This is the third time I’m talking about this. Post 1 and post 2 talked about how the whole thing works and how to make my application a better fit for the program criteria. They were both focused on Powered A(r)mour. But things changed in the last few weeks, and I figured I’d take another run at it.

I’ve been putting a lot of attention into Paint By Monsters the last few weeks, so it makes sense to apply for that project. So the other night I did that.

There are a few oddities in that process that are sticking with me, and I figured that’s a sign that it might be worth talking through it with y’all.

The first thing is just…what’s a prototype? Are the individual features I’ve been building a prototype? The funding Conceptualization provides is modest – capping out at $15,000 on a total budget of $20,000 – but in solo and small-team development, that money could get you a really long way. It’s one of the reasons I asked the CMF folks about team composition.

So one of the things I have to do is avoid overthinking that question. I don’t think what I have is a prototype by any reasonable definition, and it’s certainly not $20,000 worth of development, unless I’m massively undervaluing my own time.

To some extent this is a CMF issue – they don’t talk in much detail about what a prototype is for their purposes. I tried to talk about these programs in the first article, but let’s take a look at the descriptions provided by CMF:

Conceptualization

The Conceptualization Program, which forms part of the CMF’s Experimental Stream, allocates funding to Eligible Projects at the very beginning of a Project’s creative process with the objective of giving a Project a better chance to succeed for future stages of financing. Specifically, this Program is designed to allow an Eligible Applicant to create and test a proof of concept and verify either the design idea, concept assumption or demonstrate a functionality in preparation for the Prototyping phase and beyond.

Prototyping

The Prototyping Program allocates funding to projects at the early stages of building a product to demonstrate its intended functionalities and design. Specifically, this phase is for experimenting, testing and validating different concepts and hypotheses to arrive at a first functional prototype.

Beyond this, the required documentation for Conceptualization includes the following language:

CONCEPT DESCRIPTION (MAX. 3 PAGES) provide a written proof of concept proposal indicating clearly what you wish to create and test with the requested funds. The proposal can explore design ideas, concept assumptions or new functionalities and is required to convincingly present how it will be significantly interactive or immersive and how it will be connected to the Canadian cultural sector. Projects at the prototype stage cannot apply under the Conceptualization Program.

That’s…yeah. Confusing. Some language there is actually more similar to the description of the Prototyping program. What’s the difference between a concept assumption and a concept, for example?

So, again, best not to overthink it. PBM is at a very early stage and is in no way a mature concept, and that should really be good enough for a program aimed at early stage projects.

The second thing that’s weird about this is…I’m solo. I don’t have a team. I don’t even really have a network, though I have folks I could maybe talk to if I had resources. The bit of CMF’s response that talks about adjusting the team after the fact was useful here: My team is me, and just about anyone I contract with will be better at the things I ask them to do (art, animation, sound, music, and so on), so…that’s it. Even though I don’t have resources or people lined up right now, there’s a window between a theoretical acceptance and the signing of contracts wherein I could take that funding and attract someone good.

I recognize that’s not the stated intent, but to be honest, the folks I’ve talked to at CMF seem to think that they’re fine with small teams that manage things more or less this way. I’m just holding them to the standard they’ve communicated to me directly.

The third thing that’s weird is this:

I’m doing all the things, so my name goes everywhere. I don’t intend to do things this way in the long term, and I’d really like to be able to do things differently in the short term, but frankly, if it’s good enough for Minecraft and Papers, Please and Tunic, it’s good enough for me.

I don’t really expect to be accepted on the basis of this application, to be honest. Conceptualization is a largely reserved-cohort fund, for one thing, and while I fit into some of those cohorts, I don’t particularly want to take up a slot that could go to someone who fits better and who needs this more than I do.

Plus, this really isn’t the kind of thing that CMF does. I’m a random guy building a game in my off hours. I don’t think anyone’s looking at me as a major contributor to the Canadian cultural scene. I don’t think of myself that way. I’m doing something I love, and I just want help making it the best version of itself. I don’t know that what I’m doing is worthy of note.

But I also don’t know that it’s not. Maybe this game becomes someone’s favourite. I can see the shape of things to come in the dim shadows beyond the work I’m doing right now, and I’m excited to explore them and define them and try them out. I wasn’t a working actor for very long, but it’s a similar feeling – you see the potential of what could be, and you do your utmost to make that a reality.

So…wish me luck? And if you’re a producer or a CMF staffer or just a person with some thoughts about all this, I’d love to hear your perspective on all this. We could use more open discussion about what CMF is for and how small developers – who are often the most passionate and interesting artists in the field – can get their projects work a little better and a little faster.

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“Stock Photography – Canadian Money” by Katherine Ridgley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.