As a newer participant at GenCon I was struck by the sheer size of it, as well as the number of new games being demoed and sold. Wondering how the market bears this, I attended a panel titled Tabletop Business in the Digital Age, hosted by Geek and Sundry. The panel consisted of:
- Jonathan Ying: Developer with Fantasy Flight, credited for Imperial Assault
- Ross Thompson: IDW, helps run KingdomCon
- James Hudson: Druid City Games and Skybound
- Jenn Ellis: Together Studios
- Ivan Van Norman: Producer with Geek and Sundry, among other things
- Sax Carr: Facilitator of the panel
The hour long panel was fairly wide ranging. The intended audience were people looking to develop and/or publish their own games, a feat which becomes increasingly difficult in the current tabletop gaming market. The percentage of the audience that fit that description was fairly low, perhaps about one in five attendees. Most were curious, wanting to be involved in the industry in some way, but did not specifically have a publishing goal in mind.
In keeping with the title of the panel, the largest block of time was spent discussing some strategies for publicizing a game by making use of platforms such as Twitch and Kickstarter. A statistic was floated that years ago the publishing companies competed with around 1000 games released a year. Now that number is closer to 5000 (Kickstarter accounted for approximately 3400 of that in 2017 alone). How does your specific game make an impact given the volume and interest in products being created?
The main answer that emerged was authenticity and consistent engagement. Most of the panelists either mentioned or emphasized the idea that it is not enough to just do occasional social media involvement. The community of players being what it is, if you spam a number of Facebook groups with the same promotional messages, will see the same copy used over and over again. This comes off as inauthentic marketing. To quote James Hudson, “Businesses work better with authentic engagement”. He outlined a strategy that involved being transparent with your progress. If you are creating a game, show some of the material. Post pictures of alpha or beta design and art. Let your communities in on what you are building and let them feel part of that journey of creation.
There was a question and concern about this approach, mostly around releasing intellectual property (IP) early for others to copy. Jonathan Ying told a story about how he was working on a rule set or idea that was very similar to a rule set that someone else was working on. The other group’s rules were released first, so it seemed like they had been ‘scooped’. But there was no communication or precedent set. Ying hadn’t published or shared his rules, so there was nothing that could have been stolen. Sometimes being open about what you are working on means there is a precedent. You can point to your own work before others develop something similar. The panel encouraged not shying away from being open about your process.
Some highlights on using social media include the below channels. Each channel requires multiple “activations” or engagements. One and done will not cut it in the current market:
- How to Play videos: have to hit multiple veins, can’t rest on one avenue for advertising
- Social Media doesn’t carry you, but you need to do it
- Build public relations through reviews and advertisements such as ManvsMeeple)
- Have to get an email list. If you’re not on Twitter to see the launch announcement, it might be missed
With the wider approach in the digital spaces, Jenn Ellis mentioned not giving up on physical spaces altogether. While not everyone can make it to events like GenCon, she spends many weekends on the road promoting and providing demos of her company’s games. There are many avenues through which people learn games and those should not be dismissed or forgotten. Also be open to how other people might demo or describe your game. Someone might stumble on a way to simply your pitch.
Another key take away was not giving up. Norman Van Ivan mentioned AirBnB as an example of a company that had to launch three or four times before they were successful. Now they are, of course, a massive disruptor in their market. If your Kickstarter doesn’t get 30% funded in the first three days, cancel it and try again. Here also a single engagement during the first day isn’t enough. Build interest around your idea by engaging with the communities that might find the game or the theme interesting, not just your traditional gaming groups. Do that early and often.
To illustrate that point, an example given was the launch and buzz around a new Power Rangers game offered by Renegade Studies (the Kickstarter has launched and is already funded). This game was brought up as an example of engaging with communities that may not be into board games as a default. Much of the excitement for this game came from communities that just liked Power Rangers and were into that dope IP. This was a thing they loved and wanted to know more about. Ellis remarked that board games are the “Only consumer product in which you are asking someone to learn a new skill in order to enjoy it”. So they better like what you’re trying to build. Having them interested in the theme and story goes a long way to crossing that hurdle.
Another topic the panel spent some time expanding on was the idea of reviews and moving past a ‘review’ culture to a ‘let’s try something out’ culture. Here at NerdUnion we also review games and/or give our impressions of upcoming games. A strategy this humble author is trying to adopt, thanks in large part to the panel, is staying away from negative reviews, or not reviewing a game you did not like (Carr brought this up as an old Geek and Sundry rule for game reviews). Instead, think of who the game is for. Who might like this game? Why would someone want the play this, even if you do not?
As the gaming community becomes bigger and as the number of available games increases, the panel closed with the idea of finding the communities where your game will resonate the best. Not all gaming communities are hardcore gamers and what is fun for one community may not be fun for others. Be authentic with those engagements and consistent. The panelists view themselves as part of the communities they create for. The often echoed sentiment was developers and publishers do not get into this business to make money (Hudson emphasized you will not be rich doing this). Creating a game, developing the rules, testing it, and bringing it to market is a labor of love. You can make a living, but you better love what you do to make it happen.
Ross Blythe is a Chicago based gamer interested in all things tabletop. He enjoys reading history as well as fiction, and so has a soft spot for historical wargames like Pike & Shotte. For the campaigns he runs as a DM he often looks to history for inspiration, for the lessons of the past to challenge the players at his table.
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