video game ideas: how to pitch them?

I have some concepts for a video game and was wondering if anyone knows how to properly pitch it (I have one that is TF related). Should I contact hasbro, takara or a video game company first?

I would probably emal all of them. I have done the same thing before and you might get a rude/automated response from some game companies, they usually say that they have a staff dedicated to creating new games and that if you would like to do the same to please get a bachelors degree and start practicing with game editors by doing mods and gaining experience. Its always worth a shot though, why not post it here so we can all put our two cents in as well?

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Cause someone here with a bachelor's degree and experience might snatch them? Between novels and video games I've got dozens of ideas for things like that but I wouldn't ever make them public, they're a little more precious than that.

Well, how difficult of a game would this be to develop? There are always coders out there that would love to try and program a new game. And just because it's homebrew doesn't mean it can't go main stream. Look at Counter Strike for example.

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news here, but the big companies will simply not be interested in any on paper designs. That actually also applies to the smaller developers too. They pay designers good money to work on stuff like this and mostly what they work on is dictated by forces outside of game development (like market trend, marketing departmnets, existing IP's etc.).

You very best bet is to find other like minded individuals and create working, playable prototypes that you can show. Create a demo of your game and put it out on the internet, if it's good it will get noticed. Lots of games have been picked up by major publishers like MS, Sony, Valve etc. from the independant bedroom developers.

Stuff like Portal, Everyday Shooter, Alien Hominid have all been developed prior to being picked up by publishers and released out to the public. That's the way to go.

TT said what I was thinking. Plus, you wouldn't want to just email out ideas. That almost never works.

If you are serious about pitching your idea you really have to do it in person. And you need more then ideas to pitch. You need visuals.

I've done a few pitches myself(toy related) and it really is almost easier to make the thing with a small group rather then try to get large companies to see your vision and bring you onboard for anything.

Yup, prove yourself and your ideas first, show something tangible and people are far more likely to at least listen.

There is a good possibility they will not even look at unsolicited material for legal reasons. But when I had ideas of getting into comics I knew Marvel and DC wouldn't even look at anything that had original story or characters.

Thanks for all the opinions from everyone. I've always known that I can't reveal the info because It can get snatched up but i've been doing graphic design for 10 years and can come up with visuals on paper only.

I've thought about having non-disclosure papers drawn up and then try to arrange a meeting with hasbro or takara first (a trip to japan isn't in the works but who knows what'll be going on a year from now.)

I've already come up with game mechanics, character creation, mission/quests and rewards. I've had this in my head for about a year now and I thinkit might be time to start working on it. I ought to make a poll though... see if people want this to be based on G1 or live-action movie transformers (the concept will work either way).

Yeah, I'm majoring in game design, and it is extremely rare that game companies will actually just accept outsider's ideas, no matter how awesome they are. There aren't really any entry job positions for game designers, either-- you have to start at Programming, Art, or QA and work your way up.

Last updated November 10th
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