111 - Show Floor Demos

[matt]

As promised in my kickstarter update! In this diary, I talk about the challenge of making a good show floor demo where people don't have a lot of time to play your game and there are a lot of distractions.

[Harry Sunderland]

I'm reminded of going to video game stores as a kid, in which they would always have a game out for display that you can try out...and it always felt like such a hollow experience. You walk up to this console, and it's playing Sonic Adventure DX or something like that, but you're just walking into the game in the middle of someone else's (or several others') play session...often your character is at near death and facing a random corner.

What's worse though is if you start the game over, and you have to go through the 30 minute tutorial...and you don't even get a feel for what the game is like.

I know this isn't exactly a parallel to the Show Floor...but I never enjoyed playing a game in these public settings. I loved the idea of the isolation booths of PAX. I can totally see how NN is very challenging to show in a public setting.

Maybe you should dress up as Vincent Price to help set the mood...and have Joe dress up in a Mummy costume and scare random people while they are playing.

[Grabthehoopka]

Damn. And I was gonna suggest having isolated spaces lit by those electric fake candles, and have the monitor suspended horizontally over a bed that they lie down in with headphones and controller and play that way.

But I will suggest that you get a lot of those fake candles, though. Candlelight seems to play an important role in Neverending Nightmares, so I think it might help set the appropriate mood. And I would also suggest you and everyone else wear elaborate makeup and costume.

[matt]

I think it is pretty analogous to playing the demos in video game stores. Plenty of companies make custom demos for trade shows, but plenty just unlock a few levels and call it a demo. Custom demos are always better.

While your ideas seem very good for Neverending Nightmares at future shows, I don't think we have the time or the money to do something that elaborate. The candles are a good idea, but I'm not sure where we would put them... We don't want any light in our little isolation booths. We probably won't bring it to PAX East because it's a lot of work, and I just decided to do it last minute.