We’re Back!
After spending Monday staring blankly into space like someone in a trance, I realized I needed to post something about our experience at SEGE (the Southeast Game Exchange) last weekend in Greenville, SC. The best way to do this is probably to make several entries. This one will focus on my initial thoughts coming out of the show.
We brought a demo version of Barn Brawl to the show – the first time anyone had ever seen our game. The build was buggy, the UIs looked half-baked (they were), but the game itself was completely playable.
I was scared to death.
The thing about creative endeavors is that you pour your time, heart, and soul into making something new. Most creators keep things to themselves, afraid to put our work out there for folks to see (and critique) until we feel like it’s absolutely perfect. The flaw, of course – it will never be perfect in our eyes. Eric Barone (Stardew Valley) thought his game was stinking garbage, and that nobody would like it…even after he released it and sold tens of thousands of copies. When he talks about it even today, he’s super critical and always pointing out things he’d improve or change. That’s the nature of creation, and is magnified on solo projects.
I wasn’t sold on the game’s concept. A “Farm Fighting Party Game” isn’t something that’s really talked about. Most folks play farm games because they are cozy, laid back, and chill – here we were bringing a game with the tagline “It’s anything but cozy.” In a way, poking fun at everything that makes a farm game what it is.
I had a hard time writing the synopsis, answering application questions, and describing the game. So I took a little inspiration from YouTube star RealLifeFakeWizard: when he describes a game, he does so in a particular voice, tone, and descriptive flair. I leaned into that persona a bit as I wrote my description:
Barn Brawl flips the traditional Farm Game concept into a competitive party battle that’s anything but cozy. Compete with up to 8 players on or offline as you farm and fight to win each round’s challenge. Tend and defend your crops…or go on the offensive to smack and steal your way to victory! Use gadgets and items to enhance your field…or play dirty and use them to sabotage your rivals! Between each fast paced round, team up in barnyard mini-games to win bonuses and upset the leaderboard! It’s time to farm like you mean it – no-holds-barred – in Barn Brawl!
It worked – because we got in…and somehow got the attention of the event staff.
First thoughts after SEGE:
Just want to take a moment and jot down some of my initial thoughts and feelings after the show. I’m still getting pictures and video together from the event, and I’m sure the Fake Portal team will share some great media with us that I’ll share with y’all later.
The photo above was taken right at the end of the event, at the final closing ceremony of the Indie Game Circuit. Mom almost shoved the photographer out of the way to get this! LOL
I have the BEST support system.
I can’t say enough about how great my family is.
First, my wife has to be the most supportive and generous person I’ve ever known. Ever since I decided I was going to apply for a spot in the Indie Circuit, she’s gone forward with nothing but 100% confidence and faith in me and this crazy game. She designed and ordered swag, planned our booth space, and had box upon box of stuff arriving. She never doubted for a second that we’d be a hit. Having someone with that kind of devotion and unshakeable faith in you is something I hope everyone reading this gets to experience – she helped me power through the sleepless nights, the doubt, the imposter syndrome…any obstacle that came up, we met it together. Our booth was cozy and inviting, with comfy chairs, a fan, physical rewards for players, and a little Plinko game that drew in players and gave them branded swag. She’s the reason we had over 1000 people play the game. If there was a moment where nobody was playing, it’s because nobody was in the Indie Game area…all because of her outgoing personality and welcoming smile. As the social one, she was also instrumental in helping us get to know the other devs, since she would walk over to everyone – even brought doughnuts on the final day.
My Mom came to the show, no questions asked. My brother, who normally does these shows with us, couldn’t make it. She stepped in without a single word or complaint and worked the entire show – on her feet the whole time. She played the “proud Mom,” heckling / guilting / convincing people to come play. She would chase them and bring them back if they walked by! Double teaming with Wifey, they got practically EVERYONE who walked by to play, even pulling in famous content creators like WonderstoneWonders, RNG Gamer, and more!
