Table-Top Game Devs: BGG WILL KILL YOU
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:33 am
Awesome title, no?
OK, so they won't literally kill you, but if you pull a Phil Fish and piss off the wrong internet troll, you can kiss your career as a game dev good bye. Yes, it's that serious, but no, this article is not about netiquette and how to stop being an asshole, nor will it teach you the right way to market yourself on Board Game Geek (BGG). I'm just simply going to tell you my story and hopefully by the end of this post you will have learned from my mistake and will be on your way to happy days at BGG.
First off, all would-be analog game developers need to believe me when I say this: the time to get on BGG is eight months ago. I didn't and my current project is suffering for it. More than anything--above polish art, banner ads, and showcasing your prototype at local game shops--you need to move onto BGG, establish a persona there, and shake as many digital hands as you can.
Right now.
But before you walk onto the battlefield, please take a moment and read on. Be warned: the denizens of BGG will crush you. Believe me when I say in Batman bold print: BOARD GAME GEEK CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND OR YOUR WORST ENEMY. I say all this because I'm only now getting into the BGG scene and it has been a roller-coaster experience.
You see, BGG isn't just an elite group of smarty-pants nerds you remember from your high school's chess club. BGG is an effin tribe! If they like you, they will carry you to the end of your life's journey with unquestionable loyalty. But if they don't... you are dead meat. If you piss off the wrong person(s), they will not only destroy your reputation, but they will eliminate you from the gaming scene outright! This means you won't have a demographic to target when you come back with your next KS project.
This almost happened to me... luckily I involved an Admin who stifled the flame before the thirty or so trolls could piss all over my name. Le sigh... I got a respawn. I get one more chance to go back in and do things right. But I know in my heart and from what I've observed on the internet (e.g. the crowd-sourced implosion of Phil Fish), I know that it was a close call. I could have lost everything in that exchange.
I just thought I should warn BGG newcomers of the risks involved for putting yourself out there on their forums. Cos get this. You wanna know why I was treated with such disdain? Why I was called a "failure" and "a laughing stock"?
Because I posted a pic of my game in the wrong thread, asking for people to check out my Kickstarter page. It was my first post ever on their site. *_* Holy cow.
OK, so they won't literally kill you, but if you pull a Phil Fish and piss off the wrong internet troll, you can kiss your career as a game dev good bye. Yes, it's that serious, but no, this article is not about netiquette and how to stop being an asshole, nor will it teach you the right way to market yourself on Board Game Geek (BGG). I'm just simply going to tell you my story and hopefully by the end of this post you will have learned from my mistake and will be on your way to happy days at BGG.
First off, all would-be analog game developers need to believe me when I say this: the time to get on BGG is eight months ago. I didn't and my current project is suffering for it. More than anything--above polish art, banner ads, and showcasing your prototype at local game shops--you need to move onto BGG, establish a persona there, and shake as many digital hands as you can.
Right now.
But before you walk onto the battlefield, please take a moment and read on. Be warned: the denizens of BGG will crush you. Believe me when I say in Batman bold print: BOARD GAME GEEK CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND OR YOUR WORST ENEMY. I say all this because I'm only now getting into the BGG scene and it has been a roller-coaster experience.
You see, BGG isn't just an elite group of smarty-pants nerds you remember from your high school's chess club. BGG is an effin tribe! If they like you, they will carry you to the end of your life's journey with unquestionable loyalty. But if they don't... you are dead meat. If you piss off the wrong person(s), they will not only destroy your reputation, but they will eliminate you from the gaming scene outright! This means you won't have a demographic to target when you come back with your next KS project.
This almost happened to me... luckily I involved an Admin who stifled the flame before the thirty or so trolls could piss all over my name. Le sigh... I got a respawn. I get one more chance to go back in and do things right. But I know in my heart and from what I've observed on the internet (e.g. the crowd-sourced implosion of Phil Fish), I know that it was a close call. I could have lost everything in that exchange.
I just thought I should warn BGG newcomers of the risks involved for putting yourself out there on their forums. Cos get this. You wanna know why I was treated with such disdain? Why I was called a "failure" and "a laughing stock"?
Because I posted a pic of my game in the wrong thread, asking for people to check out my Kickstarter page. It was my first post ever on their site. *_* Holy cow.