Games That Sell!

✍ Scribed by Mark Walker

• Publisher: Wordware Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 328
• Series: Wordware Game and Graphics Library
• Edition: 550th illustrated edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Games That Sell! provides a unique approach to game design with its focus on in-depth analyses of top-selling games. Rather than examine programming or three-dimensional art composition, game designer and journalist Mark H. Walker takes a look at the factors that journalists, gamers, and designers feel made games such as Empire Earth, The Sims, Max Payne, and RollerCoaster Tycoon commercial and critical successes, including quality, topic, game play, cool factor, and marketing and public relations. Additionally, game industry insiders who are outside the technical development loop, as well as more than 100 gamers of all ages, share their insights on what they believe makes a successful game.

* Understand the characteristics of games that have sold well. * Learn about the importance of choosing your game’s genre and topic wisely. * Discover how to make use of marketing and public relations in order to boost your game’s sales. * Find out how to make your game appeal to the broadest market possible. * Study the analyses of top-selling games and discover what made them so successful.

✦ Table of Contents

Games That Sell!......Page 1
Dedication......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
About This Book......Page 15
The End of the Beginning......Page 16
About the Author......Page 17
What Makes Games Sell......Page 18
Topic......Page 19
Range of Appeal......Page 20
The Final Topic......Page 21
Game Genres......Page 24
Action......Page 26
Strategy......Page 27
Adventure......Page 28
Sports......Page 29
Console Games......Page 30
So, What’s the Point?......Page 31
And the Winner Is…......Page 32
Licensing and Franchising......Page 34
To License or Not To License......Page 36
To Franchise or Not to Franchise......Page 37
What the Industry Says about Franchises and Licenses......Page 38
The Final License......Page 39
Topic—Your Gaming World, Cool or Not......Page 40
Thinking with Your Heart......Page 41
Tradition Says......Page 43
Insiders Talk......Page 44
Cool Factor......Page 45
The Final Topic......Page 47
Ambience......Page 50
Graphics......Page 51
Audio......Page 55
The Last Ambience......Page 56
Who Needs Story?......Page 58
Why Not?......Page 61
Write It Down......Page 62
Conflict......Page 63
The Final Word......Page 64
Documentation and Strategy Guides......Page 66
The Writer......Page 68
The Strategy Guide......Page 69
The Last Manual......Page 71
When Is Fun, Fun?......Page 72
Fun Is as Fun Does......Page 78
Building a Theme......Page 82
Creating a Buzz......Page 83
Involve the Press......Page 84
The Last Review......Page 86
Public Relations......Page 88
Relations Representative......Page 89
Demonstrate the Game......Page 90
Marketing......Page 91
Manufacturers (OEM)......Page 92
The Final Advertisement......Page 93
Range of Appeal......Page 96
Technology......Page 97
Switch Hitting and Cross Breeding......Page 100
Empire Earth: Put One Up for PR......Page 104
Quality......Page 105
Topic......Page 109
Game Play......Page 110
Cool Factor......Page 112
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 113
Summary......Page 115
Max Payne: Cool Cash......Page 116
Quality......Page 118
Topic......Page 119
Genre......Page 120
Game Play......Page 121
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 122
Summary......Page 123
Quality......Page 124
Topic......Page 128
Genre......Page 129
Game Play......Page 130
Cool Factor......Page 131
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 133
Summary......Page 136
Harry Potter: The Movie Sells the Game......Page 138
Quality......Page 140
Game Play......Page 142
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 145
Summary......Page 148
Sim Theme Park: An Amusement Park in Your Home......Page 150
Quality......Page 151
Topic......Page 154
Game Play......Page 156
Cool Factor......Page 158
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 159
Summary......Page 162
RollerCoaster Tycoon: Hey, Mikey Likes It!......Page 164
Quality......Page 165
Topic......Page 166
Game Play......Page 169
Cool Factor......Page 171
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 173
Summary......Page 176
The Sims: Everyone’s Favorite Game......Page 178
Quality......Page 180
Topic......Page 182
Game Play......Page 184
Cool Factor......Page 185
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 187
Summary......Page 190
Age of Empires II:Good, Semi-Historical Fun......Page 192
Quality......Page 194
Topic......Page 195
Game Play......Page 198
Cool Factor......Page 200
Marketing and Public Relations......Page 202
Summary......Page 205
Games That Should Have Sold but Didn’t......Page 206
Lack of Distribution......Page 207
Poor Timing......Page 209
101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy (GT Interactive)......Page 210
The Final Sale......Page 211
Jason Bell, Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Infogrames, Inc.......Page 214
Ben Smith, Former Marketing Manager of CDV Software America......Page 215
Mark Barrett, Level and Scenario Design, Voice Acting and Directing, and Story......Page 216
Kelly Ekins, Public Relations Associate, Strategy First......Page 219
Jeff Vitous, Director of Partnership Development, The Wargamer (www.thewargamer.com)......Page 222
Christina Ginger, Director of Communications, Strategy First......Page 224
Pro Sotos, Producer, Disciples and Disciples II......Page 226
Dan Clarke, Owner, Gaming Nexus (www.gamingnexus.com)......Page 228
Jim Werbaneth, Publisher, Line of Departure, Designer of Inchon and Britain Stands Alone......Page 230
The Final Question......Page 231
Fans Speak Out......Page 232
What Influences Your Gaming Purchases the Most? (Select up to Two.)......Page 233
If You Buy a Stinker from a Publisher, Will You Buy a Subsequent Game from the Same Publisher?......Page 235
Does the Game’s Genre Strongly Influence Your Purchase?......Page 236
What Is Your Favorite Genre?......Page 237
Gamers Speak Out......Page 238
End of Book......Page 324