My Ben 10 Video Game Idea

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 05:13

So here is the update on what's been going on and what my plans are with this game idea. First off, I have not even started at all on making this game because I'm not working as a Game Designer yet. I have to get hired as one first so for now Ben 10 OmniHero is just an idea at the moment and will pretty much be as such for a while. I'll explain what my entire plan is right now and by the way, this is all in regards to the amount of time it'll likely take before this idea can be turned into a full fledged Ben 10 game and released onto the market. I'll have to check back in on the development and production process another time if/when I actually manage to get this game going.

My first goal is to get hired as a Game Designer most preferably at PlatinumGames. After doing some research and even asking them through email some question in regards to the requirements to apply as a Game Designer, I know what I need to do. Their most minimum requirement for applying is that I have a strong understanding in the Japanese language in regards to reading and speaking it. The reason why is because PlatinumGames is a Japanese game company located only in Japan so it's very important that all employees that get hired there are able to communicate proficiently in Japanese. Japanese is quite a complex language to learn as well. Speaking it and learning the grammar isn't that much of a problem. It's learning Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji that will be the most difficult part; most especially Kanji. I have already started taking Japanese language classes a while back starting at the end of April and hopefully I can learn enough by the end of the year to be able to apply at PlatinumGames. Although, on average, it can take at least a full year to fully learn Japanese but really it'll just depend on how much time and effort I put in to practicing and learning the language but again, hopefully having until the end of the year will be plenty enough for me to learn the language. All the more reason to put even more time and effort into learning it.

Now once I do apply, this is what happens and this is a quote straight from the "FAQ" section on the PlatinumGames website in regards to the selection process.

Q6: How long can I expect the selection process to take?
A6: Initial screening typically takes about one week to ten business days after we receive your application. We will notify you of the results of the screening by e-mail. Applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to in-person or Skype interviews. Typically, we make final decisions within a month to a month and a half after the interview process.

Now if I don't get hired as a Game Designer, I can always try again later on next year. Game Designers are allowed to apply twice per year at PlatinumGames. PlatinumGames also handles VISAs for living and working in Japan on a case-by-case basis. Either way, once I apply, it can take a little while for the selection process to go through.

Once all of that is done and I finally get hired to work with them as a Game Designer, the next part will depend on how things go and what their level of interest is in my Ben 10 game idea. I'll have to present my idea to PlatinumGames in a way that gets them interested on wanting to work on it. Since that Cartoon Network currently owns Ben 10 at the moment, we'll have to see if Cartoon Network would be interested in letting PlatinumGames work on a Ben 10 game so the same will go for presenting my idea to Cartoon Network as well. At that point after presenting my idea, it's up to PlatinumGames and/or Cartoon Network on whether or not it'll get green-lit for production. There may even be changes made to my idea during this as well. If this game does get green-lit, at best I hope to get at least 2 to 3 years of development and production on it. Games are most certainly not easy to make and a lot of time, care, effort, respect, and thought will have to be put into it in order to make it complete and at least good.

So that is my plan here. It's most certainly going to take a long time but that's how things work in the gaming industry. As stated before, I am in the first phase of my plan and I'll try to work hard to the best of my ability to achieve my goals here. This is most certainly important to me, all of you, and the series as a whole. Chances are this may never happen or it may indeed end up happening. All I can say is don't get your hopes and excitements up just yet. For you guys reading this, this is going to require a lot of patience. Like I said before, this is just an idea for now and it's going to take a lot of time for this idea to turn into the very game I envisioned and you guys want to play. I won't be making any more updates in regards to the development process of getting hired at PlatinumGames and the game itself and all that stuff. If there are any new ideas that I have for this particular game idea in regards to game mechanics, I'll post them here. Other than that, that's my plan right now and that's really all I can give and explain to you guys at the moment. Thank you for your time.

Ultimate OmniTri · 9 Jun 2016, 11:02

Im just telling you you would have to get the ok from Cartoon network. That would be alot of hard work plus the people you want to make the game doesnt have the rights to a ben 10 game so even if they wanted to they cant make one. It wont be as simple as pitching the idea the company would have to buy the rights to a ben 10 game which would be alot of paperwork and i dont think they would be willing to do that. Just being REALISTIC like you always are.

Rexfan1333 · 9 Jun 2016, 14:20

@Omni-Triforcer As much as it pains me to say this, you're right, CN wouldn't never do it (which sucks so f**king hard), but as much as I want this game to happen, I can't see CN being interested in the idea at all.

Ultimate OmniTri · 9 Jun 2016, 14:46

@Rexfan1333 i mean i would love a game like this too but i doubt CN would put that much money and effort into a game. Plus i doubt little orgit would want to give up the rights to ben 10 games.

