Gameplanner Introduction

GAMEPLANNER INTRODUCTION

There is an ever-expanding array of in-person Gameplanner was created between January and events, festivals and conferences a game creator September 2019 with the input of 56 game creators can attend internationally. Gameplanner is a across Canada and over a dozen international new resource intended to help indies plan their game curators through a series of one-on-one exhibition and networking strategy based on their interviews and surveys. We would like to thank all goals and their tendencies. these respondents and the following for outreach assistance: Dr. Jennifer R. Whitson, Dr. Bart Simon The Gameplanner resource was created by Jim and Dr. Felan Parker from Indie Interfaces; Maurice Munroe of the Game Arts International Network. Grela from Full Indie; Jason Della Rocca from GAIN is a not-for-profit that serves game arts GamePlaySpace; Tanya X. Short from Pixelles; organizers and curators in Los Angeles, Montreal, Craig Pfau from Alberta Makes Games; & Logan Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Madrid, Ottawa, Foster from GameCamp Edmonton. Austin, Seattle, Tel Aviv, Halifax, New York, Berlin, Melbourne, Portland, Reykjavík, Pittsburgh, Gameplanner was made with the financial support London, Boston, Copenhagen, Cape Town and of the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates. Toronto.

Previous to starting GAIN, Jim Munroe spent close to a decade founding and building up the The opinions, observations, conclusions, and Hand Eye Society, the world’s first videogame recommendations contained in this document arts organization. In this executive director role are those of the author and do not necessarily he ran large game curation events like the Fancy reflect the views of Ontario Creates or the Canada Videogame Party at the AGO, focused festivals like Media Fund. The Canada Media Fund, Ontario WordPlay, and established the Toronto Videogame Creates, the Governments of Canada and Ontario Events calendar. He also became aware of the need and their agencies are in no way bound by the for interconnections between regional groups, recommendations contained in this document. often facing the same problems and challenges alone, and started to reach out to peers and shared models of programs to groups in Vancouver, Montreal and Portland. MATCH YOUR GOALS WITH EVENTS

Attending in-person events is a fun and useful activity for most game creators. But it can also be tiring and expensive, so it’s worth thinking through your gameplan when it comes to choosing where to put your time and focus. This resource was created to help you craft your approach.

Most people make games to be played by other people. Almost all of these goals are ways to connect with and build an audience: it makes creation meaningful, and increases the economic and emotional reserves to continue to make games. But as there are direct and indirect ways to do this, it’s worth covering each separately.

BUILD AUDIENCE NETWORKING WITH BUSINESS DEALS DIRECTLY PEERS By attending an event you Getting your game in front Beyond the fun of hanging with are demonstrating your of players and giving them cool like-minded people, there’s investment in the community, a chance to try it is a time- a number of other benefits: but that’s rarely enough to intensive but effective way of potential future collaborations/ land a publishing deal or get connecting with an audience. employees; technical, creative, showcased on a platform. Being This can happen anywhere and business advice/feedback; on the showfloor can allow reps you can set up your game, but co-promotion to fan bases. Lots to discover you and see player usually happens on showfloors of indies enjoy including little response, and social events can at game events. The top choice nods to other indie games via be a way to initiate or maintain by a mile for this is the PAX skins and references, and this relationships. GDC is the top, series of events, mainly PAX can often be a no-cash co- followed by PAX, followed by E3. Prime and East, with E3 being a promotion. It can lead to being distant second. invited to join an indie email list GET INSPIRED BY or conversations where you can GAMES AND TALKS GET MEDIA learn from their experiences or Learning something new about AND STREAMER mistakes. your craft or seeing an amazing COVERAGE new game can really keep you Keeping in mind that this is For commercial game creators, inspired during the long periods mostly an indirect way to build GDC is the top pick, with PAX where you have your head down audience, it can be a time- #2. For non-commercial, A Maze creating your own work. It’s hard effective way to focus your Berlin and IndieCade are highly to quantify, and perhaps the efforts if you have the kind of regarded. most subjective, but GDC (and game that has a gonzo visual its IGF and Alt CTRL programs, style that appeals to streamers, now alongside Day of the Devs) or if your game has an rated the highest, with PAX interesting hook that would be being second. appealing to write about. E3 and PAX E&W, are the top, with GDC and IndieCade getting honorable mention.

