At the end of this project I aim to have a complete trailer for the game I am developing in my Games Development class. It should include footage of the game, a detailed description of the mechanics and what the game entails, and an explanation as to the story and background behind my game, its lore and the character you play as. It should also include a wide array of different editing techniques, in order to keep the trailer fresh and interesting.

Essentially a brief is a set or list of instructions given out to a team working on the same project. It includes what the final product should be, how it should be distributed and an analysis of the target audience and how their requirements will be met. This ensures the project doesn't stray away from its original idea and keeps the team working on it more organised instead of a confusing jumble of repetition due to lack of structure and communication.

Contractual Brief

A Contractual Brief is created between an employer and a client, which will outline the duties of the company and how they organise their work. It states the expectations of the client, the prices that have been agreed, and the terms of payment. This document is always classified as legal.

Advantages

This brief gives the company an idea of what the client wants, as well as a stable range of prices where the client and the employer will agree on a set income.

Disadvantages

A heavier workload may be required of the employer by the client, which may hinder their ability to deliver their best work. Another issue is a lack of creativity in the area if the client desires written designs rather than graphical ones.

Formal Brief

A Formal Brief is a normally straightforward and simple document giving a detailed description of what the employer wants from the company, rarely having any unwanted information. This may not always be classified as a legal document.

Advantages

The document is clear and concise, giving an easy to understand idea of what is required of the employer. As well as this, it is not always a legal-binding document, which allows the company to both express their thoughts and opinions and be able to work around the contract if they so desire.

Disadvantages

The contract is a lot more general, rather than a normal contract, which is explained in more detail. The employer and the client may also disagree on the opinions and decisions which are listed within the contract.

Informal Brief

This type of brief is a lot less professional than a traditional brief, where it outlines the project verbally, rather than having a written document to work from. There is a discussion between employer and client where they agree on the details and terms of the contract.

Advantages

Since there is little to no guidance in this type of brief, it is very free and flexible to work with and allows the employer to add in and maneuver their own opinions before it is finalised.

Disadvantages

The expectations of the client may disinterest the employer if a heavy workload or something more complex is required of them, which could cause the client to leave in search of somebody else to accept the contract and its expectations.

• Teamwork - The ability to work in a team is a great help out in the field, as it enables you to work with others in a functional group rather than a problematic mess.
• Communication - A very important skill, communication means you're able to talk with companies, make deals, and be able to talk between group members to solve a task, or create multiple things without repeating already completed tasks.
• Problem Solving - Problem solving helps showcase your thinking, and the methods you use to get through different problems quickly as they arise throughout the project.
• Leadership - The ability to lead a team is very important. Disorganisation can be bought to a minimum with a competent leader, and also gives a singular person a full insight into every project currently in the works.
• Time Management - A lack of time management could very well be disastrous, because meeting deadlines is a very common thing in the enterprise world, whether it's for a project of some kind or a showcase, time management skills help you organise everything into a feasible work plan that you can complete on time.
• Decision Making - Choosing between two financially positive options is always difficult, but absence of this skill is bound to get you stuck at an impasse at some point during the development of the project you are working on.
• Lateral Thinking - Informally known as "thinking outside the box" lateral thinking is the ability to solve problems via a creative or unusual approach. This is a good thing, as it shows you can solve difficult problems with different methods of thinking.

●     Why are you undertaking this research?

To show off the game I have created and to give people the information needed about the game, e.g. release date and age rating.

●     Who should you involve in this research, e.g. members of the target audience?

 Anyone above the age of 13, because this game does contain violence and some dark elements, so anyone who is into darker games and violent play styles, this is a game for you.

●        What research do you need to undertake to help you generate ideas for a new product (e.g. market research into the popularity of existing products or  to identify potential gaps in the market )?

  Look into other games of this genre and play type, take a look at their popularity and borrow some elements and techniques used in them.

●     Where will the research take place and what sources are available to you?

The research will take place over the internet and through various games I play such as The Binding of Isaac and Pokemon. 

For my primary research I created a questionnaire using a site called SurveyMonkey and then sent it to my peers for results. After analysing the results, I can glean clear preferences out for my target audience, which will aid in the distribution of the product once it is completed and ready to be released to the public. 15 people took my survey, and the results were very similar. This is most likely because the age group is just 16-17 year olds, so I may have to send the survey out to a larger array of ages.

