Summary:

The Pitch, Package, Promote Project asks students to advance through three interrelated Professional/Technical writing tasks: pitching an original retail video game idea; producing corresponding packaging materials; creating appropriate promotional materials. Students will begin this project working individually but will eventually form into groups to complete it.

Pitch:
Each student will create a one-sheet video game design document (as a shared Google Doc) and a corresponding one minute presentation. Students will make their pitches using these materials (students should provide an electronic copy of their one-sheet to the instructor). The class will vote on five pitches to develop.

Package:
Students will join groups corresponding to the five selected pitches. Each group will create three packaging materials for its video game:
   • Instruction Manual
         • Word template
         • InDesign template
         • generic image template
   • Retail Box Jacket
         • PlayStation 3 template
         • Wii template
         • Xbox 360 template
         • generic Word template
         • generic InDesign template
         • generic image template
   • Game Label
         • generic Word template
         • generic InDesign template
         • generic image template

Promote:
Each group will create two promotional materials for its corresponding video game:
   • One magazine-format print advertisement
   • One 30-second video advertisement

Our class-generated notes over Dille and Zuur Platten's The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design are available through this link.

Deliverables:

1. One-Sheet (10 possible points, individual)
2. Packaging Materials Design Plan (5 possible points, group)
3. Packaging Materials
   • Instruction Manual (10 possible points, group)
   • Retail Box Jacket (10 possible points, group)
   • Game Label (10 possible points, group)
4. Packaging Materials Analysis (10 possible points, group)
5. Promotional Materials Design Plan (5 possible points, group)
6. Promotional Materials
   • Magazine-Format Print Advertisement (10 possible points, group)
   • 30-Second Video Advertisement (10 possible points, group)
7. Promotional Materials Analysis (10 possible points, group)
8. Postmortem (10 possible points, individual)

Resources:

1. The Internet Archive (stock footage)
2. Keepvid (download YouTube videos)
3. CCMixter (background audio)
4. Freesound (sound effects)
5. Go! Animate (animation service)
6. Animoto (animation service)
7. Xtranormal (animation service)
8. JibJab (animation service)