THERE’S MORE! ALSO NOTABLE WORTH IT IF YOU’RE NEARBY While it’s clear that GDC and PAX are the most • Full Indie Summit in Vancouver is a one-day highly valued events for most of the goals we’ve conference with showcasing opportunities outlined, there are a number of others that are • Montreal International Game Summit has worth mentioning. networking and business opportunities • BitSummit is a good all-round event in Japan • Comics X Games and WordPlay happen in • GamesCom is the world’s biggest games Toronto for those with comic-inspired art or conference and while it is expensive and narratively focused games exhausting, it is a good connection to the • Esports games have had good response at European market EGLX in Toronto • EGX Rezzed in the UK has good player attendance and media • PSX is highly rated for the enthusiastic fan base for those on the Sony platform

HANDY CHART! = Known for it = Somewhat known for it

Media Peer Networking Business Deals Player Contact Inspiration

A Maze Berlin

Bitsummit

EGX Rezzed

GamesCom

GDC

IndieCade

PAX East

PAX West

PSX

This top ten chart is based on 23 in-person interviews and 33 online surveys. The research was conducted between June-August of 2019 and included game creators in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, London, Varennes, Quebec City, New Westminster, Surrey, Calgary, and Gabriola Island. PLAN YOUR ATTACK

Events tend to sneak up on you, especially in the fog of game development. BE Here is one set-it-and-forget-it approach that will help you get the jump on things. CAREFUL!

1. Make a list of events that you feel have value to you and best align with your goals.

2. Set a recurring reminder in your calendar twice a year to PLAN GAME EVENTS. Once a year isn’t enough, because festivals and conferences often announce dates close to the event.

3. When the reminder comes up, pick your date source to see what of your chosen events have dates announced: • EventsForGamers.com is the most comprehensive event calendar event we’ve found and has run for a decade. This site will allow you to import events directly into your calendar, which is handy. • Zuraida Buter curates a selection of playful events that have more of an arts slant at zo-ii.com. • You can also refer to the event site itself and enter it manually. Either way, get the events into your calendar. Set a reminder for yourself six weeks before the event about it.

4. Now check the event site to see if there are any showcasing, award, or talk proposal deadlines. (We can call these multipliers as they increase an event’s value.) Create a reminder for yourself two-to- three weeks out from the deadline that says, say, IGF SUBMISSION DUE IN TWO WEEKS! If there isn’t a deadline posted yet, subscribe to their newsletter. (You can also use deadlines like these to motivate your team, in which case you might want to put the reminder a month or two out instead. An external deadline is always better than an internal milestone.)

5. This is the best part: forget about it. You won’t book a camping trip that conflicts, though you can always skip that event this year if a good opportunity comes up -- just not accidentally.

6. When the reminder comes up for a multiplier like an award and your game is presentable, you can submit it unless you’ve decided in the interim that the event is off your list.

7. When you get a reminder about the event in six weeks, it’s time to decide. Plane tickets are only going up from here, and that lead time will allow you to reach out to people and book meetings. Assess the travel costs and the disruption to your development cycle and measure it against how it helps you reach your goals. CHOOSE YOUR STRATEGIES

Your choice of strategies should take into account your temperament, abilities, and the type of game you have.

DO YOU LOVE TALKING TO STRANGERS AND SHOWING THEM YOUR GAME? what about...

SHOWCASING YOUR GAME

There’s lots of benefits to Don’t Go Alone: Make sure Merch Madness: Stickers, showcasing your game. Pre- you have enough people with pins, shirts and stuffies based release you can get user you to have reasonable shifts. on your game can offset booth feedback and watch to see People involved with making costs, enhance the booth decor, what’s working and not, as well the game are more exciting for and promote your work, when as build excitement. Post-release players to meet and can answer done well -- but it’s really hard you can engage with existing questions that potential business to do well. Consult with other fans. But, it can be exhausting, partners might have, but some people, make prototypes and especially for introverts. There’s people have limited social short runs and see what works at minimal time to interact with energy. Perhaps you can bring local events, and be careful with peers. It’s expensive to get your a younger developer from the border crossings as they can equipment and rent the booth. community along to apprentice trigger customs charges that kill Prep, attendance, and recovery in your booth? your profit margin. takes time out of development. Design Your Booth: You put Photos or it Didn’t Happen: Team Up: The Indie MegaBooth thought into every aspect of Get lots of photos of people is a no-brainer if you can get your game: do the same with having a blast with your game. in. We universally heard from the user experience of your They’ll come in handy for creators that IMB offers better booth! Mount a large screen newsletter updates or pitches. traffic, better media attention high up so people can spectate and lower costs than running when it’s busy. Dollar store bling Level Up Regionally: If you’re a solo booth (though the can give a little visual flare. in an area that has game events, MiniBooth got mixed reviews). Vertical banners are not hugely take the opportunity to practise The PAX 10 showcase offers expensive, eyecatching, and showcasing when stakes (and free booth space and the Indie easy to transport. Always include costs and effort) are lower. See Arena at GamesCom is also an email list signup for when what works, and iterate on it for recommended. people want to quietly indicate larger events. they’re superfans. DO YOU LOVE TALKING ABOUT YOUR GAME, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME? try... DO YOU HAVE THE SAVVY TO PUT MAKING MEDIA HAPPEN TOGETHER SOME PUNCHY COPY?

