GAME CONCEPT 229
14.3 DEFINE CONCEPT
After the stakeholders have approved the initial direction of the concept, your
core team continues to define the concept. During this phase, the team starts de-
tailing more specifics about the game mechanics, setting, characters, storyline,
and major features. Technical limitations should be loosely considered, but don’t
censor any ideas on perceived limitations at this point. Instead, focus on creat-
ing and prototyping a fun game. When these elements are ready for review, the
engineers can fully assess the technical limitations. Although they might not be
able to implement what was originally designed, they can take a look at what was
intended and come up with some alternative ways to do this within the technical
constraints.
During the concept definition phase, the lead designer and lead artist need
to produce several deliverables. They will most likely create these deliverables
themselves, especially if there are not other resources available. The types of
information defined during this phase include the following:
■
Mission statement
■
Game setting
■
Gameplay mechanics
■
Story synopsis
■
Concept art
■
Audio elements
On a two-year development cycle, plan to spend about one to two months
defining the initial concept. On a six-month cycle, plan to spend about one to
two weeks on this.
Mission Statement
The mission statement defines the major goals of the project. Jim Lewis, author
of Project Planning Scheduling and Control, believes that a mission statement
answers these two questions:
■
What is going to be done?
■
Who is it being done for?
If you can’t clearly answer these two questions, it will be difficult to formulate
a mission statement that concisely sums up the essence of the game. Good mis-
sion statements act as the measuring stick for all the ideas considered for the
game. If the idea enhances the mission statement, it is likely a good fit for the
game. If the idea goes against any aspect of the mission statement, it should not
230 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
be in the final vision of the game. After a mission statement is defined, publicly
post it for the team, studio management, and the publisher.
Involve the core team in a brainstorming session to determine what the mis-
sion statement is. Spend a few hours brainstorming and try to finalize the mis-
sion statement by the next day. After it is determined, each team member has a
better idea of what direction to take for his pre-production deliverables.
For example, the mission statement for Justice Unit is:
Justice Unit is a mass-market superhero game with streamlined controls. It is
intended for fans of comic books and superhero movies who want to experience
the larger-than-life adventure of their four-color heroes.
Game Setting
The game setting influences the look and feel of the game, such as the environ-
ment, objects, location, character designs, and any other elements that are part
of the game universe. The game can have settings, such as science fiction (Halo),
real-world (Ghost Recon 2), fantasy (Final Fantasy Series), and historical (Call
of Duty).
The lead designer has some ideas on what settings work well with the initial
concept and can work with the lead artist to determine the look and feel of the
setting. The lead designer can write up a description of the setting, and the lead
artist can create concept art to show what the setting looks like. This might take
a few days or weeks to complete, depending on what other assets these resources
are generating as well. The setting might evolve based on other decisions made
about the story, characters, and gameplay mechanics.
The setting for Justice Unit is:
The game is set in a classic world of fiendish villains and gun-toting thugs.
The player’s team consists of oddball heroes with super powers. In a universe
full of straight-faced heroes and villains, the Justice Unit are a group of bizarre
misfits with strange powers and wacky personalities. Justice Unit is part parody
and part tribute of the classic super-teams of the sixties, complete with improb-
able origin stories and larger-than-life villains.
Gameplay Mechanics
Gameplay mechanics encompasses many of the actions the player does or experi-
ences in the game. The mechanics comprise the bulk of the design documentation
as the functionality of the different gameplay systems is detailed. Some of the
systems that fall under the category are as follows:
■
Challenges for the player (such as end-level bosses and puzzles)
■
Player rewards (such as points, extra weapons, or special items)
GAME CONCEPT 231
■
Learning curve (How fast can the player learn the basics and start having a
fun experience?)
■
Control scheme (How will the player use the controller or keyboard?)
■
Player actions (such as running, jumping, and casting spells)
■
Multiplayer elements
This doesn’t list all the necessary gaming systems for any one game but is a
good starting point for determining which areas of the game need more details.
The systems are defined before pitching the game to the publisher.
The lead designer will take point on generating the bulk of the design
documentation. He works with the other leads and producer to make sure
that all the necessary elements are defined and work with the approved con-
cept. At this stage in production, the documents will outline a vision for how
each of the gameplay systems might work, without providing minute details.
The functionality requirements will be worked out after the overall game-
play mechanics are approved. If working on a two-year development cycle,
it might take the lead designer two to four weeks to produce these gameplay
documents.
For example, the multiplayer game mechanics for Justice Unit are:
Justice Unit features two multiplayer modes. In Justification, two teams of
up to eight players (16 total) square off against each other in objective-driven
battles. In Vindication, up to 16 players can play in every-man-for-himself free-
for-all battles.
