yourself first before you pitch your game, come prepared and do your homework, get to know the company you’re pitching your game to, don’t let rejection deter you, don’t have a too big or too small ego, recognize the chances are very low but not impossible, know the selling seasons, submit multiple submissions, be careful with agents and marketing companies, have a good prototype and branding
- Where might you pitch your game? Mass market game publishers such as Hasbro, speciality game publishers, etc.
- What do publishers look for in a game? According to Michelle Nephew, publishers are looking for a fun game, minimized set up time and rules, strategy, an interesting theme, an immersive experience, themes and rules relate, good rules and mechanics, inventive rules and components, easy to make components, compatible with the publisher’s other games, right target market, a good title, potential for expansions, can be made in multiple languages, easy for demos, and is collectible only when necessary.
- What makes a good set of Rules? A good set of rules should include lots of subheadings, including items such as, overview, components, setup, gameplay, card types, end game and winning, examples/other variations, and credits.
- Question Set 2
- Describe the best game you’ve made this semester in 200 words? Follow Michelle Nephew’s outline.
- Garden Sabotage! Is a competitive game about curating flower gardens and sabotaging others with bugs. Just when you think you are close to completing an objective with a plot of flowers, a bug may come and eat something! The game is intended for players 10 and up and gameplay is about 30-45 minutes long.
design courses, syllabi, schedules, resources and policies