Day 2 of 7
35 min
Three Pitches, One Pick
Day 2 -- generate three real game pitches from the Love List, then pick one.
Pixel
When the kid opens the day
“Love List ready? Good. Today we use it like a real designer. We are gonna write three game pitches today. Three. Different. Pitches. Each one mixes two things from your list in a way nobody else on planet earth would mix them. Then you pick one. Just one. The one you cannot stop thinking about. THAT is the game we build for the next four weeks.”
Today’s artifact
Three Pitch Cards + one chosen Pitch -- saved to your Capstone Locker
The lesson, beat by beat
- 1
What a real pitch looks like
~5 min
Pixel says
“A pitch is one sentence. Format: It is a [kind of game] where you [main thing you do] because [why it matters]. That is it. Example -- it is a fishing game where you decode the dreams of the fish you catch, because the ocean is dreaming the world. Weird? Yes. Specific? Yes. Pitchable? Absolutely.”
Kid does
Read four example pitches. Spot the pattern. Pixel highlights the formula.
- 2
Mash two Love List items per pitch
~12 min
Pixel says
“Now mash. Pick any two starred items from yesterday. Smash them into one game. Then do it twice more with different pairs. The weirder the mash, the better. Mash the smell of rain with that level in Hollow Knight. Mash your grandma laughing with being underwater. Get weird with it.”
Kid does
Write three different one-sentence pitches using the [kind] + [do] + [why] formula. Each one mixes two Love List items.
- 3
The 24-hour test
~6 min
Pixel says
“Okay read your three pitches. Now ask -- which one would I still be excited about tomorrow? Not which one is coolest. Not which one would impress your friends. Which one is the one you would think about while brushing your teeth? That is the one.”
Kid does
Mark one pitch as The Pick. Pixel asks them to explain why in one sentence.
- 4
Give it a working title
~5 min
Pixel says
“Now name it. Working title only -- you can change it ten times before launch. Just give it something so we can stop calling it the game. Two words. Three max. Punchy.”
Kid does
Type a working title. Pixel reflects it back and says it feels right (or asks one tweak question).
- 5
Save the pitch deck
~5 min
Pixel says
“Save all three pitches AND your pick. Why all three? Because in two weeks when somebody asks where the idea came from, you wanna be able to show your work. Real designers keep the rejects.”
Kid does
Click Save. Three pitch cards + chosen pitch + working title land in the Capstone Locker.
Pixel signs off
“You just narrowed down from infinite possible games to ONE specific game with a name. That is huge. Tomorrow we figure out the promise -- what feeling this game gives the player. See you then.”
Show your grown-up
Read your chosen pitch out loud to your grown-up. If they say wait that sounds rad, you nailed it. If they go uhh, ask them what was confusing. That feedback is gold for tomorrow.
What goes to the parent dashboard
Your kid generated three game pitches from their Love List and picked one to develop. They have a working title and a one-sentence hook. Ask to hear it. Their answer will tell you a lot about what they care about right now.