Pitch Session

The very first presentation of the semester will be a session in which each group gives a short 5 minute pitch to the class about the game that they way to do, followed by a 5-10 minute question-and-answer session. This exercise is very similar to the initial communication labs that we had in CS/INFO 3152. It is a chance to get some early feedback before you submit your concept document. next week.

In the industry, this type of activity is know as an elevator pitch (though at 5 minutes, we are definitely on the long side for this type of pitch). In addition to giving you feedback on your game idea, this activity will give you practice making a quick pitch with limited presentation materials.

Pitch Format

You will be given no more than 6 minutes to make your presentation; we want to spend most of the time on question-and-answer session afterwards. You may not use the projector or a computer. You may draw on the blackboard if you wish, as this can simulate a “back of a napkin” sketch. Otherwise, your presentation is entirely oral.

Your pitch will have a lot of the initial elements of your concept document. In particular, it should communicate the following:

  • Your high concept statement.
  • Your target audience and platform.
  • Your design goals
  • Your core mechanic (verb+interactions).

Try to focus on the most important mechanic rather than giving us a list of features. If we were in the classroom, we would ask you to draw some mockups of the game on the blackboard, particularly to communicate your core mechanics. Since we are in Zoom, we will enable screen so that you can use a drawing program.

This is all you need to know. We will call on groups in class. There is no guarantee on the order that you will be called. There is no guarantee that you will be called at all on the first day, as we will have to spill over to a second day. You should be prepared to be called at any time.

Once all the presentations have been completed, we will have a general discussion about game design and the types of games that were proposed. This will help us set the tone for the rest of the class.

We will ask you to turn in a version of your pitch as an assignment.