Journey into making games at UAT-Postmortem

To view my previous post go here:

http://makinggamesatuat.blogspot.com/2015/08/journey-into-making-games-at-uat-part-5.html

Mirrored Game pages:

Website: http://mirroredgame.squarespace.com/welcome/

Still under construction but some areas are now live.

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/MirroredReflectiveResolution

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirroredGame

Crowdfunding: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mirrored#/story

 

Seminar in Game production- Postmortem

I think this class was interesting it started with us making video pitches to the team members that we wanted to help. I send my 2 videos pitches to 2 different teams than the one I eventually end up working for. The first week was frustrating because I really did not want to work for that team. I didn’t like the game concept, the game art or the story setting. But I have been here before in my life and you do what you have to do.

I think the course should be called Seminar in Game marketing since that is what I mostly did for the team. I think the course should allow the students that have a product or game like me, to work, create and market their own game or product. If the student doesn’t have a game or product then they can assist the school’s team that need assistant with their projects.

I think the course required an outrageous amount of hours for a 3 credit class-20 hours per week for 7.5 weeks. I think that is a little too much even for a graduate course. In most colleges or universities, a student generally receives credit hours based on the number of "contact hours" per week in class, for one term; more well known as Semester Credit Hours (SCH). A contact hour includes any class time meetings plus outside time needed for the student to complete the work. However, SCH is about 15-16 contact hours per semester per credit hour, regardless of the duration of the course and depending on the state or jurisdiction. So for a 3 credit courses we are talking about 45-48 hours (SCH) per semester for most colleges and universities. We did about 160+ hours for this course. I have done more than that when I did my student teaching but that was for a 12 credit class and 8 week duration. As you can see I think the amount of hours we had to put in for 3 credits, just doesn’t make any sense. I am glad this class in the summer since this class became my part time job.

I think if the goal of the class is to give you an understanding of game production perhaps it should focus more on that but I had other classes already that did that, perhaps the production roles should be more like when you do student teaching, you start as an observer and then eventually you take the reins of the class while the teacher observes and gives you constructive criticism. I think that model could be more productive here than the current one. The books we read covered the role of the producer but I really did not get to experience it, since my role was more like a Social Media Manager than anything else.

I have plenty of experience producing PPTs, videos, flash animations, I have plenty of Photoshop image creation and manipulation experience, some game animation and HTML5 and CSS web page creation knowledge but I never got to do any of that for this team. I could have created many things but instead I became the Twitter Manager. I created a page to promote the game but they didn’t like it or wanted to use it. They created their own page and sat unused for a couple of weeks. I successfully ran it for 7 weeks (from 0 impressions to 11.2K impressions, 0 profile visits to 502 profile visits, 0 tweets to 82 tweets, and from 0 to 163 followers) but they didn’t like it. They created their own page and it sat idled for 3 weeks, no tweets, no followers, not much going there. I asked them to let me help with it but it took about a week or more to actually get access and I finally got it about 3 weeks ago. I grab that baby and with the little bit of knowledge I recently acquired about social media, the page has grown to 0 impressions to 21k impressions, 0 profile visits to 932 profile visits, 0 tweets to 186 tweets, and 0 followers to 276 followers at last counts. The page is thriving and continues to grow each day.

At the start of the course I had no experience promoting anything using any type of social media. I have never use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. to promote anything. Also I never used any analytics or had any knowledge on how to use them effectively. I can say that after this class now I have a pretty good understanding of what are the analytics for all the social medias and how to use them. Connecting with Kim Garst, Kevan Lee and few others has been a very valuable resource when it comes to learning about this arena. They have shown me so much and they have provided me with some many resources, eBooks, PDFs, links to social media blogs, weekly social media marketing tips newsletters and emails full of golden social media nuggets.

I am glad that I ended up working with this team because I see how unprepared the teams I wanted to work were. I was frustrated at the beginning since not much was happening here. I can really empathize with the role of the producer at this point even though I was not a producer. It is hard to oversee all the aspects of the game production but in this case is even harder since the people doing the work are doing for a class, grade, technically for free or because they have assigned to it. No passion, no love, and no care for the product they are making. I would say that is definitely a recipe for disaster but Ben has done a great job. I would say a little slow for my managing style but he is progressing at slow pace towards the goal he has set. If you visit the links provided above you can see the latest from the team and send us a Tweet, like us on Facebook, and participate in our Indiegogo game campaign.

