Jen Frankel Blog Entry
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My absolute favourite adventure video game of the last century (which means of course that it's my absolute fave) is a quirky little Dreamworks product called "The Neverhood."
Featuring an entirely Claymation landscape and characters, a mix of problem-solving styles leading through the often hilarious laugh-out-loud plot, and a little bit of Tom Waits music, it's -- well, in a word, adorable.
I've never finished it, but I watched my then-guy John brave all its mysteries, and every now and then was able to give him an animated plasticine hand.
Usually, my game playing is restricted to the time-wasting variety of swap three, exploding gems and fat Chuzzle type, something I like to believe fulfils the role of meditation in my life. Okay, maybe I'm fooling myself a little, but when my brain is too tired to think or read, it's a nice alternative to drooling out of one side of my mouth.
Jen gets ambition
I was intrigued, therefore, to learn about the Vortex Video Game Competition. Here was an opportunity to learn the lingo, and get a peek at the designers of the future.
And maybe, just maybe, I could fulfil an ambition I never realized I had before just this moment -- design a game concept myself.
Video games have come a long way from the days I grabbed that (I hope) unintentionally provocative Atari joystick and navigated my way through "Adventure" (so called, I supposed, because it was enough in those days to call something what it was) or blasted banks of advancing aliens in "Missile Command."
It's a little humbling to realize I've been playing "Tetris" for nearly twenty years...
Jen gets with the times
Now, video games are multiplatform (a fancy term for "you can play them on different systems that bear only superficial resemblance to each other), and infinitely more realistic and interactive than ever.
Processors are constantly speeding game play and allowing for greater resolution and complexity. Some of the newest graphics are, quite literally, jaw-dropping.
There are war games and driving games, mysteries to solve and worlds to build. You can play on stand-alone systems that plug into your TV like Sega and Playstation, on your computer, on your phone or Blackberry, or online with other realtime participants.
But no matter how intricate they become, games still require one thing that even a neophyte can hope to bring to the table: a great idea.
Jen starts to build her proposal
If I'm going to enter the Vortex competition, I need to break down the elements I have to develop.
A new video game needs a strong, original concept, right off the bat. What is the ultimate objective? How is it different? How does it tie into existing games, and is there already a market for what you want to write?
For Vortex, entrants need to think through their concepts fully, and then distill their ideas into an extremely brief synopsis. You have 1/3 of a page to outline the concept, and the same amount to discuss its original aspects. Not a lot of space to really sell an idea, so I'll have to be succinct.
Well, right off, I'm thinking "tie-in." Already as a screenwriter, I've become aware that a script is instantly more saleable if there is a cross-platform tie-in. In plain language, that means that if you want to sell your script, sell the idea as a comic book, or post a website, or write the novel. Or turn it into a video game. Anything you can do to brand your idea in different sectors of the market will work in your favour with agents and production companies.
I've got a feature that was a semi-finalist in last year's Final Draft competition -- "Minnie Finster," a big swaggering space opera comedy I like to describe as "Spaceballs" meets "The Sopranos." It's already pretty broadly comic in tone, so the idea of selling it as a fast, fun video game appeals to me.
I want to build my proposal for Vortex around my favourite characters in the script: the wonderful women of the Fat Ladies' Mafia. In outer space. Of course.
Jen adds up the elements
Storyline? Well, the script already involves a pirate attack on an interstellar cruise ship, so that sounds like a good place to start. You will play one of the enforcers of the universe's weightiest organized crime organization -- The Fat Ladies' Mafia -- out there with guns blazing, anti-gravity belt around your capacious middle for those daring mid-air rescues.
I'm starting to see it -- when you flip on the anti-grav belt, you'll be able to look down and see your own stomach and teeny feet as you flip through the air.
There are two major categories of villain: first, you need to defeat and then make an alliance with the Pirates, and then you'll face the real challenge -- giant blue alien rats who have until now been disguised as hairdressers on the ship.
Setting? on the good ship Gerrald, an enormous interstellar cruiser with lots of corridors, ballrooms, and of course, buffets. You'll be able to interact with and rescue captive passengers, fend off the incompetant attempts of the crew to help out, and blast big rats.
I think it could be fun.
More about Vortex
The Vortext Video Game Competition is an initiative by always innovative William Marshall, founder of the Toronto International Film Festival. It's in its third year, and part of the McLuhan International Festival of the Future.
Grand prize is $2500, with the winners from each of the four categories receiving an XBOX 360. Cool, huh? Entries, including a one page treatment and CV/bio, are due May 31, 2007, and can be filled out online.
Watch for me and the Fat Ladies, coming soon to multiple platforms near you!
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