Finding Strangers To Playtest Our Game | Devlog #7

[@GMTK]

Genius idea! Good luck with the game - looks like it will be an amazing extension of the jam version

[@mikamuhlbauer1135]

joo the legend himself

[@OandCoGames]

Thank you! We need all the luck we can get ;) I’m honored you watched our video!

[@dapandared]

I love how much playtesting plays a role in the development of this game

[@denkkab1366]

"Might be unconventional, because.. it's not a convention" Haha, nice one.

[@OandCoGames]

Hehe it was a dad joke I couldn't resist...

[@Trumpluv]

That farmer’s market idea makes my heart sing. Such a great idea. I would love to try that, but I don’t think a horror game would work in public like that.

[@OandCoGames]

lol perhaps not... though there might be markets during Halloween that would work well!

[@stray1239]

that is the most creative way to get playteseters I've ever seen.

[@OandCoGames]

lol thanks!

[@danielgysi5729]

Every time I watch one of these devlogs, I can't help but feel that this game is going to be big. I watch /a lot/ of devlogs on KZbin and this channel is the most polished by far. It's the only one I know of with multiple people with strong skillsets working together with their priorities in line. You avoid all the rookie mistakes I keep seeing every other amateur game dev KZbinr make. This game will be genuinely good.

[@OandCoGames]

Man I sure hope so. Thank you so much for the high praise 🙏

[@devswears]

Out of curiosity what kind of rookie mistakes?

[@sagedeen4180]

Using your local market to playtest your game is such a good idea!

[@Don-zo3ts]

Play test in farmers market 😮 ( what a legend )

[@someonewithsomename]

7 days of full day in person playtesting? That is honestly a steal! What a brilliant idea!

[@OandCoGames]

Seriously!

[@gadzooks4476]

Such a cool way to gather feedback. Really the whole approach to developing this game seems just very down to earth and admirable. I wishlisted it after finding your devlogs yesterday and was so excited when I got home today and saw another log waiting for me to watch!

[@OandCoGames]

That's fantastic to hear. Thank you so much!

[@NicheVeraldi]

That’s a really smart and creative way to get play testers!

[@cashwarior]

Honestly one of the coolest ways for outreach

[@StormyYay]

Great choice, I think this is the first time I've ever heard of something like this and it sounds really good. I hope the sales keep rising and Im sure everyone will love the game as everything is in the right amount, looks great and the dedication is truly shown

[@nadavrot]

Sometimes you “make” money just by avoiding spending money. Playtesting your game like this is a smart cost-cutting measure.

[@mikamuhlbauer1135]

I am so amezed by you guys and the fact that you three are making a game that looks like it is made with a huge team of people

[@hunter-of-artemis]

Great Ideas!!! The playtest is a very nice way to interact with players!!!

[@Pallerim]

I love this idea! Super inspiring

[@pixelasm]

Great idea! Also exposing your game to a way broader audience.

[@OSW]

Found you as GMTK featured u in his reading list today! Cool video, and great idea thinking out of the box!

[@OandCoGames]

Dang we're flattered to have made his list. Thanks for tuning in!

[@adon155]

haven't been recommended the last few devlogs, all the new art looks great!

[@andygeers]

This is such a brilliant idea. We have found it so valuable to exhibit our game and do user testing like that - but as you say, it's just not often enough that we can get to conferences and so on. This looks like a very effective way to do it more regularly - well done!

[@OandCoGames]

Thank you!

[@orangefela]

I can see the love, passion, and dedication from you and your team going into this colorful project thats why I LOVE Indie titles, looking forward to seeing future dev-logs from O. And Co.

[@OandCoGames]

Thank you so much!

[@fosterturtle]

This is such a cool concept, definitely a unique devlog and a super cool idea!

[@squirre1_m4ster22]

ooh, playtesting sounds like a blast!

[@weaseled4118]

Thats actually a really cool idea, im surprised thats not more of a thing

[@RKIOrbMage]

This is so cool! These devlogs really feel like the story of a successful game dev studio!

[@OandCoGames]

Sure hope so!

[@gamedevreasearch]

Thank you so much! I had no idea how to get playtesters for my game! This is such an ingenutive idea (not even gonna try, lol). As they say in the industry, I'm stealing this. Really, thank you so much.

[@OandCoGames]

Glad we can inform and inspire!

[@ziccodx]

woah, that's an awesome way to playtest

[@Campake]

I'd just like to say that this is such great way to get people to playtest your game - keep up the devlogs, what you're doing is amazing

[@denkkab1366]

"Obviously, I'm not making any money with this booth" You can also think of it as marketing besides just playtesting. Marketing's something you'll need to put a lot of $$ into and not expect immediate revenue, but it can pay itself back tenfolds (exaggerating of course) later on. I'd call this a great marketing investment for not hopefully a huge budget spent! Besides, creative ideas like this could land you a spot in a local newspaper or similar some day.