New makes the News: Having show market potential to your company for a few months prior something new to announce potential partners. Yes, it can be to the event to hook and book such as a new feature or new challenging to distill something media interviews for you. A content substantially increases you’ve worked for years on good PR company will have a your chances of getting down to one line: rise to this deep knowledge of the media coverage. challenge. outlets, writers and what they’re looking for. Refine Your Pitch: A one- Hire Some Guns: If you have line hook is useful to pull in an announcement and few players on the showfloor, media contacts it might be intrigue peers at parties, and worth considering hiring a PR

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR BACKING TO DO SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOU COULD ON YOUR OWN?

you should be...

DOING BUSINESS DEALS

Book Early: Contact people you’d along to the meeting so they you a better sense of who you’re like to meet with 3-4 weeks can see how things go down. dealing with. Plus, if you tend to in advance, and if you have Even if they take notes or just overtalk, this can break that up. the choice, book earlier in the sit there and listen, it helps event while they’re still fresh reduce the mystique in a way Skip the GDC Meeting: and haven’t had 4 solid days of other training doesn’t. If you’re already in contact 16 meetings a day. Later in the with them, some people event when spots are running Be a Curious Cat: Although have suggested meeting with scarce they might cancel your it can seem like you’re the partners at a less high-density meeting entirely. less powerful entity in the event like IndieCade. Others conversation, having a few have said they like to visit key Mentoring at Meetings: Have questions for your prospective partners in the off season in a junior member of the team partner -- good ones you their own office, where they with some promise? Bring them couldn’t just google -- can give have more time. LOTS OF PEOPLE FIND THE TERM NETWORKING OFF-PUTTING, BUT IF YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT, IT’S AS NATURAL AS MAKING FRIENDS.

here’s how to...

MAKE FRIENDS

Play the Long Game: The asking for small favours -- like want to meet up. Some will be veterans we spoke to all spoke bridging introductions -- is too busy already, but some will about how their network generally a good idea, because be free. Similarly a good way grew slowly over a number of it opens the door for them to to keep low-key informed about years, getting stronger with ask you favours, and pretty soon someone you met at an event is conversations and parties it’s not a transactional thing to follow them on social media. where common interests were anymore. discovered and trust was built. Don’t Just Network Up: A lot of Familiarity leads to getting a Take Notes: Because it’s often people think they have to talk to no quicker, and getting a yes months or years between important or influential people eventually. events, it helps to jot down to succeed, but it’s often more things about people you connect natural to build relationships Ask for Feedback: Peers often with to jog your memory next with peers. A few years later, have great feedback and can time, or when you’re looking for you have a real friendship and, also become advocates for a certain type of contact in the what do you know, a lot of them your game and signal boost it interim. You can be methodical will have moved into decision- when it comes out. Even if they without being mechanical. maker roles. have smaller followings, it can boost your credibility with their Facebook Friends to IRL Friends followers -- who sometimes (and back): If you have time, are media people with bigger reach out to people you follow followings. Do you follow? Also, on social media and see if they THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE AT EVENTS, AND IT DOESN’T HURT TO STAND OUT. THOSE LOOKING TO BUILD ART CAREERS CAN BENEFIT IN PARTICULAR FROM GETTING AWARDS AND DOING TALKS TO PUT ON THEIR CVS.

you can always...

