IGD740 Indie Game Start-Up Module - Week 1 - Planning
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Figure 1: Illustration of Indie Game Development (Patrick Stafford, 2016)
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New Module Ahead
The 4 week break from GDD710 Development Practice Module has come to a close. Looking back at my previous posts and grade feedback, I have learned alot in where I want to improve and what I hope to achieve throughout the remainder of this course. I feel alot more focused and refreshed, especially starting a new module in a more academically-structured time of year as I found the summer period to be a quite challenging with part-time studies alongside my other commitments. IGD470 is all about the gaming industry, specifically indie game development. This is a very business-driven module that involves how to prepare for pitches professionally, developing content through a proof of concept (POC) to determine an idea's functionality and feasability in how merchandie and release a game through, marketing and promotions. This will also benefit in my lack of research that I did not take into consideration regarding the personal case study video as my lack of sources to backup reasoning as to why I encountered certain areas and choices were not biased. I aim to improve my reasoning through valid and reliable research in the decisions I make throughout this module, which will lead me to stronger practices in the future.
I am intrigued about this module in particular as the business side of being an indie games developer can be a major struggle if not done correctly. Even before an idea should be worked upon, you must consider its marketing potential just as much as it's consumer potential.This starting topic covered the general history of indie games development over the past decade and how multiple influencers have built communities between businesses, as well as the ongoing commercial battle to make a mark on the industry on a solo-developer level. A list of game development resources were shared to us, ranging from visual learning courses to podcasts and game discussion channels that may draw my potential interests on certain subjects of gaming and assist in experiementing new ideas and methods of development.
I had reviewed a couple of development talks whilst carrying out my undergraduate final major project which I found to be quite essential for the design and sound side of my horror game. I intend to watch occasional discussions that will support a better insight on the subjects I use for research, towards the upcoming business proposal. From what I learnt in terms of project and time management in the last module, I shall be very strict with organising my weekly schedules through HacknPlan as I originally planned due to its project overseeing capabitlities and use of catagorising the weekly work load on what can get completed and what may need more allocated time to finish.
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Personal Profile Template
The open forum encouraged us to fill out some credentials regarding our Indie game dev backgrounds which acts as a profile to sell yourself (Falmouth University, 2021). This module enables us to work on a project within a team of 5, or go solo like a proper Indie. My main intentions are to build relationships through group work as I have not been involved on a group project for over a year which would enable me to work between peers and drive eachother through strong communication and teamwork, whilst creating someting unique and innovative. If I do not find any peers to work alongside for this module, I shall do my best in carrying out this business module alone. This may work in my favour due to my work schedule being relative to normal hours so I can contribute my study time more proficiently. Below is an illustration of my profile template that shared on the forum to other students.
Student name:
Kyle Cornwell
Preferred platform (eg PC, mobile, board game):
PC & Mobile, Open for Board Games.
Preferred genre (or games you would wish to emulate):
Action Adventure, Strategy & Horror/Thriller
Preferred game engine(s):
Unity as main engine, Happy to use Unreal!
2D game, 3D game or either?:
Either
Roles you are happy to take on (delete any that don’t apply, and add your own):
Coding / Level Design / 3D Art and Animation / 2D Art and Animation / Sound and Music / Narrative Design / Quest Design / World Building /
Links to portfolio, blog, etc:
Portfolio - https://www.kylecornwell.com/
University email address:
KC25959@falmouth.co.uk
Finally, please paste images of your best work and / or list your relevant skills and achievements here:
Here are some group projects I have worked on:
Blackthorn
Figure 2: Blackthorn, 2019. BettaDanyuTeam [Online] https://bettadanyuteam.itch.io/blackthorn
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Tales of Orelia
Figure 3: Tales of Orelia, 2019. LazyTank Studios [Online] https://lazytankstudios.itch.io/tales-of-orelia
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TechnoBaron
Figure 4: TechnoBaron, 2020. Team A [Online] https://carter-games.itch.io/techno-baron
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Here are some solo projects I have worked on:
Enchantress
Figure 5: Enchantress, 2020, Coven Interactive [Online] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1313150/Enchantress/
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12 Mobile Micro-Games
Figure 6: 12 Mobile Micro-Games, 2018. Kyle Cornwell [Online] https://vampireviktor20.itch.io/12-mobile-micro-games
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Lecture 1
Another set of course material was a lecture, presented by Iain Lobb outlining various sections of the business side as an indie, as well as the marketing side of multiple platforms and how the future of marketing will change due to the indie influences on the industry. I found his presentation quite insightful like the various relationships from business to business, business to consumer and business to government. Below is an Illustration of the mentioned lecture slide.
Figure 7: Business and Start-Up Fundamentals Slide (Iain Lobb, 2021)
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Marketing Mix
Another essential area that was covered involved the marketing mix, comprising of product, place, price and promotion. These elements are the classed as the idealistic and hollistic approach towards marketing strategies (Dominic Milano, 2018). I feel these areas of business will become vitally important as I dive further into the module and prepare for the upcoming business proposal assignment. Below is an illustration of the Maketing Mix Model.
Figure 8: Illistration of Marketing Mix Model (Dominic MIlano, 2018)
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Team Formation
The first activity for this module involves reaching out to other students for a potential group formation (Falmouth University, 2021) . This as mentioned above, depends on students abilities and schedules as I aim to join a small team to carry out the upcoming assignments. The positives about the structure of this module is the grading is based on independent contribition, but through group work we will all be marked on our personal efforts. I feel I will get more enjoyment out of this module through team work. Failing that, I shall do my best to carry out the work solo. The activity forum encouraged us to post about what sort of games we want to make. I took some initiative by designing a recruitment poster linking with my own personal branding that I intend to use in the potential future as a solo developer. Below is an illustration of the poster I shared on the forum.
Figure 9: Illustration of Recruitment Poster (Kyle Cornwell, 2021)
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References:
Falmouth University, 2021. Week 1: Spark Forum. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/924/discussion_topics/23975?module_item_id=57426 [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Blackthorn, 2019. BettaDanyuTeam. {Online] Available at: https://bettadanyuteam.itch.io/blackthorn [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Tales of Orelia, 2019. LazyTank Studios. [Online] Available at: https://lazytankstudios.itch.io/tales-of-orelia [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
TechnoBaron, 2020. Team A. [Online] Available at: https://carter-games.itch.io/techno-baron [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Enchantress, 2020. Kyle Cornwell. [Online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1313150/Enchantress/ [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
12 Mobile Micro-Games, 2018. Kyle Cornwell. [Online] Available at: https://vampireviktor20.itch.io/12-mobile-micro-games [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Iain Lobb, 2021. Week 1: Lecture – The Indie Games Industry. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/924/pages/week-1-lecture-the-indie-games-industry?module_item_id=57427 [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Dominic Milano, 2018. Get Ready: The Four Ps of Marketing for Indie Game Developers. [Online] Available at: https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/articles/get-ready-the-four-ps-of-marketing-for-indie-game-developers.html [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
Falmouth University, 2021. Week 1: Challenge Activity - Team Formation. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/924/discussion_topics/23974?module_item_id=57431 [Last Accessed 30/09/2021]
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