Eitan Glinert's GDC 2012 talk on how to prototype effectively when creating innovative video games

1. Rapid, Iterative
Prototyping Best Practices

2. What we're gonna cover
 Who I am
 Why you should prototype
 8 rules for how to do it right
 8 tricky pitfalls to watch out for
 Q+A, contact info

3. Who I am
2008

4. Fire Hose Prototyping
Early Prototype
2009

5. Fire Hose Prototyping
March 15th April 14th June 16th
April 1st May 14th July 20th

6. Fire Hose Prototyping
Early Prototype
2010

7. Fire Hose Prototyping
Early Prototype
(Michael Bay Version)
2011

8. Fire Hose Prototyping

9. Why Prototype?
Prototyping ≠ Pre-Production
Prototyping Vertical Slice 
Pre-Production Production

10. Why Prototype?

11. Why Prototype?

12. What does it get you?
• Leads to stronger design, aesthetic, mechanics
• Allows you to try potentially great ideas you can’t
waste time on during development
• Lets you identify and bail on bad ideas sooner
• Lets you make costly mistakes up front, when
they are easier and cheaper to fix
• You’ll learn how to talk about your game

13. When NOT to
Prototype?

14. So how do you do it?

15. 1. Set aside ~1/3 of
dev time

16. 2. Put together a
crack team

17. 2. Put together a
crack team
Dance Central Go Home Dinosaurs
Artist 1 Artist 2 Artist 1 Artist 2
(Models + (Animator + (Models + (Animator +
Textures) Rigger) Textures) Rigger)
Coder 1 Coder 2 Coder 1
Designer Producer Designer Designer
Prouducer Prouducer
Dancer
Choreographer

18. 3. Get the right tools

19. 3. Get the right tools

20. 3. Get the right tools

21. 4. Tools and people
should match the risk

22. 5. Don’t fear the
trash can

23. 6. Add features, test
ideas, cut content

24. 6. Add features, test
ideas, cut content

25. 7. User Test! A lot!

26. 7. User Test! A lot!

27. 8. Keep it
loose, embrace
change

28. The How, Recapped
1. Spend ~33% of dev time on prototyping
2. Assemble a small, crack team that works together well
3. Use simple, fast, easily understood tools
4. Team ability should match riskiest parts
5. Be ready to throw out prototypes for the sake of iteration
6. Work on features and ideas, not content
7. User test constantly and incorporate feedback
8. Don't get bogged down with documentation or overhead

29. The Tricky Bits

30. 9. Be on the lookout
for “surprise fun”

31. 9. Be on the lookout
for “surprise fun”

32. 10. Deciding when to
iterate

33. 10. When to iterate
March 15th April 14th June 16th
April 1st May 14th July 20th

34. 11. Dovetailing with
marketing and PR
Small Companies Big Companies

35. 12. Using deadlines

36. 13. Beware of
Ballooning Scope

37. 14. Ping-Ponging
back and forth

38. 15. Knowing when to
stop prototyping

39. 16. Anger when
prototypes get canned

40. Tricky Bits, Recapped
9. Watch out for “Surprise Fun”
10. Iterate regularly and/or when necessary
11. Dovetail prototyping with PR + Marketing if possible
12. Deadlines are your friend, use 'em!
13. Keep the prototype small, don't let scope balloon
14. Don't iterate back and forth without forward movement
15. Stop prototyping when you have a vertical slice
16. Manage expectations well so if you have to can a
prototype the team doesn't rage

41. Contact Info, Q+A
Eitan Glinert
(give me a 5 star evaluation!)
eitan@firehosegames.com
www.firehosegames.com