Out There and Back: Starting a New Channel to Promote Games

Hello Guys.

It has been a while since I post on Garage Games. I used to run makingindiegames.com and all the tutorials and resources are still available on torquescripter.com. Recently I've been working on building a new channel for people to discover indie games. If you have a that you think people will enjoy lets get in touch. You may skip to the end if you are looking to get your game promoted.

Going Out There

I'm big into prototyping and when starting a new project I purposely go out there. I met two videographers from squirlhouse.com that were willing to shoot some test footage for me. The goal was to film a seemingly normal walk home. As the walk progressed the seemingly structured world change to digital and the narrator would rediscover why they use to play games.


Yep That's me with a GoPro on my head. I did get some weird looks in town but the prototype came out better than planned and I was impressed. It created a unique experience and people were discovering games. I was happy with the outcome experimental project and it was time to come back to reality. (May be looking into similar ideas later.)

Coming Back with Visual Discovery

As with every experimental project I do I go out there and come back. I look at my project with fresh eyes and redesign from what I learned. If you're interested in iterative and user centered design: there is a short and sweet pdf on user design: From Paper To Pixels.

I found that visual discovery is a great way to discover indie games. A screenshot is a great way to make a first impression. It can give insight on the art style, atmosphere, gameplay, intended audience, and gameplay. Screenshots are digestible and people can make a yes or no decision quickly and without thinking.

I've been doing user tests using the prototype and have found that screenshots that show the environment do better than those those that show show macro gameplay. During these tests I also ask people what they think the game is about. They usually have a good sense of what the game is.

We Want to Promote Indie Games - Indie Game Stream

Learning from the prototype I set off to build indiegamestream.com. The stream is a wall of game icons - similar to the prototype. People can click on icons to reveal more information about the game supplied by the developer. We want to give developers control over content and allow them to change it anytime. We think this is important. Static posts such as blogs and reviews get posted once and drift down into the archives. They usually give a lot of traffic all at once. At the Indie Game Stream we want good games to be discovered not just when they first come out but continually.

We are looking for games to kick off the website. If you think people will love to discover your game let's get in touch. You can contact me at koflaherty@indiegamestream.com.

How It Works

I hope to hear about your awesome game!