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Grumpy Game Grant Consultant Thread, Feedback Edition:
So you've been unsuccessful in your grant application. Yeah, it sucks. As creatives we tend to be close to the project. But when having those moments of self-reflection, here are the basics to think about:
So you've been unsuccessful in your grant application. Yeah, it sucks. As creatives we tend to be close to the project. But when having those moments of self-reflection, here are the basics to think about:
1. Did I adequately address all the criteria? Did I address each section as required in the guidelines effectively and concisely? Did I sell my project well, or did aspects get lost in minutia?
2. Stepping back from my project for a moment, how would this actually do in the real world? Can I market it effectively? Have I asked an educated third party what they think about it before my submission?
Grant execs are often restricted what they can say about your project.
Grant execs are often restricted what they can say about your project.
3. Does my project have any weaknesses? Does my application have any weaknesses? What have I done in my application to mitigate both of those things?
Telling us about the good parts in your project is great, but showing that you're working towards mitigating the weaknesses is galaxy brain level.
4. Have I thought that there actually just might have been stronger projects?
A classic mistake of applicants is to think you're the biggest fish in the pond and it's almost never true. You can do everything to the best you can and there can still be stronger projects.
A classic mistake of applicants is to think you're the biggest fish in the pond and it's almost never true. You can do everything to the best you can and there can still be stronger projects.
5. What's my production risk? A pre-prototype concept is by definition a lot risker for a screen agency to fund than a product that's progressed well and looks like a minimal risk investment.
6. What are the outcomes if my project was to be successful. Screen agencies fund for economic and cultural benefit. What does your project bring to the economy or local cultural landscape? If the answer is "not much", you need to think about your case.
7. Please please please don't get married to your project forever. A game is a step in your journey. If you're married to this one idea for years, ask yourself "Am I just too close to this and it's a sunk cost?"
8. And we'll call this the last one for now: "How generic is this game?"
I've lost count of the application saying "There's nothing else like this game!" only for a Google search to turn up large quantities of near-identical projects.
I've lost count of the application saying "There's nothing else like this game!" only for a Google search to turn up large quantities of near-identical projects.
One of the best pieces of advice I got from my days as a developer was "Own your space", which means you need to find what the voice of the project is and push that aspect.
And I *always* got too close to our projects to see the weaknesses.
And I *always* got too close to our projects to see the weaknesses.