game developer's market guide

[...]... storytelling game designers in the business Bob is also the author of the industry’s bestselling book on game development, entitled Game Design: The Art and Business of Creating Games, which is currently being used as a textbook by several colleges and universities, and he is the editor of the Game Developer’s Market Guide from Premier Press GameMarketGuide-02 8/9/03 3:13 PM Page 15 Making games has... features that will help the game find a broader audience and give it longer legs Creating chat capabilities and lobby areas in online games, for example, helps build a stronger community and enables the game to survive longer and attract more people If development and marketing are not talking with each other while the game is being built, you’re just asking for failure GameMarketGuide-01 8 8/10/03 7:28... Does your game target the hard-core or casual gamer? Each demographic requires its own marketing strategy One of the earliest decisions you must make about a game is your target audience Can you achieve maximum sales by starting with the hard-core gamer and building word of mouth from these key influencers? Are you better off taking a mass -market approach and promoting the game to casual gamers so everyone... and how to get one —Bob Bates Breaking into the Game Business by Marc Mencher with Olivia Crosby GameMarketGuide-02 16 8/9/03 3:13 PM Page 16 Breaking into the Game Business ou’ve probably been playing games since you were a kid and are passionate about not only playing games, but the idea of making them as well And chances are you’ve already heard the game industry’s annual revenues now surpass the... be on every game developer’s bookshelf Articles 10 and 11 are about the International Game Developer’s Association (IGDA), and the framework of a curriculum for game studies Article 12 provides some tips on game design from an historical perspective Articles 13 and 14 cover the legal side of the house, from understanding intellectual property rights to negotiating contracts GameMarketGuide-00Fnt 8/11/03... The decision doesn’t affect just the marketing campaign—it affects the game design itself If you’re targeting the hard-core gamer, you must design in competitive features and depth of gameplay If you’re going after the casual gamer, the game must be easily accessible and without the common barriers to purchase (such as excessive blood, sex, or foul language) The marketing group can also suggest implementing... hand, if a publisher has a hot new game coming out, they can try to muscle other games in the door on the coattails of the hit It is this dynamic that has prohibited small, independent publishers from flourishing When you have only one or two games per year, you are too risky a proposition for the retail channel to deal GameMarketGuide-01 8/10/03 7:28 AM Page 5 How Games Are Sold 5 with They are afraid... magazine editorial coverage timed to hit the streets just before your game is due out If you miss your date, the “buzz” fades away, no magazine will give you that coverage again, and your game comes out in obscurity GameMarketGuide-01 6 8/10/03 7:28 AM Page 6 The Business Side N The marketing group can also decide to advertise your game on television, but they don’t just want to spread 30-second spots... goals: to help you target the game for a particular market and to persuade everyone in that market to buy your game GameMarketGuide-01 8/10/03 7:28 AM Page 7 The Publisher’s Team 7 To do the first, they study demographics They advise the business group on the appropriateness of particular licenses They try to determine whether certain features in your game will help or hurt with your target group They... suggest my own book, Get in the Game! Careers in the Game Industry (New Riders Publishing) In the meantime, however, the following should provide a good overview to get you started GameMarketGuide-02 8/9/03 3:13 PM Page 17 Areas of Concentration, Skills, and Earnings 17 Game Designers Probably more than any other career in the industry, people want to break into the business as game designers Although it . supply. Marketing The marketing team has two goals: to help you target the game for a particular market and to persuade everyone in that market to buy your game. The Business Side GameMarketGuide-01. before your game is due out. If you miss your date, the “buzz” fades away, no magazine will give you that coverage again, and your game comes out in obscurity. How Games Are Sold GameMarketGuide-01.