Not much development work this week; we’ve basically been taking a breather since the release of the demo two weeks ago, and preparing for PAX East. It’s gonna be an odd one, a working vacation where I’m taking meetings and shaking hands (or at least taking meetings, what with PAX Pox). I’m hoping to make some moves to increase awareness of the game while I’m there.
Way I see it, and this is 2f’s Half-Baked Theory #147, there are five degrees of awareness about one’s creative work. …technically six.
- #0 — Your mom might have bought a copy even if she doesn’t quite get it, as well as any friends who got tired of you nagging them.
- #1 — You’ve got a dozen or three dozen people who follow you from project to project and are always down for what you wanna do. Pretty much no media coverage, though, and no growth. (This is where I was at with my novel writing.)
- #2 — You’ve got a hundred or so people keenly interested and keeping tabs on what you’re doing, in anticipation of more. Some small blogs and youtubers/streamers are giving you coverage, which is super. (This is where we’re at with Arcade Spirits.)
- #3 — Word is seriously starting to get out; the community as a whole is vaguely aware that you exist and whenever a more well known site mentions you people go “Oh yeah, that thing…”
- #4 — Generally you’re well known and there’s a few thousand people eager to see the end result of your work, and following your news regularly. Professional blogs many have heard of are covering your new developments.
- #5 — Indie success; you’re very likely to turn a profit and folks are routinely talking about you as something worth looking into, beyond just being a hidden gem.
After PAX I’d really like to move us up from #2 to #3. With the help of a publisher, if we can find a good fit for us, maybe we could even hit #4 or #5. The day I tune in to one of my gaming podcasts and hear “So I played this game, Arcade Spirits…” is the day we’ve made it.
Although frankly as long as this crazy shenanigannery pays for itself in the end I’ll be a happy camper, but given the crowded indie scene, who knows?
How can you help us, in the meanwhile? How do we push up to another level? Grassroots support. Everybody reading these words right now has the power to help us get there, by talking the game up, suggesting people play the demo.
If you gotta, emphasize that it’s not what people traditionally think of as a “visual novel” or “date sim.” We’re highly interactive rather than simply clicking through and reading, and the emphasis isn’t on seducing hotties. We aren’t leaning hard into the predictable genre tropes. We’re doing something different, and anything you can do to help us get that out there will help.
Thanks so much. We’ll be back to the grindstone after PAX; for now, let’s schmooze.
I think you could get more traction out of your author minor internet celebrity than you do. I know one year when I was loitering outside a panel waiting to accost you with books to sign I had several people make a comment to me that they were fans of yours and asking if you were supposed to be somewhere nearby and were amused that I was being vaguely stalker-y to catch you.
I’m not sure HOW to get more traction out of it. I’m using every communication channel available to me — my social media feeds, my blog which feeds into tumblr and a mailing list and an RSS feed, etc — and I still get people who say “Oh, hey, I remember you from a decade ago! You still do stuff?”