Business & Legal Reference Materials
The following sections are provided as additional reference materials to help developers devise business plans, conduct market research and get a handle on general business aspects. References will be added on an ongoing basis...
External Reports/Resources
The following reports have been hand-selected by the Business Committee. These are free reports and papers that can help when it comes to the business of making games.
Big Huge Games: A Year (or Two) in the Life of a Startup (includes business plan template, etc) (zip 3.6MB) (March 2002)
by Brian Reynolds, et al., Big Huge Games
Emerging
Financial Opportunities in the Interactive Media Industry (March
2003)
by Rick Nathan and Trevor Fencott, Goodmans Venture Group
Economic Impacts of
the Demand for Playing Interactive Entertainment Software (2001)
by Nathan Associates and ESA
An Analysis
of MMOG Subscription Growth (2003)
by Bruce Sterling Woodcock
From
Exuberant Youth to Sustainable Maturity - UK Competitiveness Analysis (November
2002)
by UK Department of Trade and Industry
Analyse
de positionnement de l'industrie du jeu interactif au Québec (January
2003)
by Alliance NumeriQC
Market Research/Statistics
The following sites contact market research and analyst reports, usually for a sizeable fee. Often, overview data is provided for free. Be sure to check out the ESA's "fast facts" page for a quick overview of the gaming market.
- Acacia Research Group
- Datamonitor
- DFC Intelligence
- Forrester Research
- Gartner Group
- IDC
- ESA fast facts
- International Development Group
- Jupiter Research
- Magic Box Game Charts
- NPD Funworld
- Research and Markets
- Screen Digest
- Strategy Analytics
IGDA Articles
The IGDA publishes articles on a myriad of topics. Here are some relevant articles pertaining to business and legal issues:
- Nuts and Bolts of Business Formation: An Overview of Business Entities and Their Formation
- Negotiating Development Contracts
- Toward an Alternative to the Advances, Recoupment, & Royalty Model for Developers
- G.O.D.'s Ten Developer Commandments
- "Miller Time" - The Business of Designing Games
- Mentoring: A Good-Practice Checklist
- Audio In/Audio Out: Making the Transition...
GDC Roundtable Discussions
The following topics were discussed at the 2003 Game Developers Conference, with summary reports and ongoing discussion available online:
- Blueprint for the Next Step: Start-up to Stability by Clarinda Merripen
- Checklist for a New Publisher by Ray Muzyka
- Children’s Software: Past, Present, and Future by Ken Kahn
- Freelancers’ Roundtable by François Dominic Laramée
- Joys and Pains of Designing Licensed-Based Games by Luis Barriga
- Managing Overseas Developers Effectively by Tom Sloper