DISTINGUISH YOURSELF

Submit Your Game for Awards: yours if it’s the kind of thing you it’s a gathering in the park where Many creators were ambivalent like doing. If you hate public fellow introverts can catch up on towards awards and saw only speaking and find creating talks email near each other. Maybe slight correlation between them exhausting, it’s unlikely to be you organize an outing to a and success. They help team worth the work. A self-promoting gallery or suggest a walk. If you morale and raised reputation talk is unlikely to be selected, want to do it, it’s likely other among peers -- which could but if you have something of people will too! lead to better collaborations value you want to share -- a and partners. The laurels give technique or perspective on Fly Your Freak Flag: Feel like the partners, press and potential game creation that you think only musician in a roomful of players another reason to look at would be helpful -- go with that coders? Cool, they need you to it. If you are considering going energy. It will almost certainly compose some tunes! Aren’t a to an event, you should consider lead to interesting conversations white straight male in this still- submitting your game to their in the aftermath. homogenous community? Great, awards or showcase. If they there’s lots of teams who know accept it, then you can attend Organize Something Cool: Many they need your perspective. with some perks including free people love parties, but some Are you more influenced by passes or special networking people find it doesn’t work for Victorian novels than Zelda? You opportunities -- and yeah, maybe them: they don’t drink, they have might make the next innovative a bit of an ego boost. problems with loud rooms, or interactive fiction that people other reasons. Why not create flock to. Being different can be Propose a Talk: Similar to the the gatherings of type you want uncomfortable, for sure, but if above, if you are considering with the kinds of people you you stick it out you might find it going to an event that takes talk want to socialize with? Perhaps to be your biggest asset. proposals, you might want to it’s a small dinner with a handful think about submitting one of of narrative designers. Maybe

AND DON’T FORGET!

POST-MORTEM

When you get home from the event, take ten minutes to write down the benefits of attending the event. Set a task for three months after the event assess any new benefits that have developed and take take ten minutes to review what you’d do differently. APPENDIX HOLLY GRAMAZIO NOW PLAY THIS, UK

For the last five years pay attention to them for in more detail. Our ideal is I’ve directed Now Play next year. In fact, because that it shouldn’t take people This, which runs at we curate around themes more than five minutes to Somerset House as rather than around recency of fill in the form. It’s important part of the London work, a couple of times we’ve to us to keep it simple just Games Festival. Each even gone back to someone because we take so few of the year I’ve worked with who submitted a game in games that come in through George Buckenham a previous year that didn’t the open call -- most of the to select the work for quite make sense for us in work we show has come that -- generally a core the context of the rest of the to us some other way, and exhibition of around show, and asked if we can we might take three or five 25-40 works, and then show it now. games from the open call in other special events and Plus a lot of friends and any given year. So we don’t sometimes showcases colleagues know what we’re want two hundred people to around that. looking for and what our spend two hours each writing themes are in a given year, up their game, if we know What is the general process and send us links. we’re going to take maybe followed for each, ie how do We also run an open one or two percent of them! you find the games, who is call, inviting people with involved with the selection relevant work (whether that’s How many games do you and how are they selected? released or in development) review and how many are Oh gosh, big question! We do to send it in. We try to make selected? How many people a lot of different things: follow this a really simple process, get to see/play the game as a interesting people on itch. with just a few questions, result? io and twitter and try to pay enough to give us an idea Depending on the year and attention to their work; look of whether the work might the theme we might get at interesting itch galleries; be suitable, and if so we can anywhere between 120 and read criticism; scoot through go ahead and look into it 300 games sent into the recommendation blogs; look at the lineups of other festivals and exhibitions; go to anything we can where interactive work is shown; sometimes just google random phrases related to themes we’re interested in, add the word “game”, and see if anything comes up. If someone sends in a game for the festival one year and it isn’t quite right, but we’re interested in their work, we’ll open call, and like I say we’d of, construction or creativity didn’t make sense in the always take at least a few of toys that do something context of the show overall, those, and maybe as many novel. And large room-scale or we think the work isn’t as six or eight -- I don’t think installations, as well: a few quite ready but the artist is we’ve ever taken more than more of those would be new to us and we’d love to that. amazing. see what they make in future, I have no idea how we’ll try to reply personally, many games we “review” What do you wish you got but usually that’s only a few through the less formal less of? games each year. process of just poking around You know, I don’t think there’s I will say: sometimes and keeping our eyes open anything. Sure, we get some I get a cheery email back -- many hundreds each year, games that are just copy-and- from someone whose game certainly, but that can mean pasted into the form by a PR we didn’t take, going “oh anything from “playing it for firm who clearly haven’t read well, thanks for looking at it, thirty seconds at an event the open call, but those are good luck with the festival!”. and shrugging and moving always super quick to weed And that’s always SO nice! on” to “hearing about it and out. And anything else that Sending out the rejections contacting the creator and I could make an absolute is a pretty unpleasant task, skyping to find out more statement about -- well, and it makes you feel better about it and playing for there’d be a game that would to get someone replying in hours.” prove me wrong. good humour, and it also helps to remind you that What do you wish you got How do you handle nobody actually cares about more of? rejections? your festival as much as you I would always love to see Mostly we just send out a do; the decisions might seem more purely physical playable mass rejection letter with agonising to you but nobody work that works on a drop-in everyone BCC’ed in. If a is devastated by being turned basis -- games using paper, game was super close to down. So I try to do that things we can stick on walls acceptance, or we reeeaaaally myself now when I’m rejected and get people to draw on top wanted to show it but it just for something! LAUREN GARDNER BABYCASTLES, NYC

