For many small indie game developers, marketing your game can often feel like a daunting or, even at times, an impossible task to accomplish. With a limited number of resources, many game developers leave little to no budget to market their newly finished titles, a move that can hinder the release. Marketing is critical to success, and to many game developers, paying for ads is completely out of the question.
However, there are other means of gaining exposure to a game without paying an exorbitant amount of money for ad space. Gaming conventions are arguably one of the best ways of getting your new historical video game in front of people and are more often than not more effective than ads. Here are just a few reasons why historical video game developers should consider prioritizing conventions as a primary means of marketing their game.
Improved Exposure
First and foremost, gaming conventions make sense for advertising your historical game because they attract consumers that all share the same interests. Unlike throwing ads up on the internet, which is filled with people from all walks of life, live conventions are guaranteed to feature gamers who are all interested in the same exact thing: video games. Thus, bringing your brand new game to a convention seems like a great way of finding an audience of gamers - and potential buyers. From there, word of mouth will help market your game.
Hands-on Time as a Marketing Tool
One of the most significant benefits of developers bringing their games to conventions is that they allow convention-goers to see the game in action and have hands-on time with it. One issue with online advertising is that gamers cannot get a proper feel for how the title will actually play. With trailers and images, gamers can see how a game will look and get a basic idea of how it might play, but they won’t know for certain.
By offering a playable demo to attendees, you can show potential buyers how your historical video game will play. And there’s no better way of advertising your game than to give players time to experience it.
Networking
Not only does bringing your historical game to a live convention allow you to connect with consumers, but it also lets you connect with other game developers, publishers, media personnel, and others involved within the gaming industry. This is, perhaps, just as important as reaching consumers. Networking allows you to meet new people, grow your circle within the industry, gain exposure through potential news outlets that attend the convention, and better expose yourself and your game to the gaming industry as a whole.
More Bang for Your Buck
Advertising can get expensive fast. Paying for ads across multiple platforms for a long period of time, from social media to television networks, can get pricey very quickly. Taking your historical video game to a convention is typically more affordable and serves as a guaranteed means of exposure. For indie game developers that have a limited budget, taking your game to live conventions won’t cost much in most cases and is, therefore, a viable marketing option. And with a lower cost, there is less to lose. Even if your game doesn’t perform well at a convention, it will be a relatively low price to pay for the sake of live consumer feedback.
These are just a handful of different reasons why it’s a good idea to take your historical video game to a live convention. So now, what are you waiting for? If you’re a game developer who just finished developing a new title, get in contact with us at Epoch Xperience, and we can help market your game by finding conventions to show your game. If conventions still aren’t your thing, we offer tailored methods of advertising your game, including social media posts and original blog content.
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At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)