FMS 394 – Final Project (Fall 2019)
Game Title: [GAME TITLE GOES HERE]
1. Game Description/Summary
Briefly describe the game itself, including a high-level overview of what the game is about and what genre of game it is. Include a name for your game.
Hints and Suggestions: Think of this as your “elevator pitch” of the game. What is it about, what makes it interesting, how would you “sell” it to a publisher or a player? Also, remember, there are lots of genres as well as types of games (serious games, games for change, educational games, workplace training games etc.)—you don’t have to make Call of Duty if you don’t want to…
2. Target Audience/Platform
Describe who you are developing the game for and what platform(s) it will be available on. Explain why you think this is a good “fit” for your game (why this group of players will enjoy it, and why the platform is appropriate).
Hints and Suggestions: Remember the idea that “form fits function”—what the game is about and how it’s played should be a good fit for the audience you have in mind (it’s probably not a good idea to have 8 year-olds play a gory murder mystery game on a high-end PC, for instance). Recall Module 2…
3. Game Story and Characters
Describe the story or narrative of the game. Include details about the theme, the progression of the story, and how the mechanics of the game connect to that story. Describe the characters (both player characters and NPCs) and how the player interacts with them.
Hints and Suggestions: Think carefully about connecting what the story is about to what player do (a high-school dating sim game probably isn’t a good fit for twitchy gameplay but works very well with branching dialogue options, for example). Also, how will your narrative be shown/told? Remember, there’s lots of ways to do it. Describe what forms your game uses, and why those are good design choices. Think about Modules 3 and 4…
4. Gameplay and Interaction
Describe how the player plays the game, including players goals, core mechanics, interface elements and other details. Explain what forms of interactivity the player has, including ability to influence the narrative.
Hints and Suggestions: This is the bulk of the assignment here, so spend the most time and provide the most detail in this section. Specifically, describe how the game works, what it’s like to play it, what players do, etc. There’s a reason the section is called “gameplay and interactivity”—both of those are crucial themes, so focus on those. Modules 2-4 should come in extra handy…
5. Game Design
Describe what the game looks and sounds like. Include examples from at least three (3) similar games (screenshots, gameplay clips, etc.) to illustrate how you envision the game playing, looking, or feeling.
Hints and Suggestions: Here you are doing two things: providing a description (including references to similar games) of what the game looks and feels like, and also doing a bit of a competitor/landscape analysis by showing what else is in the marketplace. For the images you use (at least 3 different games!), they can show a specific feature of the interface or game environment, an overall aesthetic, or something else that relates to your idea. This is your chance to build a mental picture of what it’s like to play the game.
