The Business of Game Design Dr. Lewis Pulsipher Copyright 2009 Lewis Pulsipher Note about the slides Slides are provided primarily for those who want detailed.
Download ReportTranscript The Business of Game Design Dr. Lewis Pulsipher Copyright 2009 Lewis Pulsipher Note about the slides Slides are provided primarily for those who want detailed.
The Business of Game Design Dr. Lewis Pulsipher Copyright 2009 Lewis Pulsipher Note about the slides Slides are provided primarily for those who want detailed notes later, not as an accompaniment to the talk Consequently, they are “rather wordy” Available at http://pulsipher.net/teaching1.htm Or just go to pulsipher.net (not .com) and look for teaching material November 6, 2015 Who am I Designed my own games while a teenager Began playing commercial wargames in 1963 Played the original Atari 2600 and have played some PC games heavily, but rarely play any video games these days; never owned a game console My favorite game is “the game design game” Who am I Designer of six commercially- published board wargames (most recently November ‘08), more to come Active designer of board and card games (playtesters solicited!) My main job has been teaching video game design and development in college Some of my games Reality Check Almost no one makes a living designing games Most who do, work for a game company, not freelance You probably could spend the same time as profitably by picking up bottles and cans for deposits and recycling! Most publishers don’t make a lot, either— and it’s risky Many publishers exist largely to selfpublish their own games Reality Check 2 So if you design games, do it because you like to, or because you must, not because you want to make money – Alan R. Moon, two German “Games of the Year”, would have had to get part-time job if not for Ticket to Ride winning Recognize that your “great idea” is probably not that great, not that original, and not that interesting to other people Finally, it’s extra-hard to get into video game design OK, How much do you make? In my experience, royalties are a percentage of the publisher’s actual revenue – 5% is most common, range 4-8% Publisher sells to distributor at 40% of list price or less; distributor sells to retailer for 10% more Internet sales are becoming significant— then publisher makes 100% Shipping costs may be subtracted from revenue Royalty example $40 list game, 5% of $16 = 80 cents Per 1,000 copies, $800 $20 game, $400 per thousand Wargame typical print run is <= 2,000 “Euro” games might go up to 10,000 Most games sell poorly after first six months, most are not reprinted German “Game of the Year” might sell 250,000 or more, after award What about the biggies? In general, the really big companies have staff to design their games Many will not even accept outside submissions Virtually all will require you sign a statement relieving them of all liabilities At least one only works through agents In USA, Hasbro owns all the traditional boardgame publishers such as Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Avalon Hill Do I need an agent? Whatever for? Yet, I did for my first game back in the 70s, in England – Unfamiliarity – I could meet and talk with him locally (London) Shady “agents” and “evaluators” abound – Don’t ever get an agent who wants a fee “up front” – “Evaluators”—who are they, what to they know? Nothing special—if anything at all. Contracts (IANAL) Not enough money to make a lawyer worthwhile – And how many lawyers have a clue about game contracts Everything is negotiable – But the ultimate strength in negotiation is the ability to “walk away” if you don’t like it – You probably want publication more than the publisher needs your game An advance against royalties is possible but not standard If it isn’t clear, have it changed or deleted What counts is what’s written, not any oral promise Contracts exist to determine what happens when things are not going well Obligatory declaration: “I am not a lawyer” What to include in contract: Publication: if the game is not published within X time (12-18 months?), it reverts to designer Reversion: X time after a game is no longer in print (12-18 months?), rights revert to designer Ancillary/derivatives: who gets what if there is a computer version, T-shirts, other non-game items Author’s right to use the game system to create other games not destined for same publisher Digital game rights Intellectual Property Rights Ideas are not important, and not valued! – Ideas are a dime a dozen: execution is what counts Copyright now inherent – Forget that “mail to myself” idea – Registered copyright makes lawsuits much easier to pursue and more remunerative Ideas cannot be protected, only specific expression of an idea – George Harrison was successfully sued for the tune of “My Sweet Love” being derived from “He’s so Fine” – But this cannot happen in games, because ideas are specifically not protected by law – No, I don’t know why Licensed Properties Tie-ins with movies, comics, books, etc.? – Much too expensive Often not even worth the IP owner’s time to do the processing for a boardgame—there’s not enough money to bother with it Those who do get licenses have track records (FantasyFlightGames, e.g.) Submitting Games Read the publisher’s requirements – Some require you to sign a form and seal it in an envelope – Some won’t accept unsolicited proposals at all—this is common Expect it to take a long time Expect to get rejected – May have nothing to do with how good your game is – Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novel rejected many times! Expect publication to take a long time-- publishers schedule 12-18 months ahead Boardgame Developers Many publishers will assign a developer to modify your game You don’t control your own game! – My experiences –see http://www.pulsipher.net/gamedesign/ developers.htm – See also http://www.pulsipher.net/gamedesign/ designingvsdevelopment.htm – Some publishers are different (e.g. GMT) Publishing alternatives Spend the money to self-publish traditionally Use a third party to help selfpublish traditionally Self-publish through POD PDF/desktop publishing “Ransom” model— kickstarter.com Distribution methods Traditional distribution/aggregator Internet distribution through your own Web site Online PDF distribution sites such as RPGnow, Fannon’s Thegamecrafter.com or other POD Sell at conventions Give it away and hope for a deal with a traditional publisher Funding Self-funded Friend/family funded Publisher funded “Ransom” model Online resources Boardgamegeek.com (along with sister sites for RPGs and video games) Sloperama.com – good advice about getting into the video game industry Board game designer’s forum GameCareerGuide.com (video games) Questions? Comments?