Blog 4 - Game Sketching

1) Game Sketching is a set of technologies and methodologies intended to encourage exploration at a very early stage. It is about making a successful game using as little resources, time and money as possible, and getting new ideas for the game across at an early stage. It is also about eliminating risks from the designing and creation of the game, such as spending unnecessary money on ideas that aren't going to work, or wasting time on things that aren't going to make the game successful. It can also be described as being the processes and technologies that address the three issues that affect games companies today.

2) The value of game sketching is that it allows experimentation with little risk. Employees in businesses can explore new ideas at a minimal cost. Game sketching can also be implemented into a business thinking mind, where employees can be paid a certain wage and still produce high quality work and exploration. It also brings the team together and creates a bond and unity within the company. More ideas are being formed so more work will get done and everyone will be happier. It also allows you to have a prototype before the final product so you can see if you are happy with it.

3)I think that game sketching would come between the game concept and the vision document in the Project Life-cycle, because it is just scoping out ideas that are presented in the vision document and which are discussed in the game concept. The sketching would help even more ideas be addressed and make sure that there is little risk in the experimentation, they are using as little resources, money and time as possible. It is best to eliminate risks and errors from the game's creation in the early stages because there is more time to correct them if they occur, than if you tried to back during the latter stages of the life-cycle.

4) The limitations in Game Sketching is that the assets aren't part of the game, they are from elsewhere, so they may not do as good a job as the companies own assets. It is also quite basic so more advanced things that are in today's games cannot be created in these assets. The sketching also tends to favour linear games, so if you were making an MMORPG, it wouldn't really work as well.