FailedEagle

I've got a great Idea for a video game, one that would be really worth pursuing, or even creating myself. Any ideas how to help me get started, or how difficult it is?

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rival

Well, what's the idea?

Seanland

well.. you can always do it the hard way.. "harass" (contact) a corporation that develops video games.. and just email them till they give you a reply

feelgood

Couple problems bub...

1. We don't see an idea.

2. If we don't see an idea, we can't help you.

Other than that, if you google, there's quite a few references out there on how to create games.

Now, if this idea is completely outta your ass, then I'm not sure how I could point you in the right direction on that, other than reading up on some resources about putting ideas to reality.

If the idea is something like a modification of a game, like say Day of Defeat for Half Life, most games offer resources that allow independent developers to create modifications.

Just keep in mind, creating games takes alot of resources, time, and dedication. Companies work on games for a year or more, there's usually about...20-50 programmers, graphic developer, etc etc working on the same game. Even more is working on marketing the game, promoting the game.

Like Seanland said, you could pass the idea on to a corpo mofo. Even if they use it, they might not even give credit for your idea.

Jade Empire, just recently released, was made by a upstarting company by a group of gamers. The project took 3 or so years to complete. Long time but I'm sure those group of gamers are overjoyed to see the end results of their hard work.

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FailedEagle

Well, I Think it's a good idea. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

It's kinda difficult to put into words but I'll try my best. Tell me what you think. (expecially for Online gamers, like PC and X-Box LIVE)

How sweet would it be to play a game where you can pull off a heist? Sort of Ocean's Eleven style. You get to pick all of your teammates, do the research for them. Each player has their own individual character that evolves with the game, you get the choices of where you try to "rob", and how you rob it. You can go guns ablazing, or stealthy, as an alterenate you can own your own buisness which then is immediately available for sabatoge. You can invest the money from the sucessful heists into security and such for your buisnesses. Each character would have their own roles or you can attempt to do it by yourself. The ideas I have would make what I believe to be a GREAT game.

Input?

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Mr.Deflok

Do you have any ideas regarding the technical aspect of making a game for your heist idea?

If you are really serious about this then I suggest you write up a brief detailing your idea, a plausable storyline, how you expect to be able to pull it all off and get input from people specialising in game design. Then submit the brief to a developer/publisher.

hulk

Eww, no. Ignore what they've all told you. That's the wrong way entirely, you'll end up with nothing other than a pretty document and a lot of rejection.

Can you program? Create 3D assets? Run a business?

Quite often, there's no such thing as a 'Game Designer', in the essence of it being the only aspect of one's job. Depending on whether you're with the big boys or an indy job, game ideas are created by either guys in office suites and trickled down through producers and directors, or thought up by the guy who's making the game in his part time.

If you have an idea, that's great. Ideas are cheap and worthless. I'm not trying to crush your dream, or anything, but to even have a remote chance with any publisher you'll need:

A comprehensive design document covering nearly every facet of development. At least 100 pages, and the supporting legal documentation for the IP rights. No publisher worth their salt is going to look at a document without some sort of legal backup, otherwise they'd be inundated with claims that they stole ideas.

Abundant concept art, to give a clear idea of the type of game world you're trying to create. Characters, weapons, locations and so forth.

A game demo showing enough of the gameplay to provide both an example of how it plays and a base to build upon.

Finally, a sales and business pitch that'd win over the company.

Sound like a lot? It is. Think, of all the thousands of people who submit ideas, how many actually flesh out? There's the occasional exception, sure, but by and large you've got Buckley's.

Option B. You make it yourself.

Hard, yes. Expensive, you bet. Low chance of success, included in the cover price. Thousands of indy projects are started, maybe a dozen or so in each thousand are actually finished. It's your best chance, though, by far. But ideas, again, won't get you anywhere alone, unless you're extremely lucky. Don't count on that luck. Get yourself either some programming or 3D skills and a partner or two, preferably someone you know and trust, to help you out.