Rexfan1333 · 9 Jun 2016, 14:53

@Omni-Triforcer Yeah, I really want to see Ben 10 have a game developed by Platinum Games, but that would be a ton of hard work and money. Cartoon Network being cheap would never do it though.

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 16:14

@Omni-Triforcer Something that I did mention that I would have to work on. Like I said before, I would have to present my idea to Cartoon Network and work things out in hopes that I could get this game green-lit by Cartoon Network for development and production. There was one thing that I forgot to mention though: game publishing companies. This is something that you didn't think about as well.

One thing that's important is to find a suitable publishing company that's willing to back up and have a game like this be made. Bethesda, Square Enix, EA (which is a no in my book), Activision (a most definite no), Sony, Microsoft, Warners Bros., etc. I would have to figure out which game publishing company would be suitable and willing enough to back this very game up. Cartoon Network doesn't publish games. They have other companies that publish the games for them. This most especially includes Warners Bros. and Little Orbit. Yeah, here's the thing. Little Orbit is a game publishing company. Yes they do develop games occasionally but they much more often publish them as well. If Cartoon Network green-lights this Ben 10 game idea, either PlatinumGames will either have to work with Warners Bros. or most likely, considering that Little Orbit owns the rights to Ben 10 video games, work with Little Orbit to make this Ben 10 game. PlatinumGames would make this idea into a game while Little Orbit backs the game up and then publish it onto the market when it's finished.

http://venturebeat.com/2014/09/04/game-publisher-little-orbit-acquires-ben-10-earth-defense-force-developer-vicious-cycle/

Also, considering that PlatinumGames is a very well established game development company with a huge fan following behind it, that's quite the opportunity for Cartoon Network to gain quite a profit. Plus, PlatinumGames has worked on other titles owned by other networks such as The Legend of Korra and TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan (both series owned by Nickelodeon) as well as Transformers: Devastation (owned by Hasbro). Unfortunately, the first two games I mentioned didn't do so well in quality since that all three of those games were published by Activision and Activision has some really shady business practices, which is why I'm on a definite no for having them publish this game. PlatinumGames had better luck with their Transformers game. Either way, PlatinumGames has done stuff like this before.

So yeah, it is actually very much possible for this game to be made and can indeed happen. While I'd rather have Bethesda or Square Enix publish this game, I wouldn't mind working with Warners Bros. or Little Orbit. Warners Bros. has made some pretty bad decisions (focusing more on making disgustingly short DLC content over actually fixing the technical issues that plagued Batman Arkham Origins and Batman Arkham Knight, for example) that has hurt their reputation in the gaming industry pretty badly but that's on games that they made. For example, there was a Mad Max game made back in 2015 that was published by Warners Bros. but not made by Warners Bros. Instead, it was made by Avalanche Studios, who are known for making the Just Cause game series so Avalanche Studios knew what they were doing and the Mad Max game turned out to be quite stable and not plagued with technical issues. PlatinumGames is known for making their games from the ground up; from scratch. With Warners Bros., I'm not worried that much on making a Ben 10 game published by them. I don't know much about Little Orbit and they mostly just publish licensed games but I guess I can give them a chance on this game if they decide to back it up. Might as well anyways since that Little Orbit own the publishing rights for Ben 10 games.

Edit: Heck, Cartoon Network didn't even publish the previous Ben 10 games. The previous Ben 10 games were made by other game development companies and published by D3 Publisher before Little Orbit took over.

KorseBLI-ND · 9 Jun 2016, 16:25

With me tactical there is one person I would love to see working on this game and it is hideo kojima

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 16:42

@KorseBLI-ND Yeah, that would be really cool (and by really cool, I mean freakin amazing) but Kojima and Kojima Productions are not that well experienced in making hack-and-slash style action games like what I'm mostly going for with this game. When Kojima was making Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, he had to get the help of PlatinumGames to help work on this game. Not only that but he's a game designer. Kojima doesn't develop games; he designs them while Kojima Productions develops and produces them. Well, Kojima is a game producer as well though. I'd rather prefer that PlatinumGames works on my Ben 10 game idea. Again though, that would be freakin awesome if Kojima was willing to make this game. Heck, this guy brought a lot of inspiration in me in wanting to become a game designer so yeah, I agree, I would love for Kojima to work on this game as well. I'd just rather prefer PlatinumGames because they're more suited to making a game like this.

KorseBLI-ND · 9 Jun 2016, 17:19

Okay sorry just man him and platinum games would be awesome

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 17:27

@KorseBLI-ND What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong. Like I said, that would be a really cool thing to happen.

