The First Week...

Store is open, of course, and has acquired a new snappier name and presentation. Yet another learning experience, as I find out what works and what doesn't in terms of design, product arrangement, uploaded artwork and the like.

As always I'm humbled by just how much I don't know on a topic, in this case - Internet Marketing and Promotions.

Here's an example of what seems to be visited the most:

Ride a Dragon

- wonder if that will show up as a picture or a link or a what.. I'm not having a lot of luck with this journal editor these days.

Well, just in case it worked.. here's another!

Working Stiff by Day, Conqueror by Night!



Link to shop is up in links section - come give it a look!

Finally the Webstore Goes Live

The Webstore Is Open!!

I learned a few important lessons about marketing and promotion.

1 - Tell everyone

2 - Tell everyone everywhere

3 - Tell everyone everywhere to come visit

4 - Tell everyone everywhere to come visit and buy things.


Sounds simple, no?

Despite what it may seem in prior writings on this blog, gentle reader, I've never been one to tootle my own horn loudly. This lack of self-confidence has shot me in the foot more often than not (usually at job interviews).

But this time, I'm telling the world. This shop is full of great unique stuff - all original designs on shirts and mugs and totes and tees. It was a blast putting it together, even though I ended up having to redo most of it twice (*mutters about reading unwritten directions*).

>>>CHEER<<<

Oh yes, the address... http://www.cafepress.com/karinth - it's in the link bar, it's on my stationery, and I'm thinking of going out tomorrow and having it tattooed on my forehead.

Wanted: HOTROD

You know who you are. You have a sense of the possible and a keen knowledge of how to get things out there. You enjoy the challenge of finding every last niche of a niche market.

You're the sort who can sell refrigerators to igloo owners. You can coerce water from solid rock. You have an intuitive taste for the blood and gore of the marketing world.

You can get the word out to a gazillion people in the space of two days, and see results of it in three. You have boundless energy but remain polite and respectful in business dealings.

You're old enough to know what you're doing and how to get it done, but young enough that you have the willpower to do it (this is not chronological age).

Oh, and you volunteer your time because you love online games. I suppose I should have mentioned that... Since we have no income, we all work for free because we love online games.

Why do we need a hotrod? Well, technically we don't at this very moment, but would be great if we had one, for two reasons.

First, I'm not a marketing sort, and yet we have an immediate need to get the word out about the game.

Why now instead of two weeks ago or two weeks hence? The webstore is done, open and ready for the public eye. This is something that we need to start promoting -now-. Tell your friends - go visit - paw through the t-shirts and designer tote bags and spend the price of a pizza or two burgers.
http://www.legendsofkarinth.com - click on SHOP in the menu bar. Alternatively, just go to this link for our shop ... you'll be happy you did. It's called the Karinthian Dragon Hoards, and I'll be adding dragons over the next few weeks. Plenty of custom designs there at this time, and expect that will grow.

So that's one reason we need a hotrod marketing sort. The second is that the game is open and playable, and we need to start doing the things that are necessary for preparation for release, although we do not think of that release in terms of a date. If we are to get that far, we need to increase our player headcount and base.

So that's the second reason, although the first is a more compelling one to start talking to folks who may be willing to join us and help out...

(*washes the ink off her hands and smiles*)

An Afterthought Unrelated

Why is it, pray tell, one must rest up from a vacation? I've been back a week and I'm still exhausted.

I cut my hair for the first time since I was in second grade. I've had trims, of course, and have trimmed it myself over the past few years whenever I get tired of sitting on it. But this time, I had it cut SHORT.
Not quite post-chemo short, but short short. Not-touching-collar short. One-style no-braids short.

Let's see, if my math is right, I was in second grade about 46 years ago. So I've had some time to become accustomed to long hair.

In a way it was liberating. I can brush it without throwing my back out. I can wash it and condition it in two minutes flat - less if I don't follow the instructions on the conditioner bottle and let it set for one minute or more. My brush is not harvesting hanks of hair twice a day, most gray, some red, some brown - all long. I keep doing double-takes at the mirror though. To my eyes, I look much older. Ironically, everyone who has seen it says I look ten years younger.

Change is good, if one can handle change without setting up too much expectation. I suppose, in that regard, a radical change of hairstyle does relate to game design.. in some strange remote manner.

What Do You Think...

Two entirely different questions:
How do you feel about ...
and
What do you think about ...

The topic matters not one whit - for the moment, let's pretend I asked you about the use of crossbow in game combat sessions. Or the secession of Georgia as passed by ordinance at the State Convention in Millegeville in January 1861 (probably a bit before your time). Or chunky peanut butter as an ice cream topping. Or the impact of hybrid automobiles on the crude oil prices over the next fourteen months.

Matters not. See why?

As an experiment, I asked a player two questions, in a particular order. I asked a different player the same questions in the opposite order:

Player A:
Q: How do you feel about crafting systems in most text-based games?
A: Fine, they're ok.
Q: What do you think about crafting systems in most text-based games?
A: I just said .... fine, they're ok.

Player B:
Q: What do you think about crafting systems in most text-based games?
A: (and I'm paraphrasing for the sake of the paper supply of the world) Well, for the most part, the ones I have worked with have been a real painful experience. They take too much downtime, require too much repetition for not much of a reward, and give very little feedback about what you're doing. It seems to me like the crafting systems were grafted on after the fact, with not much attention paid to what the player wants.

Q: How do you feel about crafting systems in most text-based games?
A: I feel wary and negative, for the most part, and not really enthusiastic about them.

Ah-HAH!

Now, I'm no psychologist nor behavioral sciences guru - but if I had to put forth a theory, I'd say that asking someone what they feel (first) tends to elicit short reactive responses which then shortcircuit the thinking that would otherwise have gone into the question about what they think, had that question been asked first. Asking a person what they feel triggers an emotional reaction which can easily be expressed in very few words.

Asking a person what they think, however, triggers a sequence of thoughts. Those thoughts chain together in all their synaptic splendor to form sentences which can then be used to convey the more useful response.

Somehow I get the sense that, in some cases as game designers, we ask these questions out of order - and when we do, we get what we ask for. Not that I suspect that the questions should be limited to 'thinking' questions and 'feeling' questions - far from it. I believe that both elicit responses of great value, particularly when it pertains to game play.

The next question may be: how much of gameplay is thinking... and how much is feeling - emotional reactions and responses in rapid succession which emulate a strategy?

(By the way, to a guy with a newspaper up in front of his face, or a game of Empires of the Skeletal Horde on his screen, the order of the questions probably doesn't matter much ...

Q: Honey, what do you think about having spaghetti for dinner?
A: Uh huh ok. (sounds of skeletons blowing into bits)
followed by -
Q: Honey, how do you feel about having spaghetti for dinner?
A: Ok uh huh. (sounds of newspaper pages turning)

... the synapses are already busy *grin*)

So.. what do you think (or feel) about that?