This is my second post about the Wyvern’s Lair event at UKGE.
Before I go on with further thoughts on how the Wyvern’s Lair event at UKGE might be improved, let me come clean with my own credentials. I am not by any means an industry insider. I am an amateur games designer at best, with an interest in having some of my ideas published at some point in the future. I have been impressed by a number of publishers who I have had the pleasure of pitching to, or who I have seen give feedback on other games. Many of them know their stuff.
What I would claim to know a little bit about is adult learning, training, facilitation and presentation skills. So my perspective as an audience member wanting to learn how to improve the way I pitch to a publisher might be very different from those who are looking for a game to publish. However, I maintain the fact that there were far more people like me, than publishers, in the room, and that even those chosen to pitch could have benefited far more from the process with a little ‘redesign’.
The challenge faced by UKGE staff is that Wyverns Lair (like Dragons Den) is trying to meet two purposes. An industry event to bring designers together with publishers; and an event to entertain an audience made up of paying visitors to the Expo. If we accept that a significant number of those in the audience are prospective designers who are looking to learn something about the pitching process and what publishers look for, it follows that in both cases it is the feedback from the industry professionals which is key. I had very little to learn from watching someone pitch their game poorly, but had everything to learn by listening to how the publishers responded, and learning what they considered to be a poor pitch.
I also understand that the UKGE does not have a limitless supply of resources, so any additional work or investment of time, needs to be acknowledged, and potentially should yield a return in proportion. I believe that my suggestions below while requiring additional effort, would serve to build the UKGE’s reputation as the place for prospective designers to bring their games to present to publishers.
Submission Process
Last year the submission for Wyverns Lair closed a significant period before the Expo took place (3 or 4 months?). Submission was through a single sheet of A4 with no more than 1 image or 100 words. Submission guidelines are here. Designers do not have a clear idea of the selection criteria, so they don’t know what to include and what to leave out. Publishing these beforehand, would likely improve all submissions, but would also help the best to rise to the top.
I understand that someone has to read all submissions, and that to do so for 50+ submissions is not an insignificant investment of time, but the shorter the submissions the harder it can be to get a clear idea of how much work is behind them, and as, distinguishing the good from the bad becomes harder, the selection process while quicker will become more arbitrary. The mixed quality of the pitches demonstrates this, as does the experience of some of the publishers in attendance who got to look at some of the failed submissions.
Is it necessary for the successful applicants for Wyvern’s Lair to be determined before the UKGE itself?
Although I can see that this allows those pitching to prepare, a case could be made that those who are preparing their pitch especially for the UKGE are not really ‘ready’. If their game is ready for consideration by a publisher then their pitch will also be ready. As it is, the submissions were made (and closed) months before the UKGE. If a game or designer missed the deadline too bad, and if they were accepted then this creates a deadline to rush to have the pitch ready on time, whether or not the game itself is quite ready.
Suppose the selection process took place at the Expo itself… We all know that very many designers arrive at the Expo ready to pitch their game to any number of publishers. Many have prototypes with them. Why not give all of them the opportunity to pitch to be part of the main event? Maybe at a preliminary event on the Thursday evening or the Friday morning?
How about starting with a pitching workshop on Thursday evening? This could be an open event where designers pitch their games to each other, and give each other feedback on how to improve their pitches. Then on Friday morning, give people the opportunity to make a 2 minute elevator pitch to a small panel as the application process for the Wyvern’s Lair.
The benefit of this extra effort? UKGE gets more designers coming along with more games, prepared for presentation to publishers; publishers will likely see better quality games ready for pitching both within the Lair, but also outside the Lair by those who have arrived hoping to win the opportunity to pitch; all designers get the opportunity to improve their pitching whether or not they make the cut, and those selected go through on a meritocracy rather than a lottery; the audience in the Lair sees the best pitches, and hears proper critique because publishers can be harsher when the overall quality is higher. Everyone wins.
What about designers who can’t pitch?
I realise that if there is undue emphasis on the ability of the designer to pitch in public then there is the risk that great games produced by less personable or engaging designers might be missed. That may be the case, but that is not where those designers should really be pitching their games. Create some low key 1-on-1 opportunities (such as designer/publisher speed dating) where they will have a chance to shine rather than forcing them out of their comfort zone, and potentially distracting from the good elements of their game with a poor presentation. If they do want to improve their pitching skills then the pitching workshop I suggest above would be an ideal opportunity, rather than the deliberately intimidating prospect of pitching to a panel of industry professionals and a full audience.
The real value of critique
Overall, the UKGE is simply the best event of its kind in the UK, and is carving out its reputation as a must attend event for the international board game industry as a whole. They have grown, and look set to continue to do so. At an event with so much happening not everything is going to be great. What I have been impressed by, from several conversations with various members of UKGE staff, is their desire to learn and improve. I trust that in the same way those entering the Wyvern’s Lair would be open to listen to and learn from any critique, these thoughts might help to improve the Expo as a resource for budding game designers and thereby to improve the experience of all those finding their way into this increasingly crowded industry. Creating and developing these sort of community events will help us all to raise our game.