The Games Game February 2011

Hi Tom,

I'm a creative manager at a large 3D animation and VFX studio in a country not usually associated with the game industry. I've been trying to push the studio towards the gaming world. We do pre-rendered 3D, so the obvious direction for us would be game trailers and cinematics, but I want the studio to make visuals and art to be used in the games, not just commercials to promote them.

I've created a solid concept for a game that would be perfect for our art style and would do well in the international marketplace. We've made a cinematic to illustrate the concept, and it's getting rave reviews. Most frequent comment: "When can I play this?!!!" In GameTrailers.com it got a 9.7 score and almost 100 comments out of 130,000 views. We've gotten e-mails asking if this game is in production and people offering their help in creating it.

The studio is profitable, and we have enough that we could fund it to a playable demo. But since we have never made a game, I'm trying to figure out where to begin. As I understand it, we need a game designer to make us a finished GDD, then we can take that to a publisher, then a development studio would be hired. Where am I wrong, what are all the missing details, what do you recommend?

Thanks a lot. - Dave

 

Hi Dave,

I think hiring a game designer to write a GDD, and trying to sell the concept to a publisher, are unnecessary steps. If you want to get work making game graphics, then make game graphics. Trying to get a publisher to fund your first original game concept, without game industry experience, is just about the most difficult way I can think of to get started in the game industry. It's like standing on an athletic field, with a high bar in the middle of the field. You're thinking that the way to get to the other side of the field is to pole vault the high bar, without having ever had any training in the pole vault. Why don't you just walk straight over to the other side of the field instead? No need to vault over the pole, no need to build a scaffold to get over the pole and sew a parachute to use on the other side of the pole. Just walk!

You're an art and animation studio. Games need art and animation. Study games and examine their graphics. Subscribe to GDmag, and learn about how the industry works. Get books on game art and animation, and learn about the most-used tools and tricks. Then get to work creating a studio portfolio geared towards games. Then get networking. Go to GDC Europe, GDC Asia, and of course GDC in San Francisco. If you have money, why not plan to attend the next GDC in March? Get out there, meet people, attend sessions, learn from the pros. Offer your services to the game companies. If your studio's work is as good as you say, you should have no trouble breaking in at the ground level. No need to vault the pole.