I started this morning feeling a little deflated. It’s the first time since I’ve started making games that I’ve felt that way. Yesterday I sent out my first real attempt at contacting press. The last few months of effort are now finally at the point of being tested. I don’t really know what I was expecting. I guess the hardest part is not knowing what people are thinking.
As well as contacting the press I also got in touch with some of the prominent indie developers. One of which was kind enough to take a look at the Glo press kit and give me some feedback. I really appreciated that as I know he must get these requests all the time! His main points were based on the graphics and finding it difficult to understand what the gameplay was like from the press kit. Oh yeah and my trailer wasn’t loading either…
My heart sunk when I read that! You try so hard to make a good first impression and you let something like a bad link screw things up! I immediately went online and updated the link. I then sent an apology email out explaining what had happened and providing a direct link to the trailer as well. I’d fixed the issue but I don’t know if the damage has already been done. I’ve not had any responses other than that one, so it’s hard to tell.
So last night my head was filled with worries. Have I screwed up that first impression, do I look like an amateur, do I need to do a whole graphics re-haul with only a month left, is Glo even any good, was I tricking myself all along?
I had a dream last night that it was release day… I was looking at my Steam account… Every time I refreshed it, more people had bought Glo… I felt relieved… Then I woke up.
On my drive in to work I was still thinking things through and worrying. I was looking at game dev talks to listen to in the background when an advert for Narcos popped up. The background music was Cypress Hill. That made me think, I haven’t taken the time to listen to music for the past three months. Whenever I listen to anything on my phone these days, it’s always game dev talks or podcasts. This morning I just wasn’t ready for another one. So I put on some Cypress Hill and switched off from thinking about game dev.
An hour later, once my commute was over, I pulled into my works carpark feeling refreshed. I remember now why I’m making games, because I enjoy doing it. I remember why I love to play Glo and believe in it, because it tells a story close to my heart of trying to break free through gameplay and plot. The fact that an experienced indie developer had a look at Glo and wanted to give me feedback is amazing. And I know that journalists are way too busy to be responding to every email even if they think a game has potential.
I know what I need to do to complete my vision of Glo. I also have some great feedback to incorporate from one of the industry’s most prominent figures. Keeping that positive mentality is so important. I always knew there would be ups and downs; the key is to not get stuck in your own head. Take that hour, do something different, relax and bounce back.