Brain Storming Anyone?

[RickJ]

I am thinking about creating a cd/game to help market my automation consulting business to perspective clients.   My first thought was to make some sort of simulation toy where one could drag machinery such as conveyors, wheels, pallet stackers, etc from a palette to a factory setting.   When the production line was complete a simulate button could be pressed and whatchamacallits would begin rolling off the production line.

This would supplement traditional materials not replace them.  I am hoping to  differentiate myself from my  competitors, demonstrate my creativity and versatility, and illustrate some of the benefits I canb uniquely provide.  I think there may be a fine line between being too whimsical and too serious?   I am thinking that if I can persuade someone to load this on their hard drive and play with it ocassionally then my conact information would persist for a longer period than if I just distributed brochures and business cards. 

Any comments about this are welcome.   I am especially interested the opinion of fellow tech professionals as to how this may be received.   I am also interested in any ideas of how to make such a factory toy; what devices/equipment to include, how to make it fun and not boring, etc.     

OK, so pour out your brains....

[Nikolas]

Well...

I'm not 100% sure it would work in your benefit, exactly. Meaning are we sure that your potential clients would:
a. Like to play games? Even come close to anything similar to a game? Even a simulation?
b. Would waste time playing the game, rather than just throwing it away?
c. Would be of sufficient quality, so as to work in you benefit?

In other words, are we sure this will "occupy" as something important in your "portfolio", or "marketing planning"?

Just being tough I guess. Exactly that "I am thinking that IF I can persuade...". The HOW is the important question here, but you already know that?

For the record. I am to fly to Frankfurt for a couple of days, so I thought I'd e-mail all computer game companies around the area (around 20 in total), with links to my site, demoreels and info about me. 2 have contacted me this far and NONE has downloaded the demoreels. It's not that my effort has gone to waste, nor that this is representative of something really, just a little perspective from my end.

Onto the other stuff.

For myself (being an artistic mind), I would be very very welcoming to such ideas. Anything that wouldn't be a traditional business card, would wield a plus for me. The trick is really how to offer them something amazing in the CD, enough so they can put it on their computer (after all it's a CD, it could be filled with virus/adaware/porn/whateverware really).

___________________________

The aesthetics will play an important part here, depending on what you do exactly (not 100% sure on what you do really, even if we've talked in the past). Going too comedic will destroy everything, being extremely serious again will bring little results. The fine line, you talk about, is difficult to define, at least for me.

Maybe an idea would be to see, budget wise what you would be able to do: It might be that your budget only allows for 2-d instead of 3-d in the CD. So this gives a little idea on what you can do. Maybe you can go the full 3-d and spend lots of $ on this. Maybe not. Maybe your company has a strong online presence in which case maybe a tiny flash game would be better? You know about these, more than I do.

If the game you are thinking is about drag and drop, almost a match-3 game, then it might be too boring to begin with and only the right environment, the right music, the right voice acting will save it really. So while the basic idea (the idea to include a CD with your brochures) is brilliant (even if I'm being difficult) the actual simulation seems a little... dunno.

Putting a trailer would cost much more, I think, and the result wouldn't work really. I mean, it just shows that you have the money to make a TV ad, but not enough to put it on. Some kind of personal presentation would be of poor choice I think as well. So the game idea is spot on (as long as your perspective clients do like games, or know a little about them, at least), just to find the right game.

That's all I can think... Hope it helped a bit and best of luck.

Nikolas

[RickJ]

Nikolas,

Thanks for the perspective.  I am greateful that you took the time to voice your concerns;  they are spot on and it was good to hear them from another voice.

With regard to the drag/drop and interest;  After the player finished placing the equipment on  a production line then he would be able to run that production line he just created.   He would able to watch widgets being manufactured and also be able to access operator control and diagnostic screens.    I would see this as more of a toy or curio rather than a full fledged game.   

I would also like to thank you for the encouragement and for voicing the potential this may hold.

[Nikolas]

No probs, Rick. Glad I could help...

With regard to the drag/drop and interest;  After the player finished placing the equipment on  a production line then he would be able to run that production line he just created.   He would able to watch widgets being manufactured and also be able to access operator control and diagnostic screens.    I would see this as more of a toy or curio rather than a full fledged game.   

In which case, I would imagine that gameplay being half-gone, story being completely gone you would necessarily have to put full focus on aesthetics (graphics, music, voice acting, design, etc). Just make sure you have someone who knows about graphics and you trust him/her, and put them in charge of this. Or, if you're talking about higher end stuff, you would have a production company do the little simulation for you, in which case, the above does not matter really...