Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Game On and Valuing our Work

On the weekend I attended the Game On convention which is a part of Sydney's Vivid lights festival. It was super fun with lots of talks about the future of technology, the trends in the gaming industry and so forth. I went to a talk on how to pitch your game and discovered it was pretty much the same as pitching a novel. Know your audience. Be specific. When using adjectives make sure they are descriptive rather than subjective eg don't say, 'This is an awesome game!' Explain what makes it awesome.

I'm also over at the IWSG website with a few other authors and we are discussing valuing our work. Should we offer our work for free so others can profit from it? I'd love to see you over there and hear your opinion.




55 comments:

cleemckenzie said...

Gaming is such an interesting and exciting field. You are amazing, Lynda. I wouldn't know where to start on something like this.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The convention sounds amazing.
Your post today was great!

Denise Covey said...

I guess marketing is marketing whatever the product. Sounds like you're enjoying your gaming venture. The vivid festival looks awesome. I've never been. Must fix that maybe next year. :-)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Best place to start is a love of gaming :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It was brilliant. So much to see and do.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Vivid is such a wonderful thing for Sydney and a great way to see Sydney at night too. This weekend I'm staying in the city and doing a bunch of walking to check out all the light displays.

Unknown said...

It's kind of strange that game designers and writers are so closely related. I guess you have to pitch your work and try to sell no matter what your job is, huh? lol

Nick Wilford said...

That sounds like fun. I don't really play games anymore, but some of them have some really excellent stories and I can imagine it is similar to pitching a book.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

yarp..there's no escaping the marketing side of a creative outlet.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

yep, one of the games I'm working on is heavily story-based. I can't help myself ;)

Unknown said...

I dread the marketing side of things, but good to know it's pretty much universal. Awesome for you for spanning more than one medium!

DEZMOND said...

What? You can't say it's awesome possum?

Christine Rains said...

Sounds like a great festival! Marketing is always so tough, but the basic rules are same around the board. Now if only we could find that magic formula!

emaginette said...

The pitch does sound similar. Glad you had fun. That's what life is about. That and paying bills. hehehe

Anna from Elements of Writing

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

I've never tried games. Hats off to you for your many talents -- and for going to conferences. I always gain a lot from conferences.

Pat Hatt said...

So I can't go with everything is awesome? Lego Movie lied.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

Lynda, congratulations on presenting at the game convention. Excellent advice about pitching specifics rather than subjectively. Thanks for this advice. I've visited and left a comment at the IWSG website. Good advice there as well. Thanks for sharing such wonderful advice with your readers.

Libby said...

The game convention looked cool!

SpacerGuy said...

This convention has no doubt affected many on an emotional level with emotions running high, therefore I must consider myself an emotional human! Great post, Lynda

Cathrina Constantine said...

How exciting, Lynda! I hope it all went as you expected.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Spanning more than one medium is challenging but so satisfying.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I can think it, but ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It's 'Alacazzam!' But don't tell anyone... ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

urgh...bills... if only they didn't exist!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

conferences are so inspiring, no matter what they are about.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

But everything IS awesome!! We just have to go the extra mile and explain WHY it's awesome... ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Thanks, Victoria. Your support, as always, is hugely appreciated.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

So very cool!! The geek in me had a little dance.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Interesting logic...

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, it was better than expected (which is saying something)

Gail said...

What an interesting career.

Thanks for your contributions to IWSGI. I certainly am in need of some encouragement. I have written millions of words and never have attempted to publish. I will be a continual reader of this service.

H. R. Sinclair said...

I love gaming conventions - it's like a big party!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

That must have been very exciting. I bet it would be as stressful to pitch a game as it would a novel.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Pitching sounds similar across careers and products being sold.

I'll check out the post.

Caryn Caldwell said...

Wow! That looks really cool! And I love hearing how the pitches compare. I bet it's the same no matter what you're trying to pitch, actually.

Carol Riggs said...

That makes sense, about pitching being the same for games as for novels. Interesting. Have fun!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Hope you had an awesome time at the gaming convention!

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm certain that you had lots of fun at the convention, Lyn.
Your work is actually "play" - how cool is that?

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lynda .. just off to the IWSG to see what everyone says ... I know so little about gaming, but I'd love to learn sometime! The convention sounds amazing ... cheers Hilary

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

That's a lot of words.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yes!! Exactly!!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Oddly enough, I'm more relaxed when it comes to talking about my game.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Thanks, Medeia

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm thinking that too.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I hadn't thought about it before. It was an eye-opener.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Awesome and brilliant!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Ha, if only it always felt like play ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

gaming is all about having fun.. that's all you really need to know ;)

Mark said...

Looks like fun! I used to work for a game company myself:)

Blue Grumpster said...

Explain what makes it awesome... Exactly. That's what I tell my students when grading their essays.

Suze said...

You are the cool girl. You know that, right?

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It can be intense work, but hugely rewarding.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

The sparkle makes it awesome because, well, sparkles are awesome, see.


;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

'Cool' is not an adjective commonly associated with me. 'Goofy', yes, 'odd' definitely, but rarely 'cool' ;)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Thank you for sharing experience at the convention. I'm sure it was exciting!!! I will head over to IWSG. That is a great topic.