As a collective, Babycastles selects games/ I’d estimate we show more events/Installation ideas that are either shown in than 200 games per year. Our our space or for events we curate like MagFest or average monthly attendance when we have commissions to put on events at to our space is 400+ people other spaces like the Algorave Arcade at PS1. We so estimate 5,000 people per also work with outside curators to suggest games year. That is not inclusive of for exhibits like the games in the cabinets at the the events we help curate V&A Design/Play/Disrupt. All of these selections offsite like MagFest (30k) or or decisions made as a collective follow our V&A (100k+ ???). mission to amplify and increase the diversity of I couldn’t guess at the voices in video game culture. # of games reviewed. Again, Individually, our members may be part of most of that happens on an additional panels to select games. This is outside individual level at different of our collective’s purview. conferences, playtest nights, game jams… What is the general process then have many internal followed for each, ie how do discussions about the games What do you wish you got you find the games, who is or logistics of how they will more of? involved with the selection be displayed. Because we are People who want to do and how are they selected? a fairly large collective, we administrative tasks… J/K We follow two main also reach out to our contacts (but not really). Personally processes for curation. to help curate games/artists/ I wish we got more games For installations or events, references/people… This that were made on super we have a form online for is the responsibility of the accessible platforms so people to submit their ideas host to reach out but it’s a we could do more learning or they email us directly. collective effort to curate the events around the exhibitions. For installation/events games and their display. My favorite example of this suggestions, we then discuss last year was the Pixels/Paper internally to see if the idea How many games do you exhibit. fits our mission and we have review and how many are the capacity to help build it. selected? How many people If we agree as a collective to get to see/play the game as a add it to the calendar then result? we assign an internal host We do anywhere from 8 to and continue discussions in 12 installations a year with a smaller team to realize the an average of 10 games per installation. installation. If you count the The second process is one-off curations, events more loose. Once the event like Game of The Month or installation is chosen we Club or events held offsite I’d also encourage many people walked away to diversify the culture every person who submits with a new perspective of around games and ask them an idea or a game to think what a game could be. to re-work their submission about the context of how to include more women/ it could be displayed or What do you wish you got people of color or LGBTQ similar/complimentary works less of? artists into their curation and and events. Games are an Physical installation Ideas that re-submit. opportunity to learn about lack criticality. Additionally, if an so much and we have the We are in the instagram artist needs space and it’s ability to make an event with age and it is easy to make not something that is ‘on ‘games’ into a transformative things that look good. It is mission’ we can rent out social experience. A good harder to make things that the space for a flat fee but example of this is the look good and make you think it won’t be promoted as a curation Ben did for ‘Games differently. Babycastles event and we about Protest’ which included aren’t involved with the digital games, board games How do you handle curation. We do this for and rule books. It included rejections? student showcases or game contemporary games and If we get an idea that does launches. In this way, we can historical games. It was a not meet our mission still serve the audience of learning opportunity for statement, we reframe our independent developers in everyone who came and objective with the submitter NYC. LU OULTON GAME ON! EL ARTE EN JUEGO, BUENOS AIRES