About the only resource you'll need.

Contrary to popular belief, though, you don't need a huge team to make a good game. Six people made Myth 2, only slightly more are working dedicatedly on Stubbs the Zombie. Outsourcing is the key, and having the financial means to back up that outsourcing is even more important.

Good luck.

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Rlyss

You won't get too far at all by sending your ideas to a company or publisher. Like book publishers, they'll send your letters straight back to you, unopened. They can't afford to open them - if they make a game or write a book that's evenly remotely similar to the idea you sent them, regardless or whether or not they used your ideas, they open themselves up to all sorts of lawsuits. If you write to Random House with your novel idea they'll reply with 'Thanks, but no thanks' and your manuscript will be untouched.

If you really want to make a name for yourself, start up a mod team. Find the game engine best suited for your game idea and work on it yourself. You'll need 2D artists, 3D artists, coders and web-design people. You'll need to make sure you've got a design document laid out and that everyone on your team follows your ideas. Give them some leeway, of course, but if your game is to be taken seriously it will have similar art styles, cohesion, etc. If one of your 2D artists works only in cartoon styles, and a 3D artist is only good at robotic or mechanical characters, and your web-design guy is a huge fan of organic and gorey-looking art then you'll get nowhere.

Counter-Strike started out as a mod made by a bunch of guys with lots of free time and lots of knowledge, and look how far they got! I don't mean to burst your bubble but submitting your ideas won't get you a game. Experience and plenty of work to show will help get your foot in the door. Every man and his dog has an idea for a game, but whether there are people willing to realize it is a totally different matter.

If you want your game to come into fruition, I suggest you figure out what skills you have and what you're lacking, and find people to fill those gaps. Make it clear from the beginning what your aim is, pick a popular engine and try your best to make your dream come true. Bear in mind that hardly anyone will play your mod, but if you're looking for industry professionals to take notice, it doesn't matter how many people are playing your mod, it matters how professionally it is put together.

I suggest you take a look around http://www.polycount.com and perhaps browse the message boards there, and you might get some ideas

Church

The only thing I can suggest is somehow patent your idea before you do anything with it. Technicially, now that you've put your idea out there, anyone can take it as their own.

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FngKestrel

There's a lot of good points here. Honestly, saying you have a good game idea is meaningless to many publishers. As most publishers will tell you, everyone's got good ideas.

It's a good idea, and you better get a jump on it and get a team together. One chance is to get your idea into a solid form (create it yourself) and then submit it to the Independent Games Festival, which is held during the Game Developer's Conference. Some game titles, such as Savage, started as an IGF entry.

The other thing is, if you've thought of it, chances are other people have also thought of it in some incarnation or another. It's the way the industry works. Kind of a group consciousness (to put a slightly philisophical view on things). There's already a 'gameshow' on Court TV that has people pulling heists. It won't be far long before a game is developer with that premise, either yours or someone else.

Best of luck.

Robaggio

Hulk is absolutely right. He took the words right out of my mouth- there isn't much left for me to say except that you should listen to what he wrote.

I would like to add this though:

The biggest challenge in the devlopment process is getting the idea out of your head. Saying your game is "like mario but with guns" is not sufficient. Too many people try to get others riled up about a project with this type of terminology. Citing past games is fine, but it needs to be backed up through language and media. If your idea is as good as you believe it to be, then you need to find a way to convey to others what you feel and see in an organized fashion.

The game buisiness is VERY volatile right now. More indie developers dissapeared in 2004 than in any other year. You've got a tough road ahead of you- but don't get discouraged. The industry is too commercial right now- and going against the grain will allow flexability and pleasing results if you approach things properly.

hulk

Oh man, I just love reading that.

__________________
"'There's a tendency among the press to attribute the creation of a game to a single person,' says Warren Spector, creator of Thief and Deus Ex."
-- From an IGN game review.