Degree Objective 4

Develop all of the materials needed to market a game project including advertising, marketing, branding, and social media.

I believe I fulfill this objective through my work on two large projects from my classes.

Gangs of Graffiti

Gangs of Graffiti was a game developed by Infinitive Studios through the UAT Game Studio. The game is a competitive multiplayer arena and tank shooter game where players tag and mark territory and one another in a bid to take over the map. For my MS503 Game Marketing and Advertising course in the spring of 2019, I was tasked with working alongside the team. I would assist with production-related tasks and their marketing efforts in return for the information and access I needed to develop a comprehensive marketing report.

During my time with this team, I worked with their lead artist and social media manager to develop strategies for driving up additional engagement in the rest of the semester and if they chose to continue work into the future. We created a content release plan and teaser trailer together for the team's first completed game level, using work-in-progress images and artwork to generate excitement ahead of the trailer. I assisted in the production of the trailer in Unity.

Additionally, I also developed a full financing and marketing report for the Gangs of Graffiti team and as my final project in MS503. This report utilized data provided by the team, including their ideal price point if they were to release their game. It created a "Big Ask" for them if they were to actually pitch this product and try to receive funding for it.

You can read my full report here.

You can view the Gangs of Graffiti project page here.

I believe my work on this project fulfills degree requirements in several ways. I created an in-depth analysis of Gangs of Graffiti from a marketing perspective. It analyzed the market conditions, found target markets, and made customer profiles based on survey data rather than assumptions. I made a detailed plan for advertising that included sample ads, examined specific channels of advertisement, and also settled on a specific brand identity for the team to orient themselves to. This is the same sort of work that would be required if the team actually intended to publish their game. Separately, I also worked with the GoG team to utilize their assets, music, and design in order to tease and then release a trailer via social media. All throughout this project, I developed advertising, marketing, branding, and worked with social media.

Play.io

Play.io is a fictional startup company that I created and developed across several of my classes, mainly MS528 Founding and Operating a Startup and MS683 Industry Immersion. This game company was developed in response to the needs and demands of the classes I wrote it in, which focused largely on creating an understanding of the role proper marketing and planning plays in developing a business.

Play.io focuses on the topic of the future push within the games industry: game streaming services. The company plan envisions a streaming service focused specifically on indie games, giving them room to shine together since there is a strong chance they will be left behind in the years to come.

I believe that this project fulfills this degree objective because it includes many of the desired materials listed: marketing research and analysis, and a focus on how to brand a business and utilize that brand in both advertising and on social media. It may not be a published game product, but the work put into creating this displays the same level of thought and care sufficient to satisfy requirements. I do not believe UAT would have asked me to create this assignment and perform marketing research in the way I did if it were not applicable to these objectives.

You can look at my business plan at this link.