The Prototype

It's hard to decided whether this section should come before or after the schedule - it's really a matter of personal taste, you might want a degree of freedom to try and conceptualize an idea before working on a complete schedule or you may wish to work out a schedule first and allow a set time to try out new ideas. Either way it's always a good idea to get a working prototype of the game idea complete as soon as possible.

The primary focus of the prototype is to prove the viability of the core gameplay mechanic and to act as a testbed for experimental technologies.

The prototype is the first time when the game design starts to come to life, when people can actually see (and hopefully) control elements on the screen and get a real feel for how the game is going to work. It might showcase a new method of control, or the core game concept, or even a new display routine. Having a working prototype is crucial to getting outside investors interested in the project and it's also the first signs that your idea is not only viable but also realistically attainable (plus it serves as a great moral booster for you or your team to see something moving).

The success or failure of the prototype should determine the success or failure of the project, if you can't get people excited by the gameplay of the prototype then (in my opinion) no amount of polishing or flashy graphics will help and if you can't find the fun (remember that word) at this stage - it's probably because it doesn't exist.

By it's very nature prototyping involves experiementation and as any scientist / engineer will testify not everything works first time, you might find (especially early on in your career) that a lot of the prototypes fail - don't get disheartened, just treat the experience as the lesson that it is and move on to your next project. In the commericial world many many games / ideas never get past the prototype stage, it's far better to can a project in the early stages when you haven't invested too much time (and money) in it's development rather than being forced (often for financial reasons) to churn out a third rate game that no one's proud of and that destroys the moral of everyone involved.

Remember that this prototype will NOT be seen by the general public so don't worry (or waste too much time) about flashy final graphics, placeholder art is more than good enough - in fact flashy graphics at this stage may even hinder the project by hiding the core elements of what the games about.