Game Jam is a fascinating event that brings game enthusiasts together to create games over a set period of time. It also provides a great opportunity to receive valuable feedback on your game from other game developers and players. By exchanging ideas, showcasing your game, and participating in selection contests, you can gain inspiration and feedback from others' opinions and suggestions. Therefore, it is crucial to effectively promote your work and collect more feedback during Game Jam.
Here are some tips and suggestions on how to promote your work during Scratch Game Jam:
Polish your game page
Every game participating in Scratch Game Jam creates a game page on itch.io. Adding an attractive cover and game screenshots can entice more players to click on and try out your game. You can also create a small demo of the game's best part as an animated image to make it stand out.
Social media promotion
Social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are excellent ways to promote your Game Jam work. You can post your game screenshots, videos, or introductions on these platforms, using the correct Scratch Game Jam and themes in the title so that social media accounts and groups related to Scratch Game Jam can find and share your game. Devlogs and game trailers are excellent video formats for YouTube.
For a game with a new mechanism, a complete beginner's guide is necessary, but game jams are often limited in time, so you may not be able to do this part well in the game. In this case, you can consider recording the gameplay commentary as a video and recommend new players to watch the video to learn how to play.
Game challenges
In the Discord server of Scratch Game Jam, participants can showcase their games, launch game challenges, and communicate with other participants. Make sure to showcase your game, communicate with other developers, and obtain feedback in this section. This is a great opportunity to gain more exposure and feedback for your game and attract others to play and follow your game.
Participate in selection
Scratch Game Jam will set up selections to recognize the best games. If your game is selected for the shortlist, this is an excellent opportunity to promote your work. Make sure to promote your game during the selection or contest period, and communicate with other contestants.
It is worth noting that creators participating in Scratch Game Jam can also evaluate the works of others. When evaluating, your information will also be left on the other party's work page, which is also a mechanism that encourages creators to evaluate each other.
Community discussion
Join the Discord server of Scratch Game Jam, communicate with other participants, share your game ideas and experiences, and learn about others' games. This is an excellent opportunity to establish connections, seek partners, attract fans, and promote your work.
There are some events in Discord server during a Scratch Game Jam.
Event | Description |
Theme Reveal Party | Let's celebrate the start of the event and announce the theme for the Game Jam. |
High Score Challenge | Game challenges initiated by creators. |
Playtest Streaming | Invite players and other creators to try you game and get feedback. |
Last Day Dash | On the last day, share your game with the players and add the finishing touch. |
Countdown Party | Let's celebrate everyone's creations and the final results together. |
Best Game Exhibition | Share admiration for all the wonderful works. |
Remember that Scratch Game Jam is a community activity, and establishing contacts and sharing your game with other participants is vital. If you want your game to receive more attention and support, these tips and suggestions can help you expand your game's audience.