if i have an idea for a game, what process should I go through to submit it to a games co? i presume that conceptually its along the same lines as submitting a screenplay to a film co. is this right?

Some games companies have an email address and other information on their website, but in general they will want a mailed or faxed NDA to be signed before they will look at your idea. That to protect them from you sueing them when it turns out they already had the same idea before you contacted them.
In general big companies arent interested in ideas on their own. Its often not the idea, but the implementation that matters.
Most games companies employ enough hardcore gamers that they are not short of ideas for their next game. Imagine a team of 30 hardcore gamers working for 2 years on a game. When they come to start the next one, thats 60 man-years of ideas bottled up ready to be suggested internally, so don''t be surprised if they just arent interested in external submissions

http://www.positech.co.uk

If the idea is just a conventional one it will be ignored and sadly if you have a great idea it will be stolen. If you want your idea to be used without being just stolen the best option is to make a team and make a game with the idea all by yourselves or make a written design and at least a playable demo with a good looking plan of how to end it and submit that to a publisher but only after you already have some stuff done, no matter how amazing the idea is by itself.

Romn Arce is right, you are better of trying to build a demo of the game yourself and finding a publisher. It''s not the greatest idea to submit game ideas to companies. First of all, most companies will just ignore your submissions, especially if they don''t contract designers. Secondly, if you are not careful your idea can be stolen. All the red tape you''d have to go through to ensure your idea stays yours just isn''t worth the hassle. Lastly, the position of game designer in the industry is one acheived after many years of experience. Even if a company decides to make your game, you may not be able to directly control its development, instead being shoved off and offered a share of the profits. Whoopie. You''re better off on your own or waiting until you have enough experience to suggest something and be able to manage its production.

==============================
"Need more eeenput..."
- #5, "Short Circuit"
==============================

Hi,


As I co-run an up and coming development company, I do recieve quite a few mails with game documents and idea''s, I have to immediately destroy them.

There is far too much legal stuff that needs to be worked out, an NDA would cover it - but it is a lot of hassle for companies to arrange NDA''s to be sent and returned, then to read the idea finally to say ''no thanks''. Virtually all the games development companies come up with their idea''s internally, after all to make games you need to have a passion for games and who can be passionate without having plenty of idea''s!

I''m afraid that''s just the way it is. Game designer is probably the trickiest profession to enter, you generally need to go through another route (i.e games tester/trainee programmer/etc..) before a company will consider you.


Good Luck!




Marc Lambert

marc@darkhex.com

I am currently working on my first game and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for those who were going the publisher route. I have looked at several companies and found one (Micropose) that includes all the documents you need to send in. Tips? Ideas? Comments?

Thanx

You might want to check out the following two items....

Info on preparing a pitch http://www.obscure.co.uk/the_pitch.shtml

Info on what goes on during the submission process http://www.obscure.co.uk/acquisition.shtml



Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions

Edited by - obscure on August 19, 2001 5:10:11 PM