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I'm sharing here a testimony of my first participation in the Tokyo Game Show as an independent developer.
October 7, 2024
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The Tokyo Game Show 2024 is over!
This was my first time presenting my game to the public at the Tokyo Game Show, and it was an incredible experience, with its own unique characteristics compared to the conventions I've attended in France.
For those who may not know, the Tokyo Game Show is a video game convention held near Tokyo over four days in September. The first two days are reserved for professionals (people working in the video game industry, journalists, etc.), while the last two days (the weekend) are open to the public. Around 250,000 people attend the event each year.
I’m writing this article to reflect on the mistakes I made and the things I would do differently if I had the chance to do it again. If it can help others, even better!
Hopefully, you’ll find the information you’re looking for!
From what I understand, there are three ways to attend TGS:
Get invited to the "80 Selected Indie": You just need to apply by presenting your game. If your game is selected by the jury, you will be invited and given a booth in the "80 Selected Indie" section. I feel like this is the best option: you get a free booth, and your game is highlighted by TGS.
Join a delegation that's attending: I noticed that several countries were represented (Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, etc.). I’m not sure how it works exactly, but there might be opportunities where the price and professional connections make it worth it. Some delegations have their own stands with featured games, while others just attend in the business area.
Pay for a booth (around $1000): This is what I did. It allows you to get a space in the indie game area, which you can customize according to your needs.
For my part, I tried to get invited to the "80 Selected Indie," but I wasn’t chosen... Since I really wanted to attend the event, I opted to pay for a booth instead.
I didn’t know it at the time, but a French delegation was present. Maybe I could have joined them, but I’m not sure if I would have been accepted, given that I’m probably not yet professional enough in the industry.
I’m describing my experience as someone who paid for a booth to participate in TGS. I’m not sure how it works if you attend in another way.
Once your registration is confirmed, TGS gives you access to three online platforms:
To manage the organization of your booth.
To arrange meetings with the press (this access becomes available about 1.5 to 2 months before TGS).
To arrange meetings with professionals (this access also becomes available about 1.5 to 2 months before TGS).
It seems intimidating at first. You’re given access to a 200-page PDF that provides all the information you need. It gave me a headache at first, and with all that information, I wasn’t even sure if I could bring my own equipment… But in fact, you can! Despite the lengthy process you have to follow, you actually have a lot of freedom in organizing your booth.
There are many forms to fill out, some mandatory and some optional. Deadlines are always indicated, and you’ll receive email reminders as the deadlines approach. The forms cover everything from renting computer equipment to having food delivered to your booth.
For me, it was overwhelming to handle all this information while also preparing the game demo. I ended up filling out the forms close to their deadlines. However, the best approach, in my opinion, would be to dedicate one or two days to complete all the necessary forms.
Keep in mind that depending on your requests, you may incur additional costs (such as renting equipment).
But if you panic like I did, don’t worry! You can always email the TGS contacts, and they respond quickly and clearly. They were very efficient in helping me.
You get access to two separate platforms: one for the press and one for professionals. These platforms allow you to see who’s attending and send invitations with proposed meeting times.
Here are two mistakes I made and what to avoid:
Time zone difference: When I scheduled my meetings, I didn’t realize that the platform was displaying French time… So I ended up scheduling meetings for the middle of the night ><. Make sure to double-check the time zone when scheduling!
There are two distinct platforms: One for the press and one for professionals. I only realized this a week before TGS! I managed to catch up by sending invitations, but it was a bit of a scramble. Avoid the panic by familiarizing yourself with both platforms early on.
I also saw another matching app for professional meetings, but it wasn’t affiliated with TGS. I’m not sure how well it works.
Regarding contact through the platforms, I received more responses from professionals.
I sent many messages to journalists but only got a few replies.
I was missing a lot of things here, as I wasn’t well-prepared and lacked equipment.
One of my main challenges was traveling from France; it seemed a bit complicated to bring lots of equipment to decorate my booth.
But in fact, most people traveling from afar bring a suitcase full of decorations for their booth… whereas I was a bit unprepared.
Business cards:
You need a good amount of business cards. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough, so I ran out in the last two days. Ideally, I recommend having cards with English on one side and Japanese on the other.
Flyers:
You’ll need flyers to hand out during TGS, written in both Japanese and English. Goodies are also a good idea.
Decorations:
You’re free to decorate your booth however you like. Since I didn’t have much, I just printed large images of the game from a convenience store... Honestly, don’t do it like that ^^''. If you can bring quality materials, pack them in a large suitcase.
After each business day, you’re invited to an event with unlimited food and drinks.
It’s well-organized and a great opportunity to meet new people in the industry.
All the speeches were in Japanese, so I couldn’t fully appreciate that part...
The first evening takes place in a hotel hall right next to the TGS venue (a 10-minute walk). It feels a bit fancy, but you can come in casually. It was a great experience since I got to chat with other indie devs. I didn’t try the food, so I can’t comment on that, but you only get one invite for this event. If you want to bring more people, you’ll need to pay for additional tickets. I noticed that many indie devs weren’t there.
The second evening invites everyone present during the business days. Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy it since we were exhausted and had two more long days ahead.
If you still have energy and motivation, I think these two events are great opportunities to make professional contacts. The second evening seems more casual, but I left early, so my opinion might not be entirely accurate.
These are the two busiest days (nearly 100,000 people per day). Be prepared to be on your feet non-stop from 11 am to 5 pm. Ideally, you should plan to have 3 to 4 people rotating shifts. We were only two, so there was no time to take breaks.
It’s helpful if you can describe your game a bit in Japanese. I regret that my Japanese skills were weak, which made conversations challenging. I often had to refer people to a small description sheet I had prepared in advance.
Marketing methods can be a bit surprising...
Having attended conventions in France, we tend to be more passive and let visitors come to us. Here, however, don’t hesitate to engage with visitors more actively, hand them a flyer, and introduce your game. Of course, don’t be pushy, but you’ll quickly sense if you’re bothering someone.
It’s not the most fun thing to do, but without it, you might miss some opportunities to showcase your game. Sometimes it pays off because people genuinely appreciate your work!
As for me, I made the mistake of not making flyers... I only had stickers, and they didn’t even have the name of the game on them.
In short, I completely messed up on that front. Plan to have between 500 and 1000 flyers, I think it’s entirely possible to hand them all out.
Would I attend the Tokyo Game Show again?
Yes, I really enjoyed the experience... But I would definitely bring more people next time. I regret not being able to explore more of the event, especially since some of the larger booths were truly impressive (particularly those from the big companies).
However, it’s also very exhausting, and I think taking a day off out of the four would help to stay more effective.
So that was my experience at the Tokyo Game Show as an indie developer! I presented my game Dagada's Story, a puzzle-platformer inspired by the Mario series and Yoshi's Island. I aim to recreate the game feel of the Super Nintendo era.
Feel free to follow me on social media and wishlist the project on Steam!
If you have any questions about TGS or anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out!
またね!
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