P5(A) - Proposal

Format	Video Game
Platform	The platform for my video game will be a mobile phone; the game will be available through the app stores that are accessible on a smart phone, such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. I have chosen the platform of a mobile phone, as mobile apps are very popular because of their portability; it allows people to play games no matter where they are. This is the case for ‘Get Trollied’ as it does not require internet in order to play the game, therefore making it accessible to everyone. As well as this, introducing a free game onto the app-store gives it a more approachable feel and will encourage more people to download it, especially with it being free to download. For example if I were to release ‘Get Trollied’ on a specific console for £19.99, far less people will be encouraged to/be able to purchase it, either because they don’t have the console or because they can’t afford to spend £19.99 on a game which they have no past experience with, and especially since it isn’t an established franchise, such as Grand Theft Auto, which most people will buy no matter what.
Synopsis	Bert the Trolley has had a rough day; he’s been left in the middle of a rainy car park as well as having a child kicking him in the back repeatedly for an hour and a half. He’s had enough and needs to relax. When the store closes, Bert wriggles out of the chains, which hold all of the shopping carts together, immediately going on a rampage throughout the store eating and drinking everything in his sight. Help Bert collect as many products as possible for him to consume and try to beat high scores within your area!
Characters	The main character within my video game is Bert, Bert is a shopping cart however, in this cartoon world, he comes to life at night-time and can talk, move around and cause havoc all on his own. He is a very outspoken and angry shopping cart and by the end of the day needs to let lose a little bit. I feel as though the audience of my video game will like Bert and some may even relate to him as well, as an over-exaggerated version of themselves. For example, just like any human, Bert has to go to work in the day time, only Bert’s job is to be a trolley and hold customer’s items before they pay, therefore by the end of the day he’s tired and sometimes a little angry by what has happened during his day at work, much like many of the older people within the audience that will be downloading the ‘Get Trollied’ video game. Other characters within the game are not as expressionate and interactive as Bert is as they are products on the shelves, which Bert crashes into in order to collect, therefore although they are present they do not have a main part within the video game.
Title	The title for my video game is ‘Get Trollied’, this relates to what goes on within the game, as well as being catchy, quite humorous and suitably hinting that the game is not for younger children as ‘trollied’ is a term often used to describe someone who is intoxicated.
Genre	The genre of my game will be ‘racing’; this is because the activity within the game is to race through supermarket whilst collecting and crashing into items. This will appeal to casual gamers who will play the game on their lunch break, during leisure or when commuting to work, school, etc. Therefore, linking to the uses and gratifications of media, which include escapism and entertainment as the game is fun and can provide a distraction for the user no matter where they are.
Content	The user plays as the cartoon trolley, Bert, the aim of the game is to crash into and collect as many things you can within a limited amount of time, each item equates to 1 point, but if you can catch items in the trolley, you get a bonus of 5 points. However, the more items you crash into and collect, the more ‘trollied’ you become, making the screen blurry and disorientated as well as the controls switching from time to time, for example left will become right and right will become left. The gameplay will be simple, yet effective, with the gamer having to tilt their device in order to direct the trolley, whilst being given an accelerator and break button on the screen. When racing through the shopping aisles the gamer must collect bottles of water to enable Bert to sober up to be able to collect more points, the user will be given 1 minute 30 seconds to begin with in order to collect as much as they can, despite this when they collect the water bottles this doesn’t only sober them up but adds 10 seconds onto the timer to allow them to collect more items and beat their high score.
Style/Approach	The game will be cartoon animated, therefore the trolley will be alive, expressionate and be able to speak, with voiceovers placed throughout the game, such as when items are collected or their high score is beaten. ‘Get Trollied’ will be bright and interactive, with the user being given the opportunity to control Bert the Trolley in order to collect points within the allotted time provided. The game will be for those of an older age, this is because the game contains some moderate swearing, but only were appropriate in order for comic timing. The product colours within the game will be bright versions of ordinary colours, in order to enhance the innocence of the store, until Bert enters and rips the store apart.
Audience	The audience for ‘Get Trollied’ will be those within an older age range, preferably around 17+, this is because it will contain moderately strong language, as well as contains references to alcohol. The gender target audience is not specific, as the game is accessible by anyone, with the genre being ‘racing’, but being combined with cartoon characters and products, the simple gameplay can be entertaining for both males and females.
Levels	The game only has one level, which can be replayed multiple times, this is because the aim of the game is to try to beat your previous high score, this adds a level of competitiveness to the game to encourage the user to try to beat their previous score. There will also be an opportunity for users to beat others within the area they live in, through connecting to the internet in order to enter the scoring chart.
Extra	‘Get Trollied’ will be a free game to download, however purchases can be made within the game. For example, the user can buy upgrades for Bert the Trolley, such as power boosts, which can be activated for him to crash into shelves more forcefully to knock more things off and get more points. Other upgrades include the opportunity to add an extra 30 seconds on to every game they play. These upgrades will cost between £0.50 and 1.99, for example, a pack of three power boosts will be £0.50, with a larger pack costing between £1.00 and £1.99 or added time onto each round costing around £0.69. A DLC, that will become available on the 2-month anniversary of the games release, includes the chance to purchase a different level, the DLC will cost £5, and will give the user the opportunity to explore two other stores to destroy and collect points, in order to beat their high score.