Promoting Your Project

Promoting Your Project Games are made to be played...and we're sure you want as many people playing your project as possible. Here we'll discuss the ways in which you can promote your project to get as many people playing as possible. Share this Tutorial →

We create video games for people to enjoy and these days, with the wondrous internet as a fantastic source of exposure, getting people to play our games is simpler than ever...right?

Getting people interested in your project can be a challenge but why is it that some projects generate lots of interest (even if they're not the greatest games in the world) and others don't? There's no sure fire forumla BUT there are a few very clever things you can do to help things along in the right direction.

Shout about your project from step 1:

Once you've pinned your idea down and know where you would like your project to go, let people know you're working on it. The best way to do this is through user forums, many of them allow you to create threads specifically about your projects in its various stages of development. There are 2 major reasons for doing this.

Feedback:

 In these early stages of development, your game will look and feel completely different to the way it will eventually turn out. This is always due to feedback from various parties. These forums are a great source of ideas and feedback from a community made up on your customers - gamers! 

This approach will of course attract criticism of your ideas, as they will never be perfect. When I first started working on projects I found that criticism was useful and well intended if it was constructive. If someone presents a problem AND a solution then this criticism is useful to you and should be taken on board...especially if the point is made by more than one person. If someone simply says 'I don't like this idea' or 'it's crap, it won't work' then don't worry too much. In the creative industries an opinion is only as good as the evidence used to back it up and a suitable alternative. 

Community Interest:

- You want people talking about your project and contributing to the overall idea. There's not a game, or a product on Earth that does not rely on some community involvement from relevant stakeholders. This is what focus groups, beta testing, pre-release demos, previews, reviews and more are for...to make people feel somewhat involved in the development process. It's easier to think of a great video game as an entity in its own right that is not owned by any single person or company but instead is owned by every individual that plays it and is inspired by its characters or message. This is why some of the greatest video games inspire fan fiction, spin-off amateur games, music and even feature films. Think of your game as property of the community that you are simply directing and you may find it easier to promote it to said community.

Keep people informed:

If someone is interested in your project then fantastic! you've done the first and possible the most difficult task in promoting your work. The next is keeping the individual interested throughout your production process. There are numerous ways to do this...you can do one or all, they each have their pros and cons.  1: Rely on the forums 2: Use Youtube 3: Start a website 4: Run a mailing list

Promotion should not cost you money

Get reviewed