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[Sketchwhale]

Showing off your game is a wonderful experience. Whether you have a booth or a table with a laptop, it's so rewarding to see strangers enjoy something you made. Children and adults alike. It's also really tiring, having to explain the same stuff over and over again. And occasionally stressful, when new bugs appear mid-convention.

I'm a pretty local dev. Me and my friends have shown our game in a few places in Denmark. Yet the world is filled with places to show your game and meet players and other devs.

Last year I tried to raise some funding so we could show the game at TGS. That would have been awesome.

I'd love to attend and present at a PAX too, and to have experienced glory days E3 (even though they sounded back-breaking).

Got any dream places to show your game?

[michaelplzno]

I really dislike showing my games and watching other indies walk by and not even say hi. Some of them do, and we have a nice convo of course. It's hard to sit there and see which of the industry people you recognize feel you are worth the 10 minutes to talk to, and which are too busy. I'm sure they have their own business to attend to, so it's wrong to judge, but it feels extremely "high school."

Similarly, if I were to go to a con, I would want to play as many games as I could and give feedback just to be nice. Sometimes people get testy because they don't think you are worthy of giving them ideas.

Also, some feedback you get is simply crap that is not helpful, and you must smile and say, "thank you sir may I have another?"

I've had better luck just sending builds to people directly and letting them play the thing at their own pace without me sitting there over their shoulder.

Edit: I imagine it's like putting your kid in a beauty pageant. I would be pissed off at any judge who gives my kid low marks just because it's my kid. There is no way I can be rational or objective.

[Sketchwhale]

It feels like school and media taught me that feedback and constructive criticism were vital, and I was good to offer it. Recently I've been thinking that might not necessarily be true. Sometimes it's enough if I just try a game, or don't try it. And if I try it and I don't offer praise, I've actually said enough (it didn't interest me or I didn't like it). If the developer asks me for feedback, I can offer some, but otherwise, my lack of enthusiasm has said enough.

I haven't actually shown a game at a 'devs only' event, other than at game jams, but the game were so small at that point, that it was kind of a different situation.

Showcasing games at venues with players has been a very positive experience for me though. Children are so honest (whether positive or negative) and aren't super hampered by thoughts about what games ought to be, or how they ought to play. That might be coloured by only experiencing kids from one country only (Maybe German kids suck? Who knows).