Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
HOW TO EXPLAIN YOUR GAME TO AN ASSHOLE
Posts
kentona
View playlists
Close
GDC Talk: How To Explain Your Game To An Asshole
http://www.pentadact.com/2012-03-17-gdc-talk-how-to-explain-your-game-to-an-asshole/
This is a script for a 5 minute talk given at the GDC that gives a good rundown on what NOT to do when describing your game, and what you SHOULD attempt to do!
I'd like to give this a shot for some of my games, too. But this is a quick read, so read it!
http://www.pentadact.com/2012-03-17-gdc-talk-how-to-explain-your-game-to-an-asshole/
Darken
3952
also omit the "uh...um..."s and the "basically you..." in a sense, skill with speech is probably more important than the game idea you're trying to present. I guess it depends on whether or not you're pitching it to a big time producer or just some random dude/player.
Shinan
4314
author=Darken
I guess it depends on whether or not you're pitching it to a big time producer or just some random dude/player.
Both types tend to be assholes I suppose.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Not gonna lie I love this topic name.
This is really good advice actually. Even for a shitty 100% default gameplay RPG Maker game that uses the default spells and default enemies, I feel like this is still really good advice.
Of course, you have to pair it with this, which comes later:
When picking a game off the e-shelf, I don't really care about the plot. What I care about is whether I think it's a cool idea. Summarizing your game like this gives me a very basic idea of type of plot you're making. That is to say, the atmosphere. I think if I'd never played FF7, and someone told me it was a game about a schizophrenic former special ops soldier who was now working with terrorists to save the planet, I'd probably play it. If someone spent two or three minutes describing the plot to me, on the other hand, I would get confused and leave the game alone. Not just because FF7's plot is fucking confusing (although it is) but mostly because any plot is confusing and loses all its meaning if you condense it to two or three miutes. Also because I kinda want to experience the plot naturally.
I’m sure your story’s good, and I’m sure it’s important to your game, but it’s not going to be good in ten words. And if you write any more than ten words, no-one’s going to read it.
This is really good advice actually. Even for a shitty 100% default gameplay RPG Maker game that uses the default spells and default enemies, I feel like this is still really good advice.
Of course, you have to pair it with this, which comes later:
Point number three is to give us some context: who am I, where am I, what am I trying to do?
The plot will never sound good in ten words, but the fantasy might. You’re a spy? You’re a god? You’re saving kittens? You’re a kitten-god saving spies? All those things are cool.
When picking a game off the e-shelf, I don't really care about the plot. What I care about is whether I think it's a cool idea. Summarizing your game like this gives me a very basic idea of type of plot you're making. That is to say, the atmosphere. I think if I'd never played FF7, and someone told me it was a game about a schizophrenic former special ops soldier who was now working with terrorists to save the planet, I'd probably play it. If someone spent two or three minutes describing the plot to me, on the other hand, I would get confused and leave the game alone. Not just because FF7's plot is fucking confusing (although it is) but mostly because any plot is confusing and loses all its meaning if you condense it to two or three miutes. Also because I kinda want to experience the plot naturally.
This is a great article :D
Even though the typical JRPG is very story-heavy, saying "it has a great story" obviously won't cut it, but trying to summarize the story in five minutes will probably make it sound crappy and honestly, I doubt it'll sound as cool as it does in your head. If you summarized a detective novel in five minutes, I imagine it'd sound crappy too - you lose the pacing and everything the medium brings.
Even though the typical JRPG is very story-heavy, saying "it has a great story" obviously won't cut it, but trying to summarize the story in five minutes will probably make it sound crappy and honestly, I doubt it'll sound as cool as it does in your head. If you summarized a detective novel in five minutes, I imagine it'd sound crappy too - you lose the pacing and everything the medium brings.
Generally, I find presenting a concept is more interesting and intriguing for a prospective player than trying to summarize a story. You wouldn't summarize, say, Portal by giving a plot synopsis, but rather by explaining the concept and how that concept relates to the gameplay.
The article makes very valid points, but I have to say on a personal note I do get tired of the crass and bullying attitude towards creative projects that is adopted online. This article points them out, and suggests, wisely, that one should be prepared to deal with them. That doesn't change the fact, however, that 'ass' behaviour is considered normal and acceptable online, when it never would be in a public setting.
Granted, anyone acting like an ass is still obviously an ass the moment he opens his mouth or types on his keyboard.
The article makes very valid points, but I have to say on a personal note I do get tired of the crass and bullying attitude towards creative projects that is adopted online. This article points them out, and suggests, wisely, that one should be prepared to deal with them. That doesn't change the fact, however, that 'ass' behaviour is considered normal and acceptable online, when it never would be in a public setting.
Granted, anyone acting like an ass is still obviously an ass the moment he opens his mouth or types on his keyboard.
Yeah, I don't bother to read plot summaries either. I suspected not many people do.
Highly plot-driven games are at a bit of a disadvantage, unfortunately. "You're a spy", "You're a god", "You're saving kittens" not only fails to capture the appeal of an elaborate plot, it trivializes it.
Highly plot-driven games are at a bit of a disadvantage, unfortunately. "You're a spy", "You're a god", "You're saving kittens" not only fails to capture the appeal of an elaborate plot, it trivializes it.