Story Synopsis
Story is becoming increasingly important in games. Not only do players want
compelling gameplay, they also are interested in a compelling story. A good
story is the difference between a good game and a great game, because the
story helps to further immerse the player in the game world. The details of the
story don’t need to be fully defined in the concept phase; this is something the
writer can work on while the designer finalizes the design documents. However,
the synopsis must present a storyline that integrates the game setting, game-
play mechanics, and characters into a cohesive entertainment experience for
the player.
The story synopsis for Justice Unit is:
When marketing executive Mark Ferrier was struck by lightning during a
presentation, he developed astonishing powers. At first, he kept these to himself,
but after witnessing the Justice Unit in a pitched battle with the villainous Wire
Hanger, he joined in their defense. The Unit recruited Ferrier, who chose the
name BulletPoint. Along with Montezuma, Ice Queen, Major Malfunction, and
The Caribou, he fights crime and those who commit it.
232 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
Concept Art
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Concept art shows what the
visual elements of the game will look like before any art assets are produced for the
game. Concept art can be appreciated by anyone, from studio management down to
the team, and since everyone is looking at the same thing, it is a useful tool for com-
municating the game’s vision. Any core pre-production team must include a con-
cept artist who can start sketching out some of the team’s ideas. The concept artist
will work mainly with the lead artist and lead designer on what the characters, levels,
and objects look like in the game. There should be a process in place, managed by
the lead artist, for the team to give feedback. Concept art can take several weeks to
produce, depending how much needs to be generated and how detailed it is.
CONCEPT ART
Carey Chico, Art Director
Pandemic Studios
In the past, game development teams were not very big, and technology was a
limiting factor to creating realistic-looking game worlds. Now that teams have got-
ten larger, and we can create huge, believable worlds, game developers have taken
on a concept art paradigm that’s derivative of the film industry—we concept out all
the assets before creating them for the game.
The main reasons concept art is important and will become more important
when creating assets for next-generation technology are as follows:
■
It helps the artistic vision to be carried all the way through to the final
assets that appear in the game.
■
The artists can work and rework assets on paper, when the cost is much
lower, and then only create the actual assets when everyone agrees on
what will appear in the game.
■
Outsourcing art assets will become more common as the volume of assets
needed for next-generation titles increases, so clearly defined concept art
will ensure that the assets look consistent with the game, no matter where
they are created.
Audio Elements
Audio is a critical part of the game, as it helps immerse the player into the game
world. Think about the Silent Hill series of games—would they be as creepy if you
GAME CONCEPT 233
played with the sound and music turned down? The lead designer might want
to work with a sound designer for a few days to come up with an initial plan for
voiceover, sound effects, and music. The sound designer can advise on what audio
elements work best with the proposed setting, story, and gameplay mechanics.
The audio overview answers questions, such as the following:
■
Will each character have a unique voice?
■
How do the characters’ voice cues function in the game (for example, help
for the player, comic relief, or character development)?
■
What types of music work best with the game (such as licensed heavy metal
songs, an original orchestral score, or instrumental techno music)?
■
Where in the game will the music play (for example, only in the UI shell or
real-time in gameplay during climatic battles)?
■
What types of sound effects will work best in the game?
14.4 PROTOTYPING
Prototyping is a key component of game development, especially during the pre-
production phase. Prototyping allows the team several opportunities to validate
new gameplay features and anything else that is not well-defined (such as a tools
pipeline). In game development, a prototype is an early and playable version of a
proposed game mechanic or idea. The prototype does not necessarily have to be
playable in digital form; in some cases gameplay can be prototyped with existing
board games, a deck of cards, or a pencil and paper mock up—usually referred
to as “low-fidelity” prototypes. These types of prototypes may not always con-
tain playable and dynamic elements. Eventually, “high-fidelity” prototypes will
be created. These are usually software based and provide a dynamic and work-
ing model of the proposed system, and a better representation of the gameplay
experience. However, you can identify and solve many potential issues in low-
fidelity prototypes before proceeding to a high-fidelity one.
There are several goals that can be accomplished during prototyping.
Exploratory prototypes are used to investigate new ideas, identify requirements,
or to research other alternatives. Experimental prototypes are used to validate
system requirements (such as what weapon statistics work best to balance the
weapons in the game). These two types of prototypes are likely to generate work
that is discarded along the way, but this shouldn’t be viewed as a waste of time
or money. While much of this prototyped work may not be used, the lessons
learned about the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts are worth the effort.
Prototyping may also lead to other ideas that are implemented in the final ver-
sion of the game. If there is some reluctance to spend time on work that will dis-
carded, operational prototypes can be used. These consist of an initial prototype
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