Showing Games

Posted on by dtw.ledbetter

‘What’s that?’ 

‘It’s the Playdate – the handheld with a crank! I’ve made a bunch of games for it, would you like to see?’

Whether or not you’ve developed or released anything for the system, you are probably getting questions about your Playdate when you have it out near others. It’s a fascinating little device and people are universally stunned and charmed when the crank pops out!  

If you Have made a game, hopefully you are enjoying some love from your friends, family, discord, reddit, facebook, any of our other community bubbles. To take it a step further, have you considered showing it publicly? Have you taken your system to a trade show or a games meetup? I’ve done this several times since starting to develop for the Playdate and Every time I come home warmed and fulfilled at both the enthusiasm folks have for the device and the excitement they get from learning about the ease of development. Most have only heard of the Playdate or seen an article about it online even as they’re finally filtering out into the world. 

My Experience

I’m lucky.. I have Games Y’all. Games Y’all is a monthly games meetup in Austin, TX that branched out of Fantastic Arcade which was part of Fantastic Fest put on by Alamo Drafthouse. Fantastic Arcade was a huge inspiration as it was a show that focused on indie games and made them real to me. This was where I first played Mountain, Obra Dinn, Donut County, Wheels of Aurelia, MultiBowl. It was a longtime dream of mine to present my games at their shows and bring the whole journey full circle. 

Now look, I’m firmly on the line between introvert and extrovert. So this part is harder for some than others and definitely easier for some than for me! The Reason to go through the setup of lugging equipment and hell – making the game in the first place – is to Share it! Seeing people play your game in-person is an experience like few others. It’s also a fantastic way to get feedback, make a name for yourself or even generate sales!

I’ve done this four times now and am gearing up for another round in June for Off-Planet Dreams. Here’s how I usually go about my setup – how I secure the Playdates and talk about the system.

Typically, we have about a 6ft table area for a display. I personally like to show how the game is being developed by having Pulp or the SDK open with the Sim running the game on a laptop. I also have a CRT that I am able to pipe the Playdate to, but any traditional monitor would suffice. Get familiar with the Simulator or Mirror for this! It is a good idea to have a largish screen as an attractor so people can either play or see it running from afar. It’s also a good idea to try and elevate it off the table somewhat in order to catch the eye!

I always bring 2-3 Playdates for people to check out the game I’m showing on physical hardware. Each of these is in one of the 3D printed Playdate grips that I’ve written about in previous issues. I very specifically created a hole in the grip to aline with the screw hole in the bottom right of the Playdate. Through this, I run a strong monofilament wire so a system doesn’t walk away when I’m not looking. The line is typically about 6ft long and tied to the table I’m using for display. I have never been too concerned in terms of security at these events, but I figured I’d get ahead of any issues. 

While no one has ever tried to steal a system, I did have one horrible moment when a Playdate was dropped and the screen popped out! Thankfully, it popped right back in and my heart was able to resume beating. 

The only trouble I’ve ever had with setup has been in darker venues when the lighting wasn’t sufficient. In those cases, the organizers were kind enough to give me additional lamps for my area, but it’s definitely a thing to consider in the future. If you know it’s going to be a darker environment, I super suggest grabbing an attachable booklight or two to clip to the Playdate itself or to a grip. Just put some thought into it so your audience doesn’t have to figure it out.

What I truly believe prevents theft or damage more than anything else.. is Help. I don’t do this solo! My partner often comes with me and I have another friend or two that come to assist. That would primarily be Kodiak Games – we made Reflections: Nightingale together and showed it as well! Having a strong presence is essential for securing your boothspace but More Importantly you will need help talking to people.

Talking It Up

Many people have Not in fact seen the Playdate before, and just like the folks that come up to you on the street when you’re playing it, they’ll likely be interested in this quirky little device. There’s a lot to talk about! Some good starters: 

  • The 1-bit screen
  • Playability in daylight
  • Designed by Teenage Engineering
  • Made by Panic which published Untitled Goose Game and makes software like NOVA
  • THE CRANK 

You can also mention your experience developing for the system – show them Pulp or the SDK and let them know these are Free to use and games are fairly unrestricted.  As we all know, you don’t actually have to have a Playdate to make and release a game!

Giveaways

Do you know what’s also cool? Making things related to your game to give away. My first time out, my partner and I made a Zine from assets and writings I’d produced while I made ART7 and ART-O-Ween. I’ve also made vinyl stickers of my character ‘Bop’ and printable rulesets for CHEK so attendees could play at home on a physical board setup. 

For this next show, I’m stepping it up and bringing a vending machine with merch for anyone that makes an Off-Planet Dreams level there on the spot! This drives interest and traffic to your setup, but is also just a lot of fun to produce and give out to people. It is always well received and you can get a little crafty or a little spendy depending on what you want to make.

Giveaways can also be a great ice breaker if it’s a little hard for you to walk up to someone and say ‘Would you like to check out my game?’ or ‘Have you seen the Playdate before?’ These are great conversation starters, but think about what comes next before you go. What’s the story behind the game? Why did you create it? What is cool about it? What is driving you to get out and show it in person? 

So why would you go out and show your game? For Feedback? Praise? To get a message out or to grow awareness of you and your studio? To sell your game? To join a community? Knowing your own motivation will help you get the most out of the event and will keep you focused when speaking with attendees. Try not to pigeon-hole yourself though! Part of the fun is opening up to folks and making new friends or potential collaborators.

Now YOU

To find your own Local communities, I’d suggest checking if there’s an IGDA chapter near you: Chapters – IGDA (https://igda.org/chapters-directory/) 

The International Game Developers Association has groups worldwide and many host regular events. Get involved!

Another good resource is to look into your local art scene. Many art groups, collectives or coops can be very mixed media aware and that often includes interest in tech and games. There’s a lot of intersectionality to be had. 

Finally, if you’re a student or in education there are may be any number of groups on campus that would be interested in game development and testing. I am extremely lucky to be in a place that has an organization and a community already doing these meetups regularly, and now I call many of them my friends.  If there is not a community yet where you are, this is your call to start one!

Originally Published in Uncrank'd #4