Mom brought my nephew – whose girlfriend insisted she come too…so we had two “ringers” to step in and fill slots to help more people experience 4 player mayhem. Though he truly distinguished himself at the show by playing all of the game in the event and absolutely dominating shore leaderboards. Thanks to them, we had breaks when we needed them – and people who knew gaming ready to help struggling players learn how to play and get the most of their demo.
The Indie Community is AWESOME!!
When we took Sellsword to PAX West, we didn’t do it as part of a showcase; we bought a booth like every other gaming company. We were placed in the “VR Village” around a group of folks who were passionate about VR. It was great, and I got to meet some of the folks I’d been communicating with and following online (this was also back when I tried to do the Twitter thing).
The community at SEGE was something else entirely. Many of these devs knew each other from multiple shows. Some, like the developer of HOVERDRIVE, were making their third appearance at SEGE. Like us, Minekeeper had a ton of family support (and the coolest setup at the whole show!). These two were the best neighbors we could’ve asked for! Across the aisle was Spotlight Showdown, a couple of germaphobes like us with an incredible fighting game!
Aside from our neighbors, we talked to the devs of Lackey’s Bracket the most. They were amazing and super supportive – H.J., one of their devs, even gave us (and all of the friendliest devs) 11×17 gloss photos of his artwork as gifts! The devs of The Forbidden Forest (automatically my favorite because…BEARS!) live less than an hour from us and will be folks we definitely keep in touch with!
Ashley became fast friends with the devs from Project Berserk. I sadly never made it down to the other end of the Circuit to play their game before they left…I’ll grab the demo on Steam! Two super nice devs with some amazing ideas (keep an eye on them!)
And I’ve got to give props to the devs of Super Space Crystals. When players gave feedback, one of the devs was actively re-coding and rebuilding the game LIVE AT THE SHOW to incorporate their feedback!
I learned so much from interacting with everyone, playing their games, and having them play ours. TONS of talent – and reassurance that gaming’s future is in good hands. I’ll get together more links to the games that were at the show and share them – these guys were the devs I interacted with most at the show.
Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple devs at the show who played by their own rules or just had no interest talking to us. One group (not naming names) showed up late every day, left early, and didn’t even come at all on Sunday. Maybe they had their reasons? Regardless, they didn’t really say a word to any of us and kept to their booth.
I’m definitely a Fake Portal fan!
I’ve been a hige fan and advocate of RealLifeFakeWizard since he started his channel. Most of his videos feature an “Indie Game Shoutout,” a 15-20 second free placement where the Wizard talks about one of the indie games featured on a website he created and sponsors. Fake Portal is a completely free Indie Game discovery site that makes no money – the Wizard funds it as part of his mission to promote indie game discovery. He definitely has strong words for the AAA studios, and Fake Portal was his response…power to the indies! I’ve always been grateful for the resource.
When I heard he was sponsoring the SEGE Indie Circuit, I pushed to get Barn Brawl ready and prayed I’d be selected for the event.
I mean…how cool would it be if he saw my game???
Yeah – he did a lot more than that. Dude sat right next to me and played it – and I didn’t even recognize him. I hadn’t made it out of the booth most of the weekend. I’d had interactions with some memebers of the Fake Portal / Wizard News staff – who all seemed to LOVE our game and how much fun Wafey and I were having presenting it…but I had only seen the Wizard once – in costume, at the awards ceremony. A really tall guy with orange sadals and a backwards purple cap sat down with two others from the Fake Portal crew and played Barn Brawl with me on Sunday…then I looked and saw the orange sandals as Wizard put on his robe…
I’ll never make fun of the whole Clark Kent “disguise” phenomenon again.
I’ve always been a fan of Fake Portal and what they do to help indie devs – and was blown away by how organized things were. There were raffle tickets and prizes to drive players to play at least 10 of the 28 games. As players left, staff asked questions and solicited feedback (which I really hope they share with us to help them determine awards. Best of all, the staff themselves loved the games that were at the show. I hope they had a hand in choosing them…regardless, they were as invested in driving folks to play our games as we were. What an amazing group of folks – and they made us feel like rockstars the entire weekend long!
They will probably laugh, but I even sent them a thank you note from my Fake Portal account…
