Practical Advice for Creative Projects - Extra Credits Gaming

15 Nov 20239 min video

Transcript

So, when I first met James, I remember asking him how he knew a game idea was a good one and how one even comes up with a good game idea in the first place. Turns out those were two questions he got asked a lot and boy was he ready to answer them. And honestly, those answers have stuck with me for a long time now as just some really clear and practical advice for anyone before they start making a video game or really any creative endeavor in order to have them end up with the best possible thing at the end. So, today I thought it'd be nice if we share them with all of you. Thanks so much to Trade Coffee for being the best creative fuel us caffeinated beans could ask for. Okay, let's start with the question of how do I come up with a game idea? Because that one's kind of easy, right? You probably have dozens. So, to start, write down 10 of them. Make them short, of course, a paragraph or less, like an elevator pitch for a publisher kind of thing. Next, I want you to write down 10 more. Got them? Okay. And lastly, one last batch of 10. Now you're getting to

the weird stuff, right? The stuff that's probably truly original because you've run out of the things you've seen before and at this point you're really stretching. And it's in this place of originality and weirdness that inspiration often does come. Also, do not worry about these ideas being good yet. I mean, Ayn Rand underwater shooter, a hedgehog but really fast, or a fantasy adventure where you shout, these are not really good ideas. Heck, they're only slightly less insane than an Italian stereotype who takes mushrooms and jumps on turtles. And the fact that they're not good ideas is totally okay because in truth, it's execution, not the idea itself, that ends up making a good game. So, the real answer to the question of how do I know if my game idea is good is actually another question, can you execute on it in an interesting way? And that right there, friends, James can give you real practical advice on. First, take each of your ideas and ask yourself, what's the unique selling point? What can this game offer that no other games do? What can you present the players that they haven't seen before? And any idea that

you wrote down that doesn't have a clear answer to those questions can be crossed off your list. Next, envision a snapshot of the game. Does it have something visually unique for the player? A character they'll love? An art style that they'll recognize from a mile away? Maybe an area that will just sweep them off their feet. If you can't envision at least one incredible visual for a game idea, cross it off the list. Now try to think of the first 5 minutes of your game. How do you see them playing out? Can you show the player what's interesting about your game in those 5 minutes? Will it grab them? Or is it so complex that you'd have to play for 10 hours before you really get to the good bits? If there's nothing you can make compelling in the first 5 minutes, you guessed it, cross it off that list. Next, I want you to look around you at the people that will be making the game with you. And that could be metaphorically if you're working remotely. What are the skills of your team, even if that team is only you? What's everyone good at, right? Does your game idea highlight those skills? Because if you're telling me your game idea is something like werewolves in zero gravity and you've got no one who

has any idea how to do something like fur physics, then you should possibly cross that idea off the list, too. Or maybe you have an amazing art team, but only one engineer. Well, then the idea you choose should probably showcase the art and not be too programming intensive. And anything that doesn't fit the bill of your games skills can really be just moved into your games to be made in the future bucket. Along those similar lines, you should be thinking about your timeline and budget. Think about your idea, right? Does it require a lot of content for the player to enjoy? Or is it really more about replayability and mechanics? If you've got a smaller budget or a tight schedule, at this point you can cross off all of the open world games and all of the MMOs from the list. But it actually does go deeper than just those things. Because imagine your game idea. Does it need a ton of levels and enemies for the player to really enjoy it? Well, if so, then that's not what you want to be making with a small team on a restricted schedule. Now try to think about the end of your game, the denouement, if you will. Can you think of a truly memorable way for the player's experience with your game to

end? Will the final bit of the narrative stay with your player forever? Will it make them weep? Will the end be so epic they can't help but spoil it for all of their friends? Will it pose a question that makes the player think about existence in a new way? If you can't come up with a good ending for an idea, then at this point it's probably not the right one, so cross it off the list. Next, ask yourself, who is my audience? The more specific you can get here, the better. Is it grade school children at recess? 45-year-old men on bike rides? FPS players who like puzzles or puzzle gamers who just really like to shoot stuff? And hey, sometimes the audience is just you, and that's okay. But at this point, if any of your ideas don't have an audience jumping out to you, something's probably off. So, if you're stumbling here, this is also a good time to cross some ideas off the list. After that, let's take a detour back to budget a moment, kinda. Because now it's time to ask yourself what your game is worth. What do you think a reasonable price point is for any of your ideas that are left? This, of course, is a bit harder for free-to-play or ad-supported games,

but in those cases, just ask yourself, how much do you expect the median player to pay? Does that number make sense with your budget? Does this idea sound like a 1-hour walking simulator, but it also needs to be so visually stimulating that you need a $10 million budget? Are you really getting a million people to pay $10? Are your Steam reviews going to be filled with people saying, "10 bucks for an hour of playtime? What a rip-off." So, would you really then need to sell 10 million units for something like a dollar? Does that seem realistic? If not, or if the clarity just isn't there, it's also back to the drawing board. Oh, and I should probably mention here, remember that your publisher and your platform holders are also going to take their cut as well. Finally, try and sketch out the moments where all of this comes together. Create for yourself one example of play that gathers everything that's unique and interesting about your game that we've determined above and really sells the player on why this is great. Keep it brief like describing five or 10 minutes of gameplay, but do describe it for yourself in detail. Why

it's amazing, why it will leave them awed. Can you do that? Because if you can, you might just have your winner. Because really, anything can be an idea for a game. The difficult part is actually separating the ones that made it through your ideas list gauntlet and the ones that got crossed off along the way. And that's done by thinking not about just the idea itself, but the execution. All of the things that determine what it's going to be like when it's brought to life. If you've gone through all of the above steps, you should not only have an idea that you're confident in, but one that you've really kicked the tires on. One where you found the flaws and contradictions that require a little bit closer inspection. But more importantly, you should now be practically ready to pitch it to anyone. You know why this is good. You know who it's for. You know what the budget needs to be. You know this idea's good. So go turn it into a reality. Though if you are feeling a little bit mentally pooped from this episode's creative exercise, might I suggest a pick-me-up from our friends over at Trade Coffee. We love

working with Trade because easy crew drinks a lot of coffee. They're this awesome subscription service that delivers fresh curated for you coffee from local roasters right to your door when and how you want it. And they use their expertise to map your specific taste against hundreds of different coffee flavor profiles, which is to say they help you find the perfect roast and grind just every single time. Case in point, Trade just matched me with a great blend from a local NYC roaster with a historically named reference on the front and everything. And not only did they grind it perfectly for my French press, but it showed up at my door fast. And I know that Chef has been having a great time trying out all of Trade's dark dark espresso beans because he totally doesn't have a problem. So if you'd like to join us in upgrading your morning routine with just way better beans. Right now, Trade is offering one free bag of coffee with any subscription if you use our link drinktrade.com/extracredits. This is not a drill, people. Free coffee. You can sign up for Trade right here. You're going to love it. And once you're fully caffeinated, check out another of our videos here. Once upon a time, Michael Hoggatt, Kuyakoy, Joseph