Tips for CMPS 170

Having been a grader for CMPS 170 for the past 3 years, I have seen many do's, don't's, and general good and bad practices for how to progress through this first in the 3-part capstone series for the game design major at UCSC. I've seen close to 400 pitches, evaluated about 50 prototypes, and participated in the preliminary greenlight process that decides which games go through to the final rounds and which ones get the axe. I've seen common pitfalls every year, and I've also seen common patterns and traits that often dictate which games, teams, and people rise above and beyond in the class.

That said, here is a quick and dirty list of advisory tips for anyone heading into CS 170 in the fall, from the perspective of an evaluator of your work. (Note: A lot of this is under the assumption that the class will be structured similarly to the way it's been in the past. Hopefully even if they change some things this advice will still be relevant.)

Disclaimer: This post is solely my personal opinion, not a reflection of UCSC's views in any way.

1. Don't underestimate the importance of the pitches.

The way things have been in the class, everyone in the class goes up and pitches an idea. You get 3 slides and about 20 seconds per slide (maybe less now that the class is bigger) to pitch your idea. Then at the end of that class teams are formed around ideas that people want to work on. There are usually two or three rounds of this. That means that, only two or three times for the whole class, you'll see about 70 pitches, and from those 70 pitches there will be a frenzy of folks trying to recruit enough people to have a team to create a prototype. About 10-15 maybe will have prototypes formed around them. Only the games that have prototypes formed around them go on to be considered as one of the few games to be made for the entire rest of the 17X series. So if you want a shot in hell of having your game be one of the 17X games this year, you NEED A STRONG PITCH. (See "Anatomy of a Strong Pitch" below.)

2. Just as the pitches are a filter for good ideas, prototypes should not be taken lightly, either.

Once pitches are through and teams are formed around ideas, teams usually have at max one week to create a prototype of the idea. Usually the first prototype is a physical prototype, and then the second is a digital prototype. Don't skimp on the physical prototype. Even if you have a great idea, if your physical prototype sucks, it won't pass the preliminary greenlights. Put lots of work and thought into it, and make sure everyone is in on the creation process.

3. Try to come up with a unique, original, succinct, brilliant idea.

We probably see 50 bazillion tower defense ideas pitched, a bazillion digital card game spin-offs, moody platformer ideas, etc... We also see a lot of out-of-scope ideas that could never possibly be made in 6 months by a team of students. This is your chance to make something brilliant. Try coming up with one unique mechanic, one genius, perfect diamond of an idea that can be feasibly created into a polished, compelling, intensely interesting experience. I know you probably have a huge MMORPG shooter with dragons dream game that you wanna make. You can do that if you want to, it's your 170 experience, but just know that another option is to think completely out of the box and make something insanely brilliant with a team of minds that are probably at a peak of creativity and passion. Also, as a case for this, just check out the app store or Steam store and look at some of the highly-rated inde games, or games made by smaller teams. Notice that they do not strive for a million bells and whistles; they don't try to throw the kitchen sink into a game. They dig for that nugget of brilliance and refine it into a masterpiece to rival any multi-million-dollar AAA game. For some inspiration for truly awesome ideas, take a look at these award-winning indie games, many of which were made of teams more or less the size that you have: http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html

4. Utilize your TA's and professor.

They have so much knowledge and experience, and can help you fine-tune your ideas before you pitch or present your prototypes. 

5. Stay humble and happy and realize that everyone in the class is in this experience together.

You all worked hard to get here, got through all the same difficult classes, pulled all-nighters, and looked forward to this class. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You're going to be working very closely together for the next 9 months, so try to take advantage of the experience and take in all your classmates have to offer in terms of insight, advice, and motivation. Also realize that these people will be your peers in industry when you graduate.

Anatomy of a Strong Pitch

  • Communicates the idea as succinctly as possible.
  • Humor. 
  • Less text than pictures. (If you can create a pitch that is mostly pictures, say one slide with some text and pictures and then 2 other slides with just pictures or very minimal text and mostly pictures, that is ideal.) 
  • Backed by a solid, original, compelling idea. 
  • Fueled by passion. 
  • Delivered by someone who is confident about what they're saying.
  • Understand that your pitch needs to be MEMORABLE.  Know that you're pitching amongst about 70 other pitches from your peers. A funny quote, or a great picture, or an intensely intriguing idea will go a long way toward making your pitch stand out from the sea of other pitches.

 

I hope this list helps! If you have any questions, feel free to email lescott@ucsc.edu. I have faith that you guys will raise the bar even higher than all your predecessors.