[@OandCoGames]

Local news would be awesome! I really do want to believe this is also a good marketing investment, but honestly the reach for a booth like this is pretty small. Of the 120+ people who visited the booth this season, I'd guess only about 20-30 will end up buying this game.. which would still be a fantastic conversion rate, but barely breaking even with the amount of money the booth took to set up + the market fees. That said, you really do make a good point about it paying off later on. Those 20-30 people will hopefully tell their friends about the game, maybe even mention they met the developer in person, and that word-of-mouth marketing is priceless. And of course I have all this gear now for any future in-person events we attend. So yeah, I hope you're right and this does pay itself back later on!

[@denkkab1366]

​@@OandCoGames ​exactly, you nailed it. Word of mouth is a very powerful marketing strategy for indie games. I noticed you had people of almost all ages visit the booth - kids who tried it might be really excited for the game and tell their friends at school and show them some cool stickers with the game's name on them (hopefully you had some handouts), others will tell their friends that they'll want to try it once it comes out, etc. Not many indie devs are doing what you are doing and really putting themselves out there. It's also a way to stand out from the masses. Not to mention, you could now leverage social media by making a blog post/tweet/tiktok about your playtest session at the local farmer's market, so you actually got a lot of marketing material for a low price. Besides, as now you have the setup already bought (or at least some of it if it wasn't rented), it's easy to replicate it in another place and do it again. Small streams create big rivers!

[@distantforest2481]

Companies spend A LOT of money getting quality play testers and data, I wouldn't sweat it that the booth didn't earn that much money. Getting to know your target audience is already a huge value in itself!

[@bryanparra1528]

Super fun glad to have participated!

[@OandCoGames]

The legend himself!!!

[@datnastysalad5616]

Everything you guys put out always has me impressed

[@Beets_Creations]

This is wild and I love it

[@arian_ki9095]

3:15 play test 3 is going to be crucial to game's success

[@OandCoGames]

lol someone had to say it.

[@NKCubed]

Normalize farmers market playtesting! Wow, it's such a genius idea and it kinda totally fits in, I love it

[@dr-ty-runs]

Genius! This is sooo awesome!

[@Samiyoichi]

Yeee new video love this game

[@stateflower3213]

This is such a good idea!

[@that_bean1793]

Amazing idea!

[@Shawn-cq7qy]

This is my first video I watch form your channel and I’m subscribe to you ❤❤❤

[@denkkab1366]

Get a bigger screen for live playtesting next time! 😅 A TV sized screen would show the details better for a bigger audience and could attract people from further away

[@OandCoGames]

Dude seriously. I love this suggestion. I do wonder if our little power station would be able to handle it though lol.

[@denkkab1366]

@@OandCoGames hehe, a bigger power station might be worth the investment too. It struck out from the video that people were leaning closer to the screen and really wanted to enjoy all the amazing visuals you guys have created, so definitely something to think about! (Oh, and a comfy couch or a seat could do wonders as well..)

[@aaaaaaaa_lil]

the game looks fun! i've always wanted to watch a celeste devlog

[@OandCoGames]

lol well you're in luck *mostly*

[@aaaaaaaa_lil]

@@OandCoGames that was the joke :p

[@pinkdoor2450]

Oh that is such a great idea!! I love this :)

[@noface7842]

I've missed so many devlogs what

[@praquenomereal]

As an aspiring programmer/game dev (as a hobby), it's great to view people's projects and see how my design philosophies align with them! I would be grateful if I had a chance to test it, but I know it's hard to give a key to a total stranger because of the risks...

[@OandCoGames]

You'll absolutely be able to test it! We'll be releasing a free demo by the end of the year. Keep an eye on the Discord for early access.

[@praquenomereal]

​@@OandCoGamesoh my gosh that's AWESOME! You guys rock!

[@PanupolKaewplee]

Genius!

[@wijiler5834]

New O & Co. Video :)

[@Triville]

Yes

[@BlueOctopusDev]

Its so cool

[@thisismyuser2]

Maybe I should visit more farmers markets for playtesting games🤔 No but when am I gonna be able to playtest this game? I love it soo much and i just wanna try it!!

[@OandCoGames]

Demo’s coming by the end of the year!

[@thisismyuser2]

Yahho 🎉

[@peterz_z]

Do you have any tips on starting game development? I have the problem that I can’t do art, wich doesn’t really motivate me to continue.

[@OandCoGames]

If you look at our first devlog, it's all wireframes. Just go for it, don't worry if it doesn't have great art! The first version of Celeste didn't look too good either, but once they had a concept that they really liked, the game took root and they were able to get professional art later on.

[@epicgeometro]

I would totally like this video but it's already at 69 😢

[@OandCoGames]

lol well, I'll bet it's not at 69 anymore..

[@epicgeometro]

@@OandCoGames Somebody else took the job of ruining the funny number, so I was able to like the video guilt-free

[@OandCoGames]

@@epicgeometro 😆