Thank your reading about this Journey into what is like to make games at UAT.

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 5

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 5

To view my previous post go here:

http://makinggamesatuat.blogspot.com/2015/08/journey-into-makinggames-at-uat-part-4.html

The advice, articles and PDFs that I got from Kevan Lee, Kim Garst and a few others has been very useful because I found it not only practical but also very effective in creating growth. One of the most important things they have mentioned is that you need to speak to your audience. In the last few weeks we have been dabbing with how to market a game that is still under production. We have created some of the things that they have suggested and we hoped to reap the benefits of their advice even though not one social guru can really give you a 100% proof formula to make everything work according to the way we plan them. But one item that is very important is this:

In social media you need to find your marketing voice and tone!

Most new marketers fall into the temptation of jumping into social media way to quickly from the start and they start sharing without thinking. But you really need to think about your audience, your followers, the people you are targeting and fine tune your voice and your tone for that market. If you think about this carefully then your content will be more focus and more productive. Kevan Lee suggests that you should ask yourself questions similar to these:

1.       If your product was a person, what kind of personality would it have?

2. If your product was a person, what’s kind of relationship would it have with the consumer? (a friend, buddy, coach, teacher, etc.)
3. Describe your product using adjectives that your company’s personality doesn’t have.
4. Can you find other products that have a similar personality to yours? Why are they similar?
5. How do you want your customers to think about your company or your product?

We you finish answering these questions; you should realize that now you have handful of adjectives that describe the voice and tone of your marketing and few others. Mrs. Garst says that you should consider also that your voice is your mission statement; and your tone is the implementation of that mission. The bottom line is that you need to cultivate and hone a voice that delights your customers. If you do that then all your customers will be thrilled to spread the love about you throughout all the social media outlets you have selected as part of the image of your product.

You also need to fine tune your postings regardless of the social media you are choosing.

This is tricky to answer. How often should you post? When should you post? What’s the ideal amount to post per day? There is no solid answer you can find to answer all these questions. It depends of your audience and niche. What works for you might not work for me, and you never know until you try if something works or not. However, there is some pretty good data and insight about where to start. The key is balance between amazing content, perfect timing and posting frequency. Images get 53% more likes; videos get 28% more engagement; quotes get 19% more retweets and hashtags received a 16% boost.

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 4

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 4

To view my previous post go here:

http://makinggamesatuat.blogspot.com/2015/08/journey-into-makinggames-at-uat-part-3.html

Well we are getting towards the end and I am so glad I have been using Tweeter analytics. I have been using pictures, Gifs and really paying attention to who I add since the 2000 follower Twitter rule is really easy to break then you can add any more followers until you get more followers. So far we I have a 3 to 1 ratio on my page and on the game page we have a 2 to 1. Facebook has something similar called “user Insights & interactions insights” This article: http://mashable.com/2010/09/03/facebook-insights-guide/  breaks it down from beginner’s point of view.

Also, I found that Pinterest has some analytics and I turned them on for the Pinterest Mirrored Game page I created a few weeks ago: https://www.pinterest.com/mirroredgamepro/  but the traffic is been minimal. But I really haven’t promoted it much because I didn’t have any images to put there until 2 weeks ago. I seriously think that these analytics are very valuable especially if you are running a business or if you are trying to promote a product or a company.

We are continuing our serious on making games and we are focusing on the aspects that deal with how to promote the games if they are still under production. We talked about social media because it is one of the most affordable ways to promote these new products.

Make sure your company and/or product have a completely filled out profile page.

This should be a major priority because this shows that you are professional, it tells the potential visitors or followers that you are serious about engaging them and finally that you have a cohesive brand in mind. You need make sure that you have enough visuals. You should also aim for similar images that are consistent and familiar from one social media to another one if you are using multiple ones. In the bio or info section you need to aim for at least six items:

1.         Don’t tell you audience “What you have done or who you are”! Show them that means use actions verbs. Focus on what you do or what is the product precisely in the shortest way possible.

