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Posted by: TStodden on 2010-02-08, 01:34:51
To put it bluntly... DO NOT BOTHER SENDING ANY IDEAS TO ANY VIDEO GAME COMPANY!!! THAT'S THE FASTEST WAY TO KILL ANY CHANCES OF GET YOUR GAME IN THE MARKETPLACE!!! The main reason that game company don't take outside suggestions is all the legal mumbo jumbo with intellectual property laws. If you propose a game & sometime in the future, they actually make a game similar to yours... you could essentially sue that game company for theft. If you're REALLY SERIOUS about get your game created, here's the rough steps you'll have to do. 1) Get the Framework down -- Get the characters, storyline, gameplay ideas down on paper. The more in-depth you can get, the better. 2) GET A WORKING, PLAYABLE DEMO MADE -- While the demo doesn't have to be complete, it does give potential developers & publishers a better idea about your game & the gameplay mechanics. While it helps to have a well polished demo, on hand to present with your pitch. This will likely require you to get an artist, a musician & a programmer to handle anything that you can't do professionally yourself. 3) GET PROFESSIONAL! -- While most game companies won't even let you through the front door until you at least 18, dress & act like a professional. Make a presentation packet for your pitch & get the majority of the ideas down so you can answer nearly any question that may be thrown at you. Be polite, try to arrange a meeting with the executives IN PERSON (best of luck on that) & give them your best pitch for your game. 4) If all else fails, GO INDIE!!! -- Sometimes, the best route to making your game a commercial reality is to skip the meetings & make the complete game yourself! Release a Demo version to the public to drive interest & let the public generate the demand. If your game gets really popular, game publishers & developers may be calling you to make a port for their system. HOWEVER, please be aware that MOST GAMES (INCLUDING A MAJORITY OF INDIE GAMES) ARE NOT A COMMERCIAL SUCCESS. You really have to be an incredible game to make it pro. Titles like Alien Hominid (originally a flash game on Newgrounds) & N+ (originally called N, also done in flash) have been successful indie games in the commercial sector. I highly suggest visiting GamaSutra ( gamasutra.com ) for more information about making a commercial video game as it has a LOT OF INFORMATION to help you out there. If you want to make a game, just for the sake of making a kick-ass game ( & not making money), you could always try to release it as an open-source game on Source Forge ( sourceforge.net ) as it allows others to join in & assist in the production of the game... which can help reduce the burden of coding, debugging & distributing the game yourself. Some major open-source games available on Source Forge are StepMania, Scorched 3D & NetHack. I hope this sheds some light on the subject. I wish you the best of luck on your pursuits... should you have the desire to do so... |
