Promotional Flash Game: New Approach into Marketing
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Table of Contents
1.2 Design Aspects implement in Flash Game:
1.3 The Game’s concept and layout:
I have been approached by MARS® who are one of the largest manufactures of chocolate related products. They are looking for a new alternative approach to advertise towards consumers and have requested myself to develop a flash game that will market and publicise their product in a fun, engaging, family friendly way that will advertise to consumers in a positive way.
Over the years marketing has helped build and expand the M&M’s brand and has created a positive reputation of MARS®. Computer-animated M&M characters with cartoon-like storytelling have proved popular on television and it has helped to increase the brand’s recognition as a candy icon. Gaming is big business around the world and screen time is increasing at a steady rate. Eight to twenty-year old are the biggest consumers of chocolate and are one of the biggest users of new technology. Linking advertising with interactive gaming is a marketing dream as the intended audience is seeing this brand every day. This new proposed alternative way of advertising to consumers is creating a Flash game that will publicise their brand and product in a beneficial way. This proposed flash game can lead to positive outcomes for MARS® as this a link to this game could be located on the company’s home page on their website, which would make consumers more interested in their product creating an increase in sales for M&M’s creating profits for MARS®.
The proposed flash game will be a remake of the retro of the 1980s-video game Pacman, but will be created with a twist. The game will be created using logos and images sourced from MARS®’s websites. The main villain is an alternative to the original to the game and is rebranded M&M themed to the new main character “Red” who has been an icon to the product for more than 50 years being soon on numerous internet and TV commercials. The game will mainly feature M&M and Skillites related characters. The game will have a background that will blend in well with the game’s design and concept.
As mentioned, the flash game will be a remake of the retro of the 1980s-video game ‘Pacman®’. The game will have multiple levels and difficulties. The game will begin with a start game page, exhibiting the main M&M character “Red”, the start page will also contain URL links to MARS®’s products page, history of M&Ms and the M&M logo. The levels will be created to look like the original Pacman game but will have M&Ms instead of dots, Skillites instead of fruit and M&M characters instead of ghosts, and a human hand instead of Pacman to eat the M&Ms. The human hand with be navigated by the players using the arrow keys on their keyboard, using the arrow keys human hand icon can then travel up, down and left to right. For scene navigation, the player must select the button using their mouse to proceed to the next scene. The main objective of the game is for the human hand to eat all the M&M’s without being attacked and killed by the M&M characters, If the human hand can eat all the M&Ms without being attacked then the hand proceeds to the next level of the game.
The characters for the flash game are as follows:
Main hero controlled by Player:
The player controls the hero using the arrow keys.
“Villains” controlled by CPU:
These are the main villains for the game that will attack the player and will deplete the live icons on the game’s background.
Main Villain Controlled by CPU:
M&M’S® Red The self-proclaimed leader of the group, red is full of both himself and delicious milk chocolate.
Bonus Points Icon:
This Icon of skillets if ate by the player, it will add bonus points which will be added to the player’s scoreboard.
1/03/17: Today I created the concept and explained how the game will function. I have also decided which brand and company, I will use for my promotional game. I’ve also decided what theme I will develop for my game which will be “Pacman”. I also finalised the final design for my game and have decided which characters will be implemented in the game. Next time I will continue the theory and reporting work for my game.
3/03/17: Today I commenced the flowcharts for my game and finished them, it also includes the coding algorithm I will be using, as well as the procedure I will be using. It also shows how the user (Player) for the game will navigate the game’s function and layout. Next time I wish to begin developing the flash game and to commence coding.
6/03/17: Today I started the development for my flash game, by creating the layout and main features for my game. I have commenced coding the game and started developing the first level and scene, I have also made many buttons in my game that will navigate the player to the next scene. Next time I will continue the development for my flash game and will continue coding.
8/03/17: Today I continued the development for my flash game by creating the game’s layout, functions and scenes for my flash game, which includes the design, animations, sound effects that goes with the relevant scene, and URL links to the M&M products page and M&M’s history. I also included some amusing songs and images. I also edited my flash game’s report. Next time I aim to be nearly finished developing my flash game and working towards the final editing stages for my game.
15/03/17: Today I finished the development phase for my game and started evaluating my game. My game has some issues with some buttons. But the main buttons for the game function. Today I did a beta test on my flash game, I also updated my project log. Next time I aim to complete the evaluation phase for my game.
21/03/17: Today I finalised my game for final submission. My game design looks appealing and creative and it suits the theme of my game. However, I did encounter some problems throughout the project with coding my game and the game’s functions. Because of this a minority of functions and buttons for my game don’t work which is unfortunate, however the game’s background music, URL links and animations work accordingly. Next time in the future to resolve these issues, I wish to learn more flash coding techniques for resolving coding problems, by using better resolutions, that I had during my project’s development, so I don’t encounter these problems again. Because of these issues, I’ve learnt what not to do next time I develop a project like this. Overall, I believe my game has the design and concept for a complete game but unfortunately the issues as explained earlier are interfering with this and I need to find better solutions in the future to overcome these issues, by using the trial and error principle.