[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[Vinny Carrella]

Agreed. Where's the design?  

-----Original Message-----
From: Hal Barwood [mailto:hal at finitearts.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 10:17 AM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Gameplay patents

This doesn't resemble any design doc I've ever seen, unless subsections
5.5 and 5.6 are the bulk of the pages.  It looks more like a pitch doc.

John Viguerie 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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>>>   

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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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