Maybe you’ve thought of a really cool and unique idea for a video game and you’re thinking “If I can get in touch with the right people, I can sell it and make a lot of money. And I can see my idea turning into a game that people will play. “.
Well, that may be true, and it is possible to do it, but to be honest, it is highly unlikely. Developing a video game requires a lot of work. A typical game for today’s mass market requires a team of people two years and thousands of hours of work to create it. There is an enormous amount of work involved and much of this work is highly creative, which can get expensive.
Maybe all of that is a bit daunting and if you really think you have a unique idea, there are a few things you can do and I will explain the steps and processes you can follow to get your idea of a game out of the fantasy world into the world of fantasy. possibilities.
The big hurdle to turning your idea into a game is the question of who is going to do all that work. It is an important question. A group of people have to believe in the idea and have to do the work to bring it from the idea to reality and generally you have to trust yourself. If you believe in your idea, you should be the person who spearheads the work and takes it from the idea to reality. If you can do this, and if your game is unique and different, the rewards can be staggering.
Three possible paths to success
There are three possible ways to create a game from your idea:
- Get in touch with a heavy hitter in the game making industry and convince him that his game is worth it. Then he or she will put the wheels in motion for your idea to be bought and developed. (This is highly unlikely, although it has happened on rare occasions) Businesses will occasionally buy video game ideas and save them for potential future projects.
- Get in touch with independent developers with game design skills and get them to join you on your idea. You have the ability to allow them to patch up their time in developing your game. Gamedev.net is a good place to network and find people for this endeavor.
- Lead the development yourself. Learn some basic game-making skills and gather a group of people willing to invest time (and money) in your game. You become the evangelist of the game and the Project Manager. (This is the best option if you want to be successful and answers the question of who is going to do all the work – you!)
Protecting your Idea
You probably have questions about your idea and how to protect it from being stolen. Well I suppose it is a possibility and maybe it has happened, but it is unlikely. It goes back to the fact that it takes thousands of hours to bring a game from idea to actual play and the number of unique ideas is relatively limitless, but here are some things you can do to start protecting yourself.
The problem of copyright of ideas
Ideas cannot be copyrighted! It sounds funny but it’s true. You can investigate this by consulting the official government copyright website. So just having one idea means you have very little. If you draw pictures of your game and hopefully develop your idea into a game, you can get the copyright on those things. In any case, here is some help to protect yourself.
Send yourself a letter!
Assemble a comprehensive package of materials about your idea. Include a summary, pictures, drawings, and anything else that describes your idea, then seal it in an envelope and send it by certified mail. When he receives it, he signs it but does not open it. Leave it sealed. This gives you an amount of legal protection that sets a timeline for your idea.
NDA (confidentiality agreements)
A confidentiality agreement is a legal contract between two parties. In this case, it is between you and the person that you want to reveal your idea to. It can be a useful tool to help you protect your rights. Generally describes the confidentiality of your idea and prohibits the other party from using the idea. If you are serious about your idea, you should do a little research on NDAs and even speak to a lawyer about them. Outside of the United States, these agreements are often called confidentiality agreements and are sometimes called confidentiality agreements or confidential disclosures (CDs).
Well let’s start with something solid that you can do
No matter which of the three paths you want to go down, there are a few things you can do to advance your idea on its way to becoming a true video game.
- Write a very long overview of the game. Make it as detailed as possible. And put this in the package you ship to yourself!
- Draw pictures and artwork of game scenes, characters, maps, and anything else that is unique to the game. In fact, you are creating a library of images in the game. Put this in your package too!
- Write an Executive Summary – This is a one or two page summary of the game idea and describes the things that make it unique. This is your introduction to people in the gaming industry and it is the first thing you can give them to understand your idea (of course you would get an NDA first!)
- Start your research on the games industry. Visit forums where game developers and creators chat and start learning about what it takes to create a game. You can make good connections and there are multitudes of people willing to give you solid advice and some help with your dream. gamedev.net is a great place to start
- Start learning how to make a video game! It is entirely possible for a person with average computer skills to develop only one level of a game or one part of a game. This can be used as a business card and an example of what the game would be about.
If you want to go through step five and learn how to create your own game, there are many resources available to help you learn how to do it relatively inexpensively. With a lot of perseverance, you can even create the whole game yourself and have it ready for sale.
The paragraph you may not want to read
Okay, after going through all of that, I’m glad to see that you’re still with me. But, if you’re thinking about all these things about NDA, sending letters, writing summaries and putting together packages seems like a lot of work, then you can see my point of making a video game from your idea. It takes a lot of work and if you’re not going to do the work, why should someone else? If you really think your idea is great, I recommend that you find the time and motivation to make it come true. Nothing worthwhile is easy and well, it’s entirely possible that your idea will one day be a real game. All the games created started as a simple idea.