2.         Remember your audience, use keywords tailor specifically to them.  Focus and be as specific as you can, about you and about your product. Skip the generalizations and use very specific target words because all social media profiles are searchable.

3.         Avoid buzzwords and try to keep fresh.

Check this site http://twitterbiogenerator.com/ to find some funny and overused words.

4.         You profile or product page should answer this question: “What’s in it for me?”

You should make it very clear to your followers and tell them what exactly they are going to get when they follow you.

5.         Get personal and try to be funny if you can.

I know that funny is relative but try to find that hidden funny bone because social media loves it. Tell a one of kind or unique story or an old one with a new spin.

6.         Review and revisit often

Your areas of interest grow and change, you try and learn new things, your product changes and it evolves. Your bio/info page should reflect those changes.

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 3

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 3

To view my previous post go here: http://makinggamesatuat.blogspot.com/2015/07/journey-into-making-games-at-uat-part-2.html/

Things started to improve last week. I actually got some game pictures and team pictures to share in the social media arenas. I am learning lots of lessons about using Tweeter, Tweets, and Tweeter analytics. I am so glad one of classmates talked about it because I never heard of it. It really awesome and I think Facebook also has one I want to investigate that one also. I wonder if Pinterest and the other Social media sites have similar analytics because they seem to be very valuable especially if you are running a business.

How do you create a marketing plan and build momentum for a game that is still in production?

Last week I mentioned that your first step should be created a landing or splash page for the item you are trying to promote.  Something that is very important is that page sometimes it leads to the social media networks that you are choosing to use based on the target audience you are trying to reach. So I guess before you create the landing or splash page you should decide what social media is more valuable, because if your target audience is not a big user of tweeter then perhaps the time and energy that you are going to spend there will be wasted.

Social media is as homogenous from network to network as soda drinks are from brand to brand. Sure, it’s all social media, but Facebook & YouTube, and Google+ and Twitter might as well be Coke, and Dr. Pepper, or Mountain Dew and/or Pepsi. Each network is unique, with its own best practices, own style, and own audience.  You don’t need to be in all of them if it doesn’t serve your purpose and your audience. Some things you need to consider when you are deciding how many social media outlets you are trying aside from the audience,  are Time and Resources.

How much time can you dedicate to that social network?

You need to dedicate at least one per day per social network, especially at the beginning to gather momentum and followers. Choose who you follow based on your target audience and goals. Once you build some speed you can use companies like Buffer to save a bit of time. If you use Buffer you can write a bunch of posts at one time, choose which social profiles to send them to, and then Buffer will spread them out throughout the day or week so that you don't have to be at a computer all the time in order to have a social media presence. Buffer shortens your links, and they provide more analytics than Twitter and/or Facebook. They have a free plan and different paying plans.

What personnel and skills do you have to make really valuable posts?

Visual social networks like Pinterest and Instagram require images and photos. Twitter posts with pictures and videos are open and retweet more often than ones without them. Social networks like Google+ emphasize quality content. You should ask yourself here: Do you have the resources to create what’s needed to post to the social networks that your target audience uses?

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 2

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 2

To view my first post go here: http://makinggamesatuat.blogspot.com/

 For the last 2 weeks this journey is been nothing more than a frustrating exercise. Anytime I work in a project I usually try to hit the ground running when I work on projects. I try to absorb as much as I can and let me creative juices start flowing. So I had several ideas and I wanted to propose them to the team but they did not seem interested on them.

How to communicate with a slow moving team?

I am not sure I know how to do that since I am used to working alone. I am teacher by training so I am usually the one telling people what to do. Also I am a used to working in fast pace environment because as high school teacher I teach teaching 6 periods a day, and 5 days a week. I have to be ready because there is no time to waste and lots of thing to do. So I have agendas, timetables, due dates, many different things plants to push the student forward, etc.  But the team that I am working seems to be of different breed, the slow kind of breed. It is definitely not the kind of team I am used to work with so it has been frustrating because I feel that we are wasting time.

