[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[Adam Martin]

Thats not a GDD, thats a business plan. Gamasutra has a decent guide
to GdD's - although IMHO its GCD page is better.

Googles not working on my phone at the moment (some new bug with
google homepage), but try googling for game design document gamasutra.

On 11/02/07, John Viguerie <clubvig at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Sorry I got lost and didn't answer the question:

> structure of a game design doc.

>

> I start with the following sections:

> AUDIENCE: Who am I building this game for?  If the

> answer is "everybody" then your work is not done.  We

> live in a demographically and psychographically

> fragmented world (500 channels on cable).  Its not the

> 1950's (three channels) or even the 1980's (13

> channels)anymore.  Today's entertainment enterprises

> build products from the audience to the studio, not

> the other way around.

>

> TEAM: Does the team have enough representation from or

> specific knowledge/experience relevant to the audience

> to be successful, besides the tech or creative skills?

>  This part is upfront because ideas without execution

> are worthless.  The audience reading this document

> want to know about the capacity to execute, not a

> pie-in-the-sky.

>

> MARKET: The most extensive section of the document,

> because, well, building a great marketing plan is as

> important as building a great game, unless you're

> building it for yourself and then you can ignore the

> market.

>

> STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION: This part is the WHY?'s

> as opposed to the previous sections (the WHAT?'s).

> There are decisions and rationales about the marketing

> approach in this part.  Possibly contains launch,

> customer acquisition, and promotion strategies based

> on the previous sections.

>

> PRODUCT:  As a matter of discipline, this goes last.

> The exercise of completing the sections in this order

> is meant to refine the product spec and identify any

> mis-matches between the audience, their behavior

> patterns, the distribution channels, the technology,

> the ecosystem partners, the team and the product.  BTW

> this is not "we are using XXXX engine" which would be

> putting the cart before the horse.  I would save that

> for a "Detailed Physical Architecture and Tools"

> document which, for me, is separate, distinct, and

> subsequent exercise.

>

> 1.0 AUDIENCE: Overview

> 1.1 AUDIENCE: Objectives

> 1.2 AUDIENCE: Mission

> 1.3 AUDIENCE: Keys to Success

>

> 2.0 Production Team Summary

> 2.1 Production Team

> 2.3 Production Team Skills, Locations and Facilities

>

> 3.0 Market Analysis Summary

> 3.1 Market Segmentation

> 3.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

> 3.2.1 Market Needs

> 3.2.2  Market Trends

> 3.2.3 Market Growth

> 3.2.4 Online Casual Gaming Statistics

> 3.3  Online Casual Market Analysis Summary

> 3.3.1  Online Casual Market Trends

> 3.3.2 Online Casual Market Growth

> 3.4 Online Casual Gaming Industry Analysis

> 3.4.2  Distribution Patterns

> 3.4.3  Competition and Buying Patterns

> 3.4.4  Main Competitors

>

> 4.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary

> 4.1 Strategic Underpinning of the Game Concept

> 4.2 Value Proposition

> 4.3 Competitive Edge

> 4.4 Marketing Strategy

> 4.4.1 Positioning Statements

> 4.4.2 Pricing Strategy

> 4.4.3 Promotion Strategy

> 4.4.4 Distribution Patterns

> 4.4.5 Marketing Programs

> 4.5 Sales Strategy

> 4.5.1 Sales Forecast

> 4.5.2 Sales Programs

> 4.6 Strategic Alliances

>

> 5.0 Flagship Product

> 5.1 Product Description

> 5.2  Competitive Comparison

> 5.2.1  Existing Comparable Online Casual Games

> 5.3  Pre-Production and Production Technology

> 5.4  Spinoffs - Future Products and Services

> 5.4.1 Other Brand Extension Possibilities

> 5.5 Graphic Design Treatments

> 5.6 Logical Game Architecture

>

> Yeah, a lotta work and "marketing b.s." goes into

> this.  But once completed and fine-tuned, this

> structure provides a solid foundation for managing the

> execution of the development and marketing, and maybe

> even the financing and distribution agreeements.

>

> Good Luck.

>

>

>

>

> --- Alex Amsel <tuna at tunatech.com> wrote:

>

> > There is some confusion as to what is being patented

> > here. John is being

> > careful not to refer to gameplay itself, but to

> > software algorithms

> > ("black box"). With care, these can be worthwhile to

> > patent, although

> > there is always the issue of defending them.

> >

> > John Viguerie wrote:

> > > At the end of the day its ink on paper.

> > >

> > > The submission I mentioned is for software

> > algorithms

> > > and innovative data structures that are the

> > > underpinning of the gameplay - not the gampelay or

> > the

> > > game itself - an important distinction...  It may

> > not

> > > even be new, but the application of it likely is

> > or at

> > > least seems to be after a yoeman investigation.

> > >

> > > Anything typically used in sw engineering specs

> > like

> > > Visio, CASE tools, DFDs(data flow diagram, showing

> > my

> > > age), etc. is appropriate.

> > >

> > > In this case I used Open Office-ODP (ironically,

> > a

> > > powerpoint knockoff!): arrows, boxes, data

> > structure

> > > representations, jpg, gif, etc.

> > >

> > > Most of all what's required that's sorely

> > lacking...

> > > DISCIPLINE.  To take the time and effort to

> > completely

> > > think through and document an innovation and the

> > > technology landscape into which it applies.  Its

> > > always more fun to just jam code.

> > >

> > > Do as much as you can, read your own stuff as if

> > > you're seeing it for the first time, when your

> > idea

> > > seems like its been dumbed down such that a

> > > two-year-old can understand it, seek advice.

> > >

> > > Patent-hating for philosophical reasons is just

> > > irresponsible.  But then again there are many

> > > successful properties and personal fortunes built

> > on

> > > ip theft.  In the RIAA/MPAA major media world its

> > been

> > > pretty cut-and-dried until only the last few

> > years.

> > >

> > > Now we have the "Danger Mouse" and "YouTube"

> > models...

> > > if you've got enough VC cash to finance the safe

> > > harbor model, pay for the bandwidth while the wide

> > > world seeds your site with misappropriated

> > copyrighted

> > > material, OR your game is so hot that the

> > copyright

> > > owners are inclined to JOIN instead of SUE, you

> > just

> > > might get there and become a billionaire... no

> > patents

> > > required.

> > >

> > > A patent is simply a risk-mitigation tool, nothing

> > > more.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > --- Audry Taylor <talshannon at hotmail.com> wrote:

> > >

> > >

> > >>> I just dropped off a sixty-one page game

> > technical

> > >>> design document to my patent attorney yesterday

> > -

> > >>>

> > >> not

> > >>

> > >>> a single line of code - not a single pixel or

> > >>>

> > >> vector

> > >>

> > >>> or even a formal graphic design treatment has

> > been

> > >>> performed... yet.

> > >>>

> > >> What's the best resource for finding out how to

> > >> prepare a game design

> > >> document for patent?  Does any website or book

> > offer

> > >> up a sample document

> > >> that covers what sort of information needs to be

> > >> included?

> > >>

> > >>

> > >>

> > >

> >

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> > --

> >

> > Alex Amsel

> > Tuna Technologies Ltd (Sheffield, UK)

> > Cross Platform Game Development

> > Tel: +44 (0)114 266 2211  Mob: +44(0)7771 524 632

> >

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