Overview

Following the release of the brief (creating a game revolving around the theme of reflections for a local government) we were asked to create individual pitch decks prior to learning about our teams. The main point of these individual pitches is to generate ideas that groups will be able to use and elaborate on when creating group pitches. I decided to interpret the brief in a metaphorical lens, creating a brief for the railway reflection game See it, Say it, Sorted.

See it, Say it, Sorted is a puzzle story game where the player, a faceless, nameless protagonist, explores their life from birth to death represented using a London Underground S-Stock train. The entire game is played in the split second that the protagonist's life is flashing before their eyes.

Technical Description / Explanation 

One of my biggest focuses & concerns when generating ideas for my pitch deck was finding a theme and concept that both fit the brief & client while also being a game I would personally be interested in. This is why I landed on a puzzle game involving trains. I enjoy playing games that include (and sometimes revolve) around puzzles or deduction; I'm also passionate about trains and have been since I was a child. Once I had the genre & concept down, I ensured that I knew the art style along with different influences on mechanics and environment (e.g. the Metropolitan Line S-Stock train being used as the base for what the normal segments of the train should look like). My justification for this is that using such a famous train design, which is used by millions of people every year, helps create a sense of familiarity that players may use to imprint their own experiences in life onto the game. I made an asset list that helped me to figure out what I might / might not include in the game; this helped me to realise that sound design and the game's art direction are the two most important factors in helping to create a disconnect between 'reality' (the regular train environment) and the player's memories. By using starkly contrasting sound design (such as sharp, loud sounds for player input and mild, soft tones for game input) along with more monotone colours during memory-related segments, I can visually and audibly tell the player what they're looking at without having to tell them verbally. The final segment of my pitch focused heavily on project management. As a result of the game's focus on puzzles and environmental storytelling, I decided that the team should comprise both a level designer and a game designer. Having such a design-focused team means that we can have one designer (the Level Designer) focus on the environment and maps while the other (the Game Designer) can focus on creating interesting and difficult puzzles for the player to solve. As for tools I used, I made the paper prototype in Photoshop by dragging items around with the mouse and recorded it in OBS. The slideshow itself is made in PowerPoint.

Reflection

Pitch feedback - "Well done Alyx, you confidently presented your ideas well to the class, providing a clear insight into the game that you wish to develop. Overall, the idea meets the requirements of the brief well, and clearly links to the theme of reflection. You have provided a clear overview of the game and its inspirations, helping to communicate the vision effectively. I particularly like the incorporation of a "Paper Prototype" that shows a key element of your game play. To improve, your asset list needs to be more organised and identify their necessity and priority in terms of development, and the production schedule should outline all development phases more clearly to improve planning and communication- try to incorporate a gannt chart to outline all elements. "

According to feedback from my teachers, I presented my pitch "confidently", providing insight into See It, Say It, Sorted. Where my pitch lacked was a lot of the producer-related content such as a better formatted asset list, production schedule (as a gannt chart), etc. I agree with my feedback, and believe that my biggest area of improvement is definitely creating more documentation to showcase my game's production process and timeline. My presentation focused much more on the design and gameplay aspects than it did aspects such as production, target audience, and demographics. To act upon my feedback, I will put a further emphasis on creating a game design document, level design document, art bible, and technical design document to help keep track of the game's design throughout production. I will create a gannt chart to showcase key dates and tasks for my game's production schedule, along with who will be working on each task. I will also use web apps like Trello to keep track of scrums & sprints using a kanban board. Trello also lets me keep track of what needs to be done and what has been done so far. I will also ensure that I keep the game's target demographic in mind when deciding on adding new features and mechanics to ensure that all content is appropriate for the ages within the game's age range. Finally, I will create an actual table for any asset lists going forward for better formatting. As for my feelings on my idea as a whole, I felt that it was a well developed and interesting idea given the brief that takes a much more theoretical angle than some of the other solo pitches. I didn't really encounter any issues with finding and developing an idea - I essentially had my idea the moment the brief was released.