The team has a good leader and he has done a great job but I feel that they are moving kind of slow. The game is supposed to come out next year I don’t think it will be ready but I could be wrong since I don’t have any experience in this arena. Hope fully they can pick the pace and things start rolling a little faster.

How do you promote and build momentum for a game that is not out yet?

There are many ways to do this. You can create a promotional page in all the different social media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. You can also create a splash page that captures and helps you sell the product you are making. I got some help on this matter from Emmy Jonassen, a.k.a. the Indie Game Girl, and she has a blog called “IndieGameGirl”, she is one of my twitter followers. I follow her on twitter and read her blog posts. She is marketing pro with ten years of experience in software and technology, specifically promoting video games. She helps indie game developers with free marketing resources and tries to assist help them overcome marketing challenges. She wrote a post that I think is very valuable when it comes to landing pages. You can read it here:

http://www.indiegamegirl.com/landing-page-design-and-how-to-use-it-to-sell-your-indie-game/

Also the article contains an image that is very valuable since it gives an idea how to layout things out: http://www.indiegamegirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/perfect-landing-page-design.jpg

 

What is our game and how to access it?

Mirrored: The Reflective Resolution is a 2.5D thriller and puzzler game that follows the story of a girl named Lily and her mysterious cat companion Logos through several levels that involve dealing with the loss of her parents and fitting in with her new life situation toward the goal of resolution. This requires entry into a mirrored/alternate reality to battle shadow bosses with a defensive mechanic used to survive the battles.

Follows us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mirrored-The-Reflective-Resolution/355975787924756?fref=photo

 

Follows us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirroredGame

Journey into making Games at UAT- Part 1

Journey into Making Games at UAT

Who makes games? How do you make games? What does it take to make a game? Can anyone make a game? What do you need to learn to make a game?

There are some many questions you can ask when you are talking about the business of making games. The answers can be as diverse as the people making the games and as the games themselves. In other words the answers depend of the person and the game itself because an answer that fits X game and X person is not going to fit or be appropriate for Y person and Y game. One thing I can say for sure is that making games is hard, but it has a layer of entertainment and personal satisfaction. So if you think its all fun and playing games then you got it all wrong. The subject of making games can be approached from different angles but at the end of the day you are creating something that never existed before with an artificial language, using your vision and your imagination. You are harnessing the power of the device you are using to create and run the game. You are in control of what happens, you are responsible for it working the way you want it. It is like magic and only a few people really understand the whole process really well.

One way to look at this subject is to see it from the game producers’ perspective. The book “GameProducer's Handbook” by Dan Irish describes this in great detail.  He draws from his experience as the producer in the Myst franchise to really illuminate the task of making games from the producer’s eyes. In chapter 1 Dan says that the role of the producer “may include all of the responsibilities of a television, movie, or record producer, plus a lot more.” In a review of the book Gamasutra, Brad Kane, said the book is a “...comprehensive, pragmatic guide to the producer's role in game development.” However even though the book focus on the producers it is important to say here that one person can’t make the game happen. It takes a coordinated team to see a game from conception to the final stages and beyond. To me the producer is like the oil that keeps the gears of complex machine working smoothly and without any issues. In this Extra Credit you can hear and see the basics of Game Development illustrated in a comic way. 

Do you need a degree to make a game? Why I am doing a Masters in Game Management & Production at UAT? Why am I making a game now? What I hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?

I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree even though a degree is just a piece of paper that supposedly says that you can do something in theory. I know some companies don’t really care about degrees to a certain extend. They care about the real work, can you do it in the tough times and the easy times. They want to know if you have enough passion to see a game all the way to the end. They care to see if you understand what it takes to complete a game as producer.

But it really doesn’t matter to me since I am not doing this to go work for someone else. I many reasons to embark in this journey but some are deeply personal. By far my experiences here at UAT have been less than perfect. I have gained some skills and I have created some relationship that I hope will be fruitful for my future endeavors. I have made some progress with the game- language app-that I making. I understand the concepts and what it takes to make a game a little better every month. I know what I need to do but I don’t have much time to get done, so it is a slow progress while I am in school. I made great progress in the last couple of months in the journey continues.