Pitch Example

Orlando's Quest

Down on his luck Orlando travels the Shakespearean world hunting for his Rosalind.

Rick Bingen

rbingen@carthage.edu

Simply put, the title page of your pitch document should tell us about your game idea at a very high level. The image is meant to help give the reader a mental image of the game. Any reference image is fine if it represents your intent.

Game Overview

Join Orlando, a determined young man down on his luck, as he travels through the whimsical and richly detailed Shakespearean world. With each step, Orlando hunts for his beloved Rosalind, encountering vibrant characters and battling thrilling challenges inspired by the Bard’s timeless tales. Experience a game where romance, bravery, and the magic of Shakespeare's universe come to life. Will Orlando's love conquer all?

Orlando's Quest is a third-person adventure which offers an enchanting blend of exploration, puzzles, and dynamic combat set in a beautifully crafted Shakespearean world. Traverse whimsical landscapes, uncover hidden secrets, and solve intricate puzzles inspired by the Bard's timeless tales. Engage in thrilling battles, build alliances with iconic Shakespearean characters, and make choices that shape your unique journey. Customize Orlando’s abilities and appearance as you progress, and immerse yourself in a rich, atmospheric world where every decision influences the story. Help Orlando find his beloved Rosalind in this captivating adventure!

Notice the difference between the two game descriptions. The top text is a marketing blurb, meant to get the reader excited about the game. It focuses on narrative, not gameplay. The second set of text focuses on what the player is doing. It describes the overall genre: third-person adventure. It describes the general gameplay.

While far less detailed than a full GDD, this gives enough detail to generally understand the project.

Overhead Map

This is the town in the center of the forest of Arden where the game starts. The large building in the middle is the tavern where Orlando can eat and sleep in between his adventures.

This is a simple but easily read overhead map. It would be better if this map was drawn on a grid so that the approximate sizes and scale of everything can be understood. This map shows us that our game will take place inside and outside.

Gameplay Summary

Player approaches characters. These characters tell the player to go somewhere or do something. Occasionally, a short puzzle might need to be solved in order to progress. There are also light platforming sections; the player must jump to and from different parts of the level. Finally, Orlando must defeat the villain Iago to save Rosalind.

Player begins in a tavern bed. A text prompt tells the player they have forgotten what happened the night before and should ask around.
The tavernkeeper tells the player they haven't seen Rosalind, "they should talk to Celia."
Celia tells the player Rosalind was last seen in the forest.
The player must fight the lions and snakes in the forest looking for clues.
etc. etc.

The top text gives a description of our general gameplay. The bulleted list (lists are great for documents, as they are short and easy to read) describes each “beat” of gameplay. Note that for a longer game, it is fine to simply describe a typical moment of gameplay, as opposed to the entire game.

Visual References

Here we find visual references to help illustrate (very roughly!) how we want our world to look. Images from the internet or images from your favorite media are great for this!

If you feel a little bit like you are guessing when you fill out this design document template, you’re right. Design documents are not contracts. Things will change!

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