P5

P5 Learners plan a new computer/console game, including:

• treatment or proposal
• competent production schedule
• gameplay with associated visuals
• target audience
• relevant legal and/or ethical issues

M2 Learners create a detailed plan for a new computer/console game. The treatment/
proposal includes platform, levels, synopsis and characters. Visuals are produced for each level of gameplay

D1 Learners create a comprehensive plan for a viable new computer/console game and justify ideas in relation to current trends in the UK computer/console game market. The production schedule is detailed and identifies timescales for the
activities needed. The launch date and budget are realistic. The visuals produced display a high level of appeal for the target audience

LESSON EIGHTEEN - IDENTIFYING TRENDS

Read the following article from The Guardian written in 2015 about the rise of games and apps specifically targeting younger audiences:


Next take a look at the following list of the current "best" apps for kids according to DigitalTrends.com:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-apps-for-kids/

What common features do the games and apps share? Consider the following:

GENRE - are there specific kinds of games/apps more than others?

GAMEPLAY - what different types of activity do the games/apps encourage?

VISUAL STYLE - how are they presented? use of colour or character types?

ACCESSIBILITY - in what ways are these apps easy to use or understand?

Use this grid to record your findings

LESSON NINETEEN - TREATMENT

A treatment is a presentation that sells your idea to an audience. If you were pitching for money to finance your film you'd create a treatment with the key elements, storyboard and visuals to show potential investors.

Make it a mix of visuals and text.

SLIDE 1
Game name and platform
SLIDE 2
Genre and moodboard
SLIDE 3
Synopsis
SLIDE 4
Why will people want to play it? What is the best part/most fun part of the game?
SLIDE 5
Characters - simple biography
SLIDE 6
Sample levels
SLIDE 7
How the game relates to current trends in the industry
How it will be contemporary, in looks and gameplay
SLIDE 8
Planned launch date (and why)

Planned game needs to be for 10-15 year old both genders.
Two levels of gameplay visuals need creating using piskelapp, Illustrator, Photoshop.
An ipad template is here

LESSON TWENTY

Production plan: Budget and schedule

Write a sentence as to what each of these jobs will involve for your game:

CONCEPT

GAME DESIGN

PROTOTYPING

PROGRAMMING

CHARACTER DESIGN

ENVIRONMENT DESIGN

SOUND DESIGN

USER INTERFACE

QUALITY ASSURANCE

DEPLOYMENT

This, from P2 may help: (f you don't know these terms already).

• Read the following articles that explain the typical production process for making a console game; The Game Production Pipeline and The Game Development Pipeline

Think through whether you're making a complex game or quite a simple one

Based on complex (3-6 months) or simple (1-2 months), download and fill in this grid with how long it will take for each task
This will give you a budget.

Copy and paste that part of the grid onto your blog

Go to infogram and create a gant chart with the timings of your game production.
Post that to the blog also, ensure you have a launch date, highlighted.


LESSON TWENTY - LEGAL & ETHICAL

Go to Production Docs (at the top of http://medialongroad.blogspot.co.uk/) and fill in a legal & ethical sheet for your game. Add it to the blog.



LESSON TWENTY-ONE - CHECK!

Check that you have completed all the P1, P2 etc criteria and your blog displays properly and is up to date.

After you've checked it, check someone else's - is it as good? Are there bits missing on theirs? Tell them.

Then get a teacher to check the work and grade it.