30 Seconds...

You have 30 seconds to convince me your game is good.

[Pausing 30 seconds…]

The 30 Second Commercial is a way to define what you think will really sell your game.  These are the things that will stand out the most, and the users will recognize it easily.  What will your users see?  How will it connect with them?  Remember this when designing your game.  Keep your priorities on that commercial.

                So, does your game have a great plot?  How will that get shown?  What will you hint to entice the new players?  Does your game have great visual effects?  What in particular do you want to show?  Anything in specific, or is this game loaded with incredible amounts of effects to pick from at random?  Does your game pride itself on the vast worlds and/or rich graphics and detail?  What do you want them to see?  How will it look?

                There are many questions, and many possibilities.  For me, the 30 second commercial is the second most important thing, next to “fun”.  I remember countless times of starting to design a game, and constantly thinking, “It would be cool if…” or “Yah!  It’s got to do this too…”  But this can distract you from what is really important about your game.  What the players will really connect with. 

                The vast majority of the games on the market are not much more than the 30 second commercial, and they are really good at it.  If your game design is 600 pages of “wouldn’t that be nice”, what parts were you going to use to get the new players in and how are you going to find the time and resources to build it all?

                Games have only a short amount of time to get completed.  Even if you’re a group of kids in high school, of hobbyists after work, who are devoting all your spare time to this game, there’s only a small amount you’ll actually be able to accomplish.  Focus on it. 

                Let that 30 seconds guide you to getting the base of your game done, and then add more, once you are there.  You can pick more things of “wouldn’t that be nice”, but make sure your first goals are getting it ready to at least present that 30 second commercial.  I’m sure it’s a huge amount of work just to get you there. 

                If you are planning on pulling in investors, this 30 second commercial is vital, even while it is just a description.  It is animated, it is clear; it charismatically pulls them in, like a commercial should.  When you are bringing in new people, it is a quick way to get every fundamental feature across.  And finally, when the pieces are getting built up, you will start to see exactly how the pieces you are building is making that commercial come to life.