I’ve heard the pitch many times before: “Dude! I have this really cool idea for a website!” Usually, the idea is nothing more than a mash up of some other service that “doesn’t seem to get it right”. Nine times out of ten, I’m all about being on board with a cool idea. Though, the past few years have taught me to be wise. If I’m passionate about something, I need to be 100% on board, and have my friends convinced of that as well. Only then, can I think about getting other people involved. Most of the time, the pitch is just a simple idea, without really thinking out the logistics. To the detriment of others, having nothing planned out is where you end up failing. My favorite, to this day, is the one where someone wanted to create social networking site and have a launch by six months after initial coding began. Sad thing is that I’m still working on it.

There is one thing I noticed about the Game Design classes I have been taking, and my many years of getting with companies that fail. That is when you start a game project up, you are essentially going the same route as a businessperson would take to start up. The overall result is the same, just certain aspects are different. Since they are sort of similar, I wanted to clear the air about what I hate about the “business pitch” with explaining what I learned as a Game Designer.

Before you can pitch anything, you need to be 100% confident about the product you are wanting to create. Many of my pitches are things that aren’t really thought out. One thing I have told myself is, before you pitch the idea, research it before you go in and look like an idiot. Only once have I done my research for a project, and it was met with success.

(Game Designers/Developers: Research is key. Explain what you want to do and prove you can back it up. Once you’ve been in the industry a while, it does come easier and simpler when creating the initial game proposal.)

Look organized, seriously. Don’t give a blank stare when asked about a business plan. Don’t gawk at the expenses needed to setup for your endeavor. Expect it. One of the best life lessons that I have ever gotten was the idea that I needed to put my equal amount of time and money in to my project or idea. Whenever I quit, it was because I didn’t put money in to make it more worthwhile, or it was because I wasn’t behind the idea. If you have the idea, you have to be the one who puts all the work into it. Know the ins and outs of all the systems. How does one person design in photoshop a certain way? If you are going to employ those workers, then it helps to have this knowledge.

(Game Designers/Developers: You are the project’s number one advocate. If this is your idea, you have to be committed to it. While all you may need is money, you need to match that money with the level of enthusiasm for the project. Be committed and the rest will follow.)

Get organized. If you did look unorganized when meeting with a potential investor, you can still regain them. The next time you do the pitch, however, you need to be more than 100% on the project. If you aren’t, then you will lose that investor. Being a businessman doesn’t mean you are the boss until you start employing (and paying) someone.

(Game Designers/Developers: Whether you pitch to a studio, or your boss at the studio you work at, they are still investing in to your game. They are putting the funding up, and their ass is on the line if you fail. Keep that in mind when you pitch. If you flubbed the pitch, then make it up with the proposal. You usually only have two times to impress, and that’s it.)

Start small. Think about the small stuff before you dream the big stuff. Looking at the big stuff and what you can get when you accomplish your goal is nice, but it is also a massive determiner of failure. Get the simple things worked out and then add on as time moves forward. Be realistic. Another favorite from the pitch pile, is one where this random businessman (I met doing my many adventures) had an idea for a website and kept telling me all the things he wanted to see. Complete with no direction. He was talking about blogging and voting and different domains. The ideas were too many and too complicated. He never accounted for the simple things. The small stuff. The ability to show when you expect your ideas to be completed is key to a proper functioning business.

(Game Designers/Developers: Yes, it would be awesome to have a game that can mimic every known genre of video game and meld it in to one awesome, jaw-expanding game. But figuring out how you get there is half the battle. If you start small and iterate, in time, you will have the game you are looking for and a team that is happy. I know it sucks to try and view your game from that vantage point, but you will be glad to say “Remember when that zombie was just a simple, crude model?”. Plus, that would be just cool to say in general.)

Be prepared for failure. This is the way business goes. As a web developer, I’m always approached to do pro-bono work for a friend or former co-worker. My favorite was an old classmate who used to pick on me, came in to where I worked and tried to pitch me a job. I hate to say “No”, but I’ve gotten pretty good on saying no when someone comes up with “The Next Best Idea”. This is one thing that you have to be prepared for. If you are 100% behind the project, look at every “no” as another way to try and get the “yes”. This would be the best time to ask questions, like “What do I need to improve on?” or even a simple “What can I do to make you get on board?”. This is your chance to learn where you failed.

(Game Designers/Developers: Persistence matters. Instead of hearing “No”, try and listen to why they said “no”. It never hurts to ask questions about that. It only prepares you for other people who can give you the “yes”.)

Know when to quit. Don’t let it get to be bad. Most of the time that a startup fails around me is when they don’t have their stuff together. I usually inform them that code will not be written until I have a signed contract that contains all the pertinent data about the project. Usually, this is the one that trips up people and usually kills an idea. The thought that they actually needed to do work, scares most people, and usually the ones who pitch these ideas. There have been some that would go on to draw in another gullible fool and I would walk away hands clean. If you are unflinching in your desire to get your idea running makes you blind to the suggestions of other people, then you do not deserve to run a company.

(Game Designers/Developers: Ever hear about the weird creepy guy [there is always a weird creepy guy] who wanted to make his realistic World War II turn-based video game? Ever see him take advice and alter his idea? If you don’t take the advice from the people you are pitching to, and you don’t change your pitch, expect this to be your destiny. Repetition is only good to a degree, beyond that, it begins to look pathetic.)

There are many things that upset me about this, but the reason why I’m upset is more worse. While I like every idea that comes my way, it ends up being my fault because the business failed. From my prospective, I’m an investor who is providing a service to a company. Once my investment is paid in full by the contractually stated time, then you essentially got a programmer for free at the beginning. This works when both parties have their paperwork together and the mutual understanding that this was a business relationship. Sadly, the people I have met with in the past are pretty much the same. They are idealists who have an awesome idea (and usually, I can pick out those awesome ideas), and they have no sense of direction or understanding of the little picture. While looking at the bigger picture is nice, and very awesome once actually at that position, it is still nothing until you lived on the road there.

In the end, it is the actual work that makes you have the biggest payout. Either as a businessperson or a game designer, all that hard work being paid off is most satisfying. If you aren’t able to cut it, what makes you think you are going to make any money?