André Thomas - From Research Lab to Commercial Product

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Presenter: André Thomas, Lecturer, Department of Visualization, LIVE Lab / Texas A&M University In this talk I will share our experience designing and developing a proof of concept for a learning game in a research lab and taking it all the way to a full product. During the talk we illustrate our experience in setting up a spin-off company from the university and will talk about pitfalls and lessons learned along the way.

Education

Overview
• How it all started
• The games we’re making
• Demo of ARTé – Mecenas
• The business of making games

Disclosure
• Not fully to market
• Based on our own experience with 2 games:
• ARTé – Art History
• Variant - Calculus

Why make a game?
• Full context of Art history couldn’t be covered in survey class

Why make a game?
• High number of students drop out or switch out of Calculus

Our Lab – LIVE Lab
• 20 high end PC’s
• PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX1, WiiU
• Software: Unity, Unreal, CryEngine,
Phaser, Game Maker, Houdini, Maya,
Adobe Creative & Production suite
• Artists, programmers, designers

Starting a Game
1. Assembling the team
1. SME, Instructional Designer, Game Expert
2. Student Learning Objectives (SLO)
3. Assessment of SLO’s
4. Requirements – online, mobile, multi-
player/single player

Starting a Game
5. Ideation
6. Proof of concept – paper prototype,
board game, card game
7. Prototype – electronic version of
first playable
8. Demo – vertical slice of game (full
graphics, playable, testable)
Research
IdeatePrototype
Test

Does the game work?
Testing for learning outcomes
Testing for entertainment/fun
value
- LIVE lab
- Classroom
- FSU (Study)

Does anybody else care?
• Market testing
• Classroom testing
 Teachers
 Students

Is it a full game?
• Sound
• Cut scenes
• QA
• Back end
• Support

How to create a full game?
• Do we have the talent?
• Where can we get the talent?
• Can we contract it out?
• How much is it going to cost?
• How much time does it take to finish?

We need a studio!
• Who owns the IP?
• Do we want full control?
• Can our lab deliver a full product?
• Who can be strategic partners?

Setting up our own studio
• Building a business plan
• Identifying the right employees
• Finding advisors
• Getting it off the ground

Design and develop high quality interactive
learning experiences that are backed up by
research!

Funding the studio
• Using our own money
• Friends & Family
• Kickstarter? (overhead of keeping
hundreds of ‘investors’ informed
• Angel funding
• VC funding
• Grants (SBIR)

Business Model
•Ideation
•Design
•Proof of
Concept
LIVE Lab
•Prototype
•Testing
•Evaluation
LIVE Lab •Product
Development
•Sales &
Distribution
Triseum
•Marketing
•Sales
•Support
Publisher

Self Publishing
• Can we go it alone?
• Google Play, iTunes, Windows store, Steam
• How about Marketing?
• Do we need a sales team?

Working with a publisher
• What is our expertise?
• Do we want to spend time and
money on publishing or developing?
• Choosing our partner
 What do we want from the partnership?

Creating a sustainable business
• 1 game does not make a sound
business
• Long lead times for R&D
• People – Products – Profit

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