@Omni-Triforcer Also, when I say that I'm being more realistic and reasonable with my viewpoints, what I actually mean is that I take the time and effort to form my persuasive arguments and I back them up with evidence. You know, something that you learn to do in middle school and high school. Something that you learn to do when taking a writing/rhetoric class. Something that is very crucial to do to gain the support of others on a certain topic that you're addressing. Something that is done constantly by the majority of people because, again, you learn how to do this in school. You weren't being "realistic." It may not be your intention to do this but it felt more like you made that post out of spite.

Ultimate OmniTri · 9 Jun 2016, 18:52

I said i was being realistic out of spite. What i said was how i really felt and how i still feel. No matter how much you may try i believe that cartoon network will never approve this game idea. I'm sorry its just how they are.

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 19:22

@Omni-Triforcer Explain why. Don't just tell me that Cartoon Network will never approve this idea. Explain to me why. I already gave my argument with evidence to back it up. You do the same. Much like how you saying for me to "stop being negative" and "stop judging," just giving me the "what" will get you nowhere. Give the "why." Counter my argument. I don't only want to hear the "what"; I also want to hear the "why."

Here's another thing. This is how Cartoon Network is with their shows. Like I explained in the past, Cartoon Network is obsessed with selling merchandise for their shows and video games are included as merchandise. If they can get a profit out of it, they'll go for it. Ben 10 is most certainly no exception to this because well, you know, Ben 10 is one of Cartoon Network's most financially successful shows. PlatinumGames is a well established game developing company with a large fan base backing it up and with good reason as to why. PlatinumGames makes some really great games that millions of gamers are attracted to. A Ben 10 game made by PlatinumGames can be like a gold mine for Cartoon Network as long as things go very well when it comes to making such a game. When presenting my game idea, what's most important is that I have to give Cartoon Network a reason to wanting to make this game. It's like turning their strengths into their weaknesses. It's using the very way that Cartoon Network behaves and acts to my advantage. It's using what they do to turn the tides in my favor. This is another aspect to making a persuasive argument.

Again, explain why. Why do you believe that Cartoon Network will never approve this game idea? What evidence backs your claim up? If you don't back your claim up with evidence, then you have very little to no ground here. Back up your claim with evidence and an explanation.

Ultimate OmniTri · 9 Jun 2016, 20:07

I didn't say what i was saying was absolutely correct i was saying how i feel so no theres no evidence that doesn't mean i am wrong. Its just the way i feel i just don't think cartoon network would spend that much money on a game. Lets face it whether its the best game ever or not it will probably have the same amount of sales. There will always be kids buying the game just because its ben 10 whether the game is good or not. So why make the game good if kids are going to buy it anyway,. Thats the way i feel that cartoon network thinks could i be wrong absolutely i could be wrong but doesn't mean i am.

Tactical Ochoa · 9 Jun 2016, 21:53

@Omni-Triforcer And I don't think and feel that the next Ben 10 show will be any good and even if it does turn out to be good, I don't think it'll end up successful enough in merchandise sales for Cartoon Network to keep it on the air and it's most likely that it'll last one or two seasons and I back that very claim up with valid evidence that greatly helps back up that claim, even though we know little about the show. There is evidence that can back up your claim but you either aren't looking hard enough or you're not even bothering to look around. Again, I don't just want to know the "what" of your argument. I want to know the "why" as well. I am giving you a guide here that can help you out. I'm getting sick and tired of you giving all these claims yet giving very little to no explanation and information to back them up and a lot of what you do explain is sheer bullshit. What makes you think that regardless of how good my game is, it'll probably have the same amount of sales? What makes you think that PlatinumGames and I will even make this game just for kids especially when 26% of all gamers are under the age of 18? What about all the Ben 10 and PlatinumGames fans out there that this game would be marketed to the most?

http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf

What about the next Ben 10 show? Why do you think that the next Ben 10 show will turn out to be good? Yes you can back that claim up even though there is little information that we know about the show. Why should I stop being so negative even though I provided a valid and persuasive argument on the Ben 10 remake? I made an entire page for the purpose of backing up my argument. Make an argument that can convince me that the next Ben 10 show will be good and will stay on the air even with low toy sales. What I want from you is for you to convince me. If you just want to give out the "whats," if you just want to make claims and not back them up with evidence, then ok, that's fine but it's not going to do you much good, if not no good at all. It's not going to convince many and more often than not, there's going to be many individuals out there that's going to rip your claims apart and greatly discredit them because you don't back up your claim properly and thus give it any sort of defense from that. Overall, I'm just giving you some advice that can help you a lot in the future.

Edit: My problem with you isn't the very claim that you made but it's that you don't back you claims up enough. That's why I'm giving you this very advice to help you out here.