Issue #14 - Getting Social

Sebastian Asaro

Sebastian Asaro

— 4 min read
Issue #14 - Getting Social

Before I forget, I'm running a Toy Tournament on Twitter/X for funsies. If you are still trapped on that platform like I am, check it out at @BartysAdventure. Thanks!

The weather's getting colder up here in New England, which means that the family is finally out of the chaos that was the summer and back into the school-year groove. We're still working the kinks out of our schedule, but having some reliability will help in a ton of ways. One of which is more predictable development time for me, which allows me to plan out some milestones once again.

Planning is going to be really important going forward, as I've essentially started tackling two new jobs in the past few weeks: Social Media Marketing and Business Development. In this Issue, I figured to go through both and provide updates as to how juggling all of this has been going.

I still really haven't figured out how to Tik the Tok

Social Media Marketing

I've explained before how I REALLY dislike social media. There was a time a few years back where I was genuinely addicted, scrolling aimlessly through Instagram Reels like a zombie, not really getting much enjoyment out of it. I quit both Instagram and Facebook back then, and I haven't really missed them since. But now, as I'm gearing up for a Steam page release, I need to reengage with this aspect of marketing.

To tell you the truth, I was a little nervous setting up social media accounts for the game and studio. I have had to consciously check myself so that I don't spend too much time on any platform. By placing app limits and only using my business accounts, I've been able to stay clear of the mindlessness and really focus in on why I'm using each system. It's been working so far, and hopefully I can keep committed to the great goal here.

Now, learning how to use each platform successfully is a whole other journey. I've been experimenting with images and videos and shorts, learning that what works on TikTok doesn't necessarily translate to YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels. Each platform has their own algorithm, so while I do want to stay fun and lighthearted in the tone of the game, I also need to do so in a way that attracts attention.

The whole management of this (content creation, posting, tracking, etc.) is a job in itself. I've spent most of the last week learning this, so if you want to see the fruits of my labor, feel free to check out my accounts below:

Slowly getting there...

Business Development

The other major undertaking I've started in the past few weeks is the business development side of the game. This includes things such as making a Steam store page (including a trailer, copy, and images) and finding press, streamers, and YouTubers to cover major release milestones when the time comes.

I mentioned in the last issue that I started working on the Steam page and trailer. I sadly haven't made much progress with either in the past two weeks, but they are going to be my main focus going forward. Why have social media accounts if people can't check the game out? So far it has been slow going just with these two tasks, and as of today my schedule says I'm supposed to start compiling press emails. But even if it takes longer than expected, getting it right is the most important thing. As I've said before, the Steam page is the number one marketing tool I have, so it has to be perfect.

Actual Development (Oh yeah...)

And on top of all of this, I actually need to... you know... make the game. I've added a bunch of new sidequests into the main area of Stuffies Town, and I have a bunch more planned. Being able to see a quest from start to finish has been encouraging, but knowing I have ten more biomes to work on after this one makes my stomach drop a bit. Still, just gotta keep grinding away at it, one pixel at a time.

Thanks for all of your support, and hopefully I have that trailer done for you for next time.

Thanks! 😄

This newsletter is an update series for the development of the game Barty's Adventure. If you are interested in continuing the conversation, please join the community Discord server: https://discord.gg/M7p2Mtgkyx. Your input in these early stages of the game are invaluable and much appreciated. Thanks!

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