Thoughts on markets and project aims

I came up with the bones of this project while working on another project. I needed to get the gist of the games market. My data, I will fully concede, was skewed and my analysis biased by how much I flipping love adventure games, but-




Talking to casual gamers, seeing what's on the shelves, what is bridging the gap between casual gamers and 'gamer gamers' is point and clicks, puzzle games, adventure games. Everyone loves Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton. Then there's the less known but critically acclaimed stuff- Puzzle Bots, The Shivah- and LucasArts gems are always being replayed. Grim Fandango was enjoyed by a friend's nine year old nephew, which amazes me on the one hand- I mean, this kid hasn't existed in a world that doesn't have Halo, and totally does not amaze me on the other hand, because kids are smart and Grim Fandango is a tidy game that's going to last the ages.

That's obviously one thing to look for- why are adventure games and the like aging better? Obviously the immediate answer is to say that it's because these games don't just rely on the special effects that gain immediate commercial success, they need to have a story that hooks you in.

Another thought- need to clarify what the game wants to achieve. Obviously, I want a game that peple will enjoy playing. That is why you make games. But what else is it? Critical acclaim for me is pointless unless it's backed up by user enjoyment. I love the guys at Tale of Tales- I love them, love what they are doing and pretty much hang off their every word, but that's not the direction I want to go in. Looking at developers like Erin Robinson- another huge inspiration. I want to design a game that has people laughing and forcing their friends to play it so they have someone to talk about it with, one that you play again in twenty years time and it's just as good as you remember it.

Which, obviously, means I need to look at what it is that makes games like that. What's the spark

SO.

• Look at games that I enjoy and try to define what it is about them that I enjoyed and how I can harness the spirit of that.
• Look at what games are being created similar to mine. Look at who is making them. 

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In the first meeting I had with Dave he gave me a secret test not realising that there's nothing I love then talking about the junk that floats around my head. He reccomended that I write some of this down but it is SO much less coherant when I try to plot it.

Harking back to what I mentioned earlier about my casual gaming anecdata- what is cornering a lot of the shelf-space in regards to point and click gaming is what I'll probably offensively refer to as the 'mum market'- puzzle games that are find-the-hidden-item based. These guys spend a lot of money- that's why they have so much space- but what they do not want is what I am making. I've had what I will refer to in my report as 'informal round-tables with that consumer group' but was actually I asked a couple of mum's I knew if they wanted to come round for a brew and have a chat about why it is they play these games; they use them like an interactive puzzle book. They don't want plot or characters, though the set dressing of 'spooky house mystery' or 'tomb' is nice.

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What I've parsed about artistic style is also that 3D is often really risky with point and click adventures. What I am about to say will look overly critical, but this is me sorting out my brain thoughts and shouldn't be taken without the knowledge that I love the Sherlock Holmes games by Focus an inordinate amount - their quirks are what makes me replay them again and again. The controls aren't friendly, immersive. They can make trying to get to something to investigate the most frustrating experience ever until you realise you aren't even supposed to be investigating it- they must lack the budget, time, or inclination to make really super looking graphics and so you're left with these 2005 style graphics that have visible seams and robotic characters and that's part distracting, part hilarious.

Going in an artistic direction that's stylistic rather then realistic- and as an arty sort of person I'm aware of how pretensious that sounds- but by styalising the arts and graphics you change the goal posts. Grim Fandango's graphics didn't seem laughable to Friend's Nephew in the way that Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis does because of it. Does this make sense? I ought to wrap this up.