So, you’ve got your booth at the convention. You’ve done your research. And yet, there are always surprises.
For Part 1 of the Making the Most of My Convention Experience series, click here.
Research might not entirely prepare you for your real, first-time experience showing at a convention. Knowing what to expect helps, but when you’re suddenly showing your game to thousands of people, over and over again, surprises are bound to come up. While a great deal of good can come from showing at cons with so many people playing your game, the nature of showing for days on end can make for some challenging situations. Many of which can be surprisingly mundane and yet easy to miss for that very reason.
Sometimes, it can be an aspect of planning that slipped past you. “Although we had planned ahead enough to make some buttons to hand out to people, we totally forgot to have any sort of information card about the game printed, so we had to make an emergency run to Kinko’s during lunch on the first day to print off some terrible-quality cards with our game logo on them. It was better than nothing, but not a mistake we want to repeat,” says Jack.
The sheer volume of the hustle and bustle of the show floor may take some developers by surprise, but Johnson has some advice for that. “The floor is much louder than you realize, so plan your audio setup a bit. Unless you have a really big booth, a nice pair of comfy headphones is probably best (make sure they’re wired so people don’t walk off with them!).”
A big tip that many developers mentioned about showing was not to make light of just how exhausting and physically taxing conventions can be. “What’s surprising is how tired you get,” says Skandalakis. “The Zer0 Inbox team did 2 of the 4 days of PAX West with Indie MEGABOOTH and were EXHAUSTED. Our voices were hoarse! Be sure to take throat lozenges with you. On top of that, be sure to bring hand sanitizer as the number of people you meet will be large and the ‘con flu’ is real.”
“Make sure your shoes have comfy insoles and that you bring a bunch of throat lozenges. You will be standing and talking a whole lot!” says Johnson.
“Convention floors are KILLERS on your feet, even while sitting… I would definitely recommend wearing comfortable shoes, maybe even some [floor] padding if you can swing it. Also, drinks lots of water, you’ll be talking to a ton of people and your throat will be dead afterwards. When you come back from the show, take a day or two off to rest,” says Gooden.
“I see why other companies purchased padded carpet for their booths. Standing on the hard convention floor for a while can wear on your body and the great folks coming to check out your game have been walking around all day and their feet are just as tired as yours. Padded carpet can go a long way,” says Jack.
Other surprising concerns may come up during the show, as Gooden found while watching people play their game. “This sounds so weird, but honestly… I had no idea what to do with myself during playtests. I only had one screen, so during playtests, I would stand behind players as I watched them play. It was fine, but a little awkward, y’know? It’s like – ‘How far apart should I stand without being too close but also not being so far as to block foot traffic and look like a weirdo? What should I do with my hands? Oh my god my feet hurt so much like WTF?’”
On top of feeling unsure what to do while players were working through their games, developers found an added mental strain from watching people play the same section of their game over and over and over. “And one last thing… inevitably, there WILL be a point where you get sick of seeing your game being played. Don’t stress about it, though, it’s a totally natural feeling. It’s like if you somehow had to watch the Bee Movie dozens, if not hundreds of times in succession. The movie may be alright (YMMV), but you’ll still be sick of it (Also, that’s an actual thing I did as a kid. I practically know that entire movie by heart now. Don’t ask why, I have no idea either),” says Gooden.
While not knowing what to do when people are there can be a problem, it’s also might feel like a bit of an issue when people aren’t there as well. “I may be a bit of a pessimist (or realist) at times, but I was honestly surprised that so many people were interested in our game. Arcade Spirits is a pretty niche game: a romantic comedy visual novel steeped in arcade culture. Even though, thanks to games like Dream Daddy and Doki Doki Literature Club, the visual novel genre is growing, it’s still not as mainstream as, lets say, a side scrolling platformer. So, I had some hesitation that we might not perform well. Would people be into it? Would they adore the characters as much we do?” says Schumann.
“Luckily, since I’ve been to several conventions (to enjoy) the inner working of how cons go didn’t phase me. People walk by, you engage, they’re either interested or not, and so on and so on. I always am amazed by the ebb and flow though of convention. Like, one minute you’ll have a group of 20 people standing around and you’re talking nonstop, and then, a lull, a break in the chat, and those who pass by just move on. I caution devs to not be discouraged during the lull. It’s all natural, and you should use that time to take a break, eat a snack, use the bathroom.”
Suddenly finding yourself with no one at your booth can be depressing, but there can be a natural come and go to people coming to see your game. It may feel discouraging and take you by surprise, but you’ve just got to keep going.
This can come from con-goers being a bit uncomfortable with being talked to directly as well. All manner of folks go to conventions, and not everyone is extremely comfortable talking with a stranger. “One thing that I learned from talking to people is that not everyone is comfortable in engaging,” says Schumann. “I used to want to walk up to every person whose eyes lingered longer than a second and give them the elevator pitch. I was so eager to talk to as many people as possible. However, every person you encounter is different. Some people prefer to watch and take it in rather than ask you all the details about your game. I often approach with a simple ‘Feel free to ask me any questions you have about Arcade Spirits.’ This allows for the person to engage with me if they choose, or to simply not. I’m not forcing anyone into a situation they don’t want to be in,” says Schumann.
That constant chatting will be a big part of your day, and that may be quite difficult for those who aren’t used to talking a great deal. “Know that your entire day revolves around the people you meet and interact with. It may not seem like much, but take the time to practice your social skills. One meeting can make the difference of people wanting your game or not. Treating people with respect and knowing how to talk to them are very important.”
Finally, some plain old normal surprises might strike at a bad time, like your booth simply falling apart, or you find yourself with something that doesn’t want to sit up straight. “And always bring duct tape, rope, scissors, and a screwdriver for booth set up. Always,” says Schumann.
Many different things may take you by surprise during that first convention, as it did for the developers we spoke to, but you can work your way through them with some preparation (and more advice from other developers, which we’ll continue sharing with you in our next installment).
We’ll see you tomorrow for Part 3: Words of Experience!
Dive headfirst into the exhibiting experience by joining the Indie Playground at DreamHack Dallas this June. Selected games will receive a free booth in the Expo at a festival that encompasses everything gamer life from esports, to indie games, to midnight horror films.
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