As the director and curator of Game ON! What is the general process El arte en juego I’m deeply involved in followed for each, ie how do the selection process of the games. Each you find the games, who is edition is integrated by a mixture of invited involved with the selection and works, commissioned projects and open how are they selected? call. The exhibition’s first edition was in Until this year the selection 2009 but it wasn’t until 2014 that we added process was run by the Game the open call. We have 2 simultaneous ON permanent team, but this open calls, one for national works that year we created a Committee included works-in-progress, projects and selection team integrated installations, and an international one that by two external advisors: is only open to video games: either Agustin Perez Fernandez (indie software works that can be sent by mail developer specialized in art or alt-CTRL proposals than can be shipped games), Diego Mate (art critic and locally mounted or locally replicated. and game scholar) and myself. The focus is always the same: art We also ask advice games, experimental works, alt controls, from people who are deeply playable media which separates from the related to the local scene (like mainstream and conventional. We look FUNDAV – the national video for innovative narratives, for aesthetic games foundation ) who virtuosity, experimental and disruptive game have been participating in design, sensorial experiences and so on. international congresses or who are related to the international experimental scene. We are also constantly checking other festivals and contest, trying to be up to date. The open call is a conventional form that asks for info such as title, abstract, equipment, trailers, demo, everything that can help us understand the game. We have a first selection process to narrow down the most attractive proposals. They have to be new games (not older than a year or have an improvement, for instance they have now a VR version that is somehow different from the instance narrative, activism. What do you wish you got previous experience). They That makes us think of less of? have to induce a feeling of possible games that have not Interactive narrative games, awe. They have to be suitable presented to the open call which are not so exhibition- to play in an exhibition but should be invited to the friendly and end up being context or be able to be exhibit, and we try to reach pretty similar (at least the understandable in a short out to those. ones that have applied to our period of time, they have to open calls). We are thinking of be in Spanish or English or How many games do you a special section for those this able to be understandable review and how many are year, but still haven’t made up despite its language. The selected? How many people our minds about it. can not be offensive or get to see/play the game as a aggressive. result? How do you handle Then we go to a second The amount of work rejections? selection based upon the varies each edition, but We have a stock mail that amount of games we can approximately 100 are we send individually where have. We try to have a mix reviewed and in between 20- we thank them for taking the of different experiences and 30 end up being exhibited. time to participate. We explain hardwares. Around 2000 people visit the that the selection process is Once we have exhibit which usually last 10 tough and that sadly this time this we start to think on days and is free of charge. they haven’t been selected. the coincidences and We also offer the possibility convergences in order to What do you wish you got to have individual feedback create nodes of work. We more of? which if solicited is always form groups associated by a I would love more alt-CTRL related to the focus of the common characteristic, for and installation works. exhibit. SAGAN YEE HAND EYE SOCIETY, TORONTO

As the executive director of videogame arts organization, the Hand Eye Society, I oversee How many people get to see/ a number of exhibition and showcases play the game as a result? throughout the year such as: CxG: 60 games reviewed, 25 are selected. It’s part of TCAF ComicsXGames — A showcase of games which gets 20,000 visitors, we during the Toronto Comics Arts Festival. estimate 800 people over the fest see it. Hand Eye Society Ball — A fancy videogame HESB: 30 games party with a selection of party games and other reviewed, 11 are selected. 600 playful social activities from around the world. people get to see it. WordPlay: 80 games WordPlay Festival of Writerly Games — reviewed, 25 are selected. 150 A showcase of games with interesting or people see it. exceptional use of writing at the Toronto Reference Library. What do you wish you got more of? What is the general process Hand Eye Society Ball has I wish people would submit followed for each, ie how do an open call with no cost games to suitable showcases: you find the games, who is to submit. The process is a game that would be good involved with the selection similar to CxG except the tilt for WordPlay wouldn’t be and how are they selected? it towards multiplayer games good for the Ball, and vice ComicsXGames has an open and alt-controller games that versa. We could use more call a few months before offer a unique experience. For submissions overall! Not the event with no cost to alt-controller games, good enough multiplayer games submit. Whoever of the staff documentation is hugely for the Ball! is interested and wants to important (one decent vid is all be involved takes part in the you need) as we often won’t What do you wish you got selection process. It takes a be able to play it ourselves. less of? day to play the games and WordPlay has an open Mechanically good, take notes. We look for games call with no cost to submit. aesthetically bad games. with visual impact likely to It has an international I would rather have a appeal to TCAF’s audience. It’s jury made up of previous mechanically weak, visually easy to identify the extremes showcase winners and strong game when it comes (definitely and definitely not) local advisors who create to exhibition. It’s not inviting. so the second round is about interactive fiction. going the the ones in the How do you handle middle. People will advocate How many games do you rejections? for certain games to be review and how many are We send a bcc’ed mass email included over others. selected? thanking and notifying folks.