UPRC
5516
That is precisely why I never talk about my game's story anymore. All I really say is... "Yeah, your a dragoon. Also there are Crystals. Go save them and stuff."
Honestly I think that's all that I need to say, too!
I know that some people don't read story summaries, but I usually take the time to do so myself. I like reading what people have to say about their own games, but my mind can wander a bit if they try to stick in too many characters/places/etc. into their summary. If you're writing more than a paragraph, you're probably trying to get too much of the story across, but chances are pretty good that most of what you're trying to say will get lost in translation. So keep it simple, I say.
Honestly I think that's all that I need to say, too!
I know that some people don't read story summaries, but I usually take the time to do so myself. I like reading what people have to say about their own games, but my mind can wander a bit if they try to stick in too many characters/places/etc. into their summary. If you're writing more than a paragraph, you're probably trying to get too much of the story across, but chances are pretty good that most of what you're trying to say will get lost in translation. So keep it simple, I say.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If your game seriously has nothing going for it besides the plot, I guess feel free to give as much description as the back of a dvd case for a movie gives.
If your game has stuff going for it besides the plot, I'd say probably don't do that and just give me one sentence that creates the feeling you want your plot to give. "It's about a cat god" is probably not enough for a plot-driven game; "It's about a schizophrenic former special ops soldier who was experimented on by the government and is now working with eco-terrorists" is probably all I need to know about FF7 to hook me though.
The message that a longer plot teaser sends me is "this game has nothing going for it besides the plot, so I am spending my two paragraph blurb talking about that instead of about the things that are supposed to be talked about here." It is sad how few RPG descriptions really entice me with talk about the gameplay at all, even when they have gameplay that I end up loving! I liked the suggestion to give an example of the gameplay, instead of just describing the concept of it.
If your game has stuff going for it besides the plot, I'd say probably don't do that and just give me one sentence that creates the feeling you want your plot to give. "It's about a cat god" is probably not enough for a plot-driven game; "It's about a schizophrenic former special ops soldier who was experimented on by the government and is now working with eco-terrorists" is probably all I need to know about FF7 to hook me though.
The message that a longer plot teaser sends me is "this game has nothing going for it besides the plot, so I am spending my two paragraph blurb talking about that instead of about the things that are supposed to be talked about here." It is sad how few RPG descriptions really entice me with talk about the gameplay at all, even when they have gameplay that I end up loving! I liked the suggestion to give an example of the gameplay, instead of just describing the concept of it.
Silly me, I thought the answer was "don't".
Anyway, this is a great talk for its length. Although from personal face-to-face experience the method described here CAN backfire.
Anyway, this is a great talk for its length. Although from personal face-to-face experience the method described here CAN backfire.
author=Max McGee
Silly me, I thought the answer was "don't".
Anyway, this is a great talk for its length. Although from personal face-to-face experience the method described here CAN backfire.
Devs wind up caring what assholes think or say about their games. You included. Anything to help the process, I suppose.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Everyone is an asshole at heart.
@Sauce :"And I’m an asshole", written by the author in the article, the word is not automatically meant to be taken as a violent insult, just maybe "ignorant" or something along the line.
Chana, if true that would mean the article author's command of colloquial English is poor; "Asshole" has a rather specific meaning/connotation, which while there's some room for interpretation, is generally speaking strongly negative.
emmych
817
author=Sauceauthor=Max McGeeDevs wind up caring what assholes think or say about their games. You included. Anything to help the process, I suppose.
Silly me, I thought the answer was "don't".
Anyway, this is a great talk for its length. Although from personal face-to-face experience the method described here CAN backfire.
I wouldn't say devs end up caring 100% of the time! Generally, when someone has been an asshole about my work in the past, I pull out the whole "THANK YOU FOR YOUR OPINION AND I AIN'T EVEN MAAAAD~" card, take what I can learn from what they've said, and move on. No use dwelling on it; it'll only make me miserable to do that. XD;;
Crystalgate
694
The advice seems good, but I'm in the "not really what asshole means" camp. If you encounter a real asshole, I think the best approach is damage control. That means, you don't try to convince the asshole your game is good, you try to prevent him from convincing other people your game is bad.
Anyway, for an RM project on this site, I think his advice can be followed with minimum effort. Cover the "points to cover" within the first or the first two paragraphs. Then you can get the rest after that or in different tabs. Personally, I tend to read very little on the front and then, if there's a characters tab, I go to that one since I consider the characters the most important aspect of the story.
Anyway, for an RM project on this site, I think his advice can be followed with minimum effort. Cover the "points to cover" within the first or the first two paragraphs. Then you can get the rest after that or in different tabs. Personally, I tend to read very little on the front and then, if there's a characters tab, I go to that one since I consider the characters the most important aspect of the story.
kumada
3917
Huh. That is a fantastic article.
I always, always fall into the trap of explaining my artistic intent. Even if I'm just trying to recommend someone a movie or a book. "It's got, like, these themes, man." It's good to know that that is actually a trap, and not just a matter of me not putting words together the right way.
I always, always fall into the trap of explaining my artistic intent. Even if I'm just trying to recommend someone a movie or a book. "It's got, like, these themes, man." It's good to know that that is actually a trap, and not just a matter of me not putting words together the right way.
