What a ride! This past week was ECGC (which really is the east coast’s biggest game conference, I’m told) and it was an amazing time. My game–Shell Break–is still up on itch.io where you can play it free, but I’m going to focus this post more on what I’m learning that applies to authoring, and how that can help you.

Well…okay. Plus this one link to my youtube video talking about the game. Cause it has a bouncing little dragon stuck in his egg and it’s so much fun!

Okay now, done with the gushing hustle. 😀 But really, from a marketing perspective one of the most important things I’ve learned is that the more genuinely excited you are about what you have to share, the easier it is to get other people excited, too. Seems simple, but I think it’s something we can lose track of.

Additional points of insight:

• JUICY is the term the game industry has for…well, games that feel really fun to play because they deliver super satisfying feedback. That’s my off-the-cuff definition, but the term get’s discussed more technically here. Anyway, the point is these are the kinds of games that don’t just have moving parts that feel good to slide around or interact with. They also have particles that shower light or dust, extra moment so the game feels more electric, sounds that are fun, etc. These are games that help the player know for sure they’re impacting the game world and involve all their senses in doing it.
  How does that apply to writing books? One very important way is to try to involve the senses–which is good advice I’ve heard elsewhere. But when I think of the term ‘juicy’ it helps me visualize the kind of thing we’re going for. Stuff squirting everywhere and dripping down the chin kind of involvement! Also, it helps me remember not to hold back. Go bigger, go deeper, and push out of my comfort zone so I can help the reader leave theirs, too.
• BREADCRUMBING is what we call it when we guide a player into the game and show them how the mechanics will work, and how they’ll play. This is pretty similar to the exact same principle in books, where the writer delivers the information the reader needs in the correct order for them to understand the story and world, without overwhelming them. Again, though, I personally have found that visualizing this process from a game perspective has given me a deeper appreciation for the job that needs to be done. In games, aside from cut scenes nothing happens unless the player is playing the game. They have to be told (most the time) which keys to press in order to make the character move, jump, interact with stuff, and so on. The game world can become very confusing very fast if the player doesn’t understand what’s going on, and it’s picturing that confusion and my need to prevent it that’s really helped me think of breadcrumbing in books a little differently.
• REPLAYABILITY refers to how much fun a game will be for the player to have a second go at, once they’ve beaten the game. Game designers use various tactics to try to increase replayability, such as making treasure and enemies spawn randomly, or changing puzzles. But there are challenges to doing these things super effectively. It’s been my observation that the most reliable way to get players to come back and play again and again is make sure the game delivers deeply on the experience they’re looking for. If the game feels like it’s unlocking a rare emotion on the inside–wonder, true adventure, heart-bounding exploration–than players will seek the game out again the next time they need that particular emotion. The same is true of books, of course. And when we can reliably deliver an emotion and truly move our readers heart in their chest, they’ll keep the book on their nightstand for the rest of their lives.

None of these ideas are super monumental but I personally feel like I’ve been given a look at a puzzle from a new angle. I was doing alright with it before, but now I feel I’m seeing it with new insight and I can better tell where certain pieces need to go. Hopefully you’ve found it equally helpful!

At this point I’d usually share a pic or two of me with my game…but I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t get a single one. I do have a couple pics of the prizes I gave out–with the prize winners! Every half hour the person at the top of my game leaderboard got to pick their prize, with it’s accompanying award of bragging rights. A big hit, let me tell you!

It’s been really fabulous to find out–quite by surprise–that my two loves of book writing and game making have more in common than I ever guessed. During the conference I was able to present my humor panel, adapted and uniquely adjusted to suit games, and I found the audience highly receptive and supportive. A great crowd! Stories are stories no matter their form, and that is a great comfort.

Happy MMGM! Tell me what books AND games you’re devouring lately, and if you’ve ever noticed any connection between them! And go to Greg Pattridge’s blog for the full list of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts, which almost always include a few giveaways. 😀

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