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Monday, November 4, 2013

Meta (NaGaWriMo Day 4)

Day 4 of National Game Writing Month! These game concepts are silly one-offs that will never be considered for production. If you’re inspired by one, feel free to use it, but it would be nice if you told me!

A game about making games.

Designed in the manner of a point and click management game whose purpose is to suck micro-transactions out of the player, Meta puts you in the shoes of lead game designer and CEO of an up and coming studio. Everything is under your watchful eye; the art, story, gameplay, hiring and firing along with finance. Approximately four hours real time will be an in game day. One game, depending on size of game and size of team, will take anywhere from 100 days to a full year to develop.

Every ten days or so you will have to face a major development block. Meant to mirror the real world challenges of developing a game you will face everything from indecision to food poisoning in the lunch tray sandwiches to sudden lack of funding. You will also have to eventually pick a publisher and then continue to forge a beneficial relationship with them. Do you chose the system specific publisher for less audience, but more studio control? Or do you pick the large publisher for more audience, but less control of final product? Or do you attempt to self publish, risking everything? Following that are the beta and alpha phases.

The last phase of Meta happens after your game is released. Taking interviews and balancing press, especially if you got bad reviews. Deciding on whether or not to make DLC. Deciding if you should make a sequel or move on.

And importantly at any point in Meta can you pay just a *small* fee to make your game go faster, better or the way you want it to.

(Heavy sarcasm) Because money is everything in true game development.

Want to do your own NaGaWriMo? Write a good one and include the hash-tag!

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