The Game Design Essay (2021)

Game Design Essay (2021)

Essay - based on your final design brief, introduces some of the game design elements, narrative, research commentary with literature, industry history, context, etc.

This year's game essay will be a practical document encompassing your game design project. The essay explains your game design's inspiration and present some of your design ideas. The essay will also relates or position your design concept within the current market. You will identify audience, value and market factors and consider a plan for further development.  

Suggested structure for the essay:

Introduction: An introduction to the game design project (inspiration). 

Literature/commentary: Write a short research commentary including a small number of relevant references from research literature, ludography, related games, history and context, etc.

Provide a text box with a written sample of the game narrative, its backstory or lore.

Provide a small number of illustrations, mood-board, drawings, figures, diagrams. Please use the appendix for providing more detailed design elements if desired.

Discussion: Write a short section as a business pitch and plan for Spiel/Kickstarter. 

Conclusion: Conclude 

References:

Appendix:

No set word-count. 8 pages max (including illustrations, tables, etc.)

Appendix is not included in the page-count.
Choose your own reference style.

You can think of the Game Design Essay as a description summarising the proposed game, including the artistic, project, technical, and commercial elements. The document is not the game itself, it is rather, all the related information about the game that another designer, an investor or publisher, would like to know about the game. The information in the essay would probably address most of the questions a reviewer would have about the game.

Pitch warm-up

---------

In a sentence “It’s like…”

Single player, multiplayer, puzzle, builder, collaborative, cooperative, competitive, open-world, sandbox etc?

Family/Adult, player age, number of players, time to play. Casual vs campaigning etc. 

Background research

----------

Inspiration? 

Genre?

Related titles in this genre? 

Published influences, related and similar titles (even, if you look for it, references in the game literature!!!!) 

Design structural elements

--------

Game design elements? Gamifications?

Outcomes? Win/lose? Display/sharing?

The application of emotion principles?

The application of the uncertainty principles?

Narrative backdrop constructed by the design

Narrative potential constructed by the players

Complexity, scope? Too much, too little?  

Developer perspective

------

Paper prototype or mockups?

Any playtest feedback?

Comment on ease to ‘onboard’ new players? Simple version, complex version. House rules.

Identified ideal player types, market segment? Appeals to who?

Market perspective

-------

Potential to adapt or expand, levels, extent, add-ons, expansions? Is it a platform.

Market size of equivalent or similar titles?

Route to market? (publisher, self-publish, kickstarter, crowdfund)

Packaging/presentation? (box, components, online, platforms) look and feel.

Countries/languages? Cultural fit. Suggest markets. 

Product Production: Value, costs, price, effort

--------

Price-point/Pricing? Cost to design/develop?

Cost to service/operate?

IP or licensing questions?

Potential to rebrand or repurpose the ‘engine’ to another genre?