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The Game Proposal
The competitive analysis illustrates to the publisher how you stack up against your competition. It must explain why your title will outsell the competition, yet how it will be similar enough to be sold right next to the competition on store shelves. A simple way to graphically illustrate how your game stacks up against the competition is a table that lists functions and features down the X axis, with your game and its competitors across the Y axis, checking off the features that each game has. You can also list other competitive differentiators here too, such as licenses, technology, development costs -- anything that will make your title perform better in the retail channel. Be prepared to discuss each point of your analysis that relate to the competition. For example, if you list a great technology developed in-house as a selling point, you need to be prepared to discuss why it will give you an edge over the competition. Will it save development time or money? Will it make the game noticeably better? Or is it just a source of personal pride that doesn’t translate into publisher benefit? The competitive analysis should contain at least five products (in today’s marketplace you shouldn’t have a problem listing ten or more) and at least five features of those products with a few paragraphs discussing the competitive analysis in terms of how you drew your conclusions. The most important determinant of what your competitive analysis contains is your game idea. You need to include your real competition and not leave out a top selling game hoping the publisher won’t notice your omission. The same goes for features, you can’t leave a feature out of your analysis because your competition has it and you don’t. Most importantly make sure the features you include have a selling point to them. And be honest too – there will be games that simply have features going for it that yours won’t. The competitive analysis requires you to market your game -- and yourself. You are being given the chance to tell the business guys that your game will perform in the marketplace better than titles X, Y, and Z for reasons that you state as persuasively as possible in their language. Done correctly, the competitive analysis can help you jump ahead of other developers by demonstrating to the publisher that you understand its goals. And once you've written it, you'll be able to rattle it off in conversations – and that helps convince others that your title stands a strong chance of performing well in the marketplace. 5. The Design Document The design document is a long, in-depth document that shows the publisher your game in detail. The contents of the design document are substantial, and beyond the scope of this article. See The Anatomy of a Design Document by Tim Ryan for more information about what the design document should contain. 6. The Team Introduction Convincing the publisher that you are a good risk is critical, so it's imperative that you build your credibility as a developer. Your "team introduction" (or "team bios") section lets you convey your experience via resumes, portfolios, and press clippings. Most developers who submit games to publishers have little or no real industry experience or published games under their belt. This is why a substantial demo is required for publishers – it's the only way to prove to a publisher that you have the team skills, technical skills and personal ability to produce the title you propose. Even if the proposed title is a good idea, you still have to prove you can produce that good idea. But make no mistake, just because you haven’t had any game industry experience and you have a great proposal doesn’t mean the team won’t be discussed at length by the publisher. They will want to know if you have any serious work experience (this will be looked upon favorably) or if you are just another gamer wanting to make a game. If you can demonstrate real world experience that relates to your job description in the proposal and you have a solid employment history, you will have achieved some level of credibility. Proving you can hold a job, deal with people and deadlines, and can communicate is a huge plus in the eyes of the publisher.
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Features
4. Competitive Analysis|
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