Pitching Game Ideas Any Idea How?

[The-Big-D]

Ok i was wondering if anyone could help me out.
Lately ive been very keen in scriptwriting and ideas for games and such
because ive been doing alot for college work but have done some of my own in my spare time.

I have writen some game ideas quite thoroughly.
I was wondering does anyone know how to get these pitched to a company or get it recognised.
Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

 

[The-Big-D]

The first step would be to actually try pitching it to some close friends, and see if they like the idea. Many times we can become too attached to an idea simply because its ours, and an objective opinion would be good for this.

Yeah i have actually given ideas to a few of my friends who are
quite experianced gamers with a good state of mind to have ideas pitched to them.
Also got some feedback and ideas how to make it better
Was only a few slight tweaks but id rather have some of my faults corrected than jumping in at teh deep end with faults i hadnt seen myself.
Just want to know the next step perhaps

 

[Perwer]

I don' know, a logical step would be to try and get in touch with the closest (maybe even local) publisher, they might not take pitches but could direct you. Actually i would google it aswell(living in a cyber generation !) .

 

[sammyfreak]

My understanding is that most companies prefer geting their design staff internaly. Getting a job in Q&A is probably a good first step.

If possible try to create a mod or a simple version of the game it also helps alot.

 

[Cousin_IT]

if u want credit for it then u need to take the long road through the system. Its probably quite like the TV industry as shown here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU57gP0Kzw

If you dont mind running the risk of having ur idea ripped from under your feet with no recognition or pay; shout ur idea all over the internet & pray someone who can make ideas happen reads (I tried that with a Mafia MMO, no luck [not even a Gangland 2 or Gangsters 3 :_(]).

 

[The-Big-D]

Well i study media so ive been kinda learning about
pitching ideas and such but we dont focus on game industry to much unless i do a uni degree.

I went to my tutor with the idea because he done alot of pitching for tv shows and short films so hes quite down to teh point with ideas and he said its a good idea but he didnt know how to go through gaming industry because it wasnt something he does.

But so far ive had some good feddback and taking other peoples contrivuions into effect to just need a idea or something of how to get my idea to the people incharge who might be able to help me out.

script writing and ideas for games has always been something im quite pashionate about so getting an idea made and such would be great for me

 

[stevesan]

Tell me your idea. I'm a programmer interested in starting an indy game project. If I like your idea, I may want to help you realize it.

 

[jim_doki]

first things first, develop a plan for the game. by plan i mean timeline each event in sequential order. then work out how much it's going to cost to make that happen.

 

[The-Big-D]

first things first, develop a plan for the game. by plan i mean timeline each event in sequential order. then work out how much it's going to cost to make that happen.

yeah might get a folder and just put together a portfolio of things such as

.ideas
.brainstorms
.storyboards
.bit of art and how i imagine things in my mind
.and also feedback

might be best way to tackle it.
just putting ideas into one big idea and onto paper is quite hard but i think with more development it would be good.

I have been told i have alot of good interesting ideas
so it kind of puts my mind at rest a bit
its just delievering a pitch to a company that im worried about and how to do it

 

[ShadeOfRed]

Well, if it's original, and God knows that's what the media needs, go for it.

 

[Fire Daemon]

The best thing to do is make a mod or a demo of the game. Hope that people like the idea and take it (with giving you money ofcourse). If someone uses your game idea then you can make another one, point a dev to the game you helped create and chances are they will take your second idea. And then your in the industry.

You can send the Demo (or prehaps a trailer) to the Devs but its best to do it in person. Explain the game idea, tell them why it would be a good idea to make the game (aka lots of money) and then if they like it then they may take you on board. It may work better if you get a job in the industry first however. if you work at a company they may perfer to listen to you.

Or you can make a mod and put it on the internet, earn a fan base and you may get a Devs attention.

 

[boyitsme95]

Look up things that haven't been done before or haven't been done well, but make sure it's a good idea.

Don't do something like make a FPS mod and call it "xXdumMAnXx's omega mod!! OMG!" Noone will play that. Ever.

 

[Kogarian]

No! My ideas are my own, and I'm not sharing them! (Joking) I'm actually writing scripts for video games now as well, but I'm not sure if I want to get into that or into a science-related career. My ideas usually come to me when I'm sleeping after playing a bad session of gaming. Try that, maybe it'll help. And learn a wide range of facts from different subjects, that helps with story creation.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Post them on an internet forum and ask for everyones opinions of course!

Just joking don't do that, you'll get ripped off, anyway, either make a mod for a game, or just find some indie developers and pitch the idea to them and then maybe you'll be very successful (See: S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl) - or talk to Valve about it (See: Portal).

 

[Cooper42]

Make it.

Mod another, similar game, or use something like GameMaker, BlitzBasic, Macromedia Fusion, etc. Don't worry about excessive eye-candy and long, deep scripts. Get the basics working well.

Unless you have a history of making, finishing and releasing a game (whether university project, indie or extensive mods) which isn't half-bad, no studio will take you on for much more than junior staff, let alone as game desinger...

 

[Echolocating]

Personally, I would prototype some of the game design. I'm not talking about programming an actual game, but assembling something to "fudge" the idea's execution in Flash or a similar application might do wonders. Especially if you can host it and send the link to people who might matter. But that would really only be beneficial if you're game idea involved some unique or novel functionality... if your game idea is simply an FPS (or insert genre) in a unique environment, I'd simply say good luck to you because those ideas are a dime a dozen.

Still, sometimes you just need to get an idea out of your head and the best way is to sketch and write out your idea for you're own purposes and then take it to the next level by creating simple mock-screens of your vision and then prototype some functionality in an authoring environment (Flash/Director), if need be.

If you're really ambitious, just build the damn thing. That's the best way.

 

[brazenhead89]

No offense Big D, but if you want to be a scriptwriter you may want to proofread your posts first!
Nonetheless, I'm glad you asked the question - I'm in very much the same boots as you, a media student, fond of scriptwriting, who also wants to get a game idea off the ground. I remember when I was 12 I emailed Ubisoft asking what they'd need to get a game idea off the ground (me and my friends were designing a 3D platformer, back when they were the next big thing). Their response? No qualifications, just a good idea. Of course, they were a smaller company back then and the industry has changed a lot too, but it's an ethic you can't fault and I hope for yours and my own sake that "a good idea" is all it takes. Best of luck.