The majority of my research does stem from Secondary Research, where I analysed the games that I'd decided to base my own game off of, for example the well-known Fallout Series, and the iconic Pokemon Series. I took a look at their sales, reviews, and popularity, while taking parts of the games as inspiration for my own, for example the Post-Apocalyptic setting from Fallout and the top down 2D format from Pokemon and The Binding of Isaac.

My survey also falls under the Consumer Research category, as it is asking the people about their game preferences, what genres they prefer and their preferences regarding singleplayer and multiplayer games. I found that the majority of people do prefer a multiplayer experience, and as such have decided to add a multiplayer mode to my game, in the form of a co-op campaign as such.

Market Research in the gaming industry isn't the most difficult thing in the world, so I did some looking around, both on the web and through my own personal experiences, and have found that popular places to sell games are online platforms such as Steam, and actual shops like Game. I have decided to make my game available in both these places, uploading it to Steam first and, if sales are successful, moving on to produce physical copies that can be sold in store.

Both online and in stores, starting online. For example, a video game can be purchased digitally and immediately downloaded, or  found in a supermarket or game store and be bought physically on a disc. 

This is the brainstorm I did with Tyler and Lewis giving a rough outline of what to put in a trailer for my game.

This is the brainstorm I did on my own, finalising ideas founded in the previous popplet and altering the specifications for my own game trailer.

My game is unique in the way that not many post-apocalyptic 2D top-down games exist. It does have a combat system similar to its inspiration, The Binding of Isaac, where you've got to use quick thinking to fight off enemies with real-time combat mechanics. This could make my game successful because it has its own style, unfortunately it may not pair well with audiences mainly because 3D games are the peak of the gaming industry now, rather than classic 2D games taking charge. I also believe my game is unique because of the type of lore it incorporates, a pairing of mythology with modern-futuristic elements, which I haven't seen many if at all any games do.

• Film Title - This being one of the most important things, the film title tells the audience the what the film will be called, and commonly gives hints as to what the film will be about.
• Production Logos - The production logos let people know what companies and producers have been working on the film.
• Release Date - The release date tells the viewers when they will be able to go to a cinema to watch the film.
• Age Certificate - An age certificate, or age rating, lets people know what ages the film is suited for, and can include all ages, 13+ or 18+ and R ratings if it's really mature.
• Social Media Platform - Information about a social media platform given to the audience allows them to go to an official place to find out more about the film.
• Character Introductions - Every trailer has to include its main character, so introducing them gives the audience an idea of who they are, what they do, and why they do it.
• Names - Very important, these can be the character's names, the actor's names and/or the directors names. It tells the viewers who worked on the film, who's starring in it, and what their characters will be called. 
• Background Music - This isn't totally necessary, but pretty much every trailer ever has background music, normally to give atmosphere to the events being displayed on the screen.

Fallout 4, 10th November 2015, Bethesda Game Studios, is an action role-playing game set in the year 2287, long after a devastating nuclear holocaust (The Great War) destroys nearly all of humanity. The player is the Sole Survivor, a pre-war citizen cryogenically frozen in a nuke proof bunker just before the bombs go off, and is only awakened 200 years later by a failure in the system. Unfortunately, they are the only survivor in the bunker, because strangely, all the life support failed, minus theirs. The trailer itself shows the current set of the game, occasionally switching from the dystopian setting to its pre-war 50s style counterpart, showing the differences between what the world was like before the war, and what it was like 200 years on. This is done with a combination of match cutting and cross cutting. Cross cutting between the camera following Dogmeat (A character in game) and a small showcase of a family home before the war, both sequences take place in the same house, in the same places relevant to the house, just at different points in time, hence the match cutting.

Reviewer: Tom Hordle

Successes: The layout is very clear and well presented. It gives the audience a good understanding of what the product is. They have also addressed the target audience very clearly . The communication strategy is very clear and well presented speaking about the impacts of the game.   

Weaknesses:  The perception/tone and guidelines could be improved  and could be in more detail.

Improvements:  Write more for the target audience.