Running A Demo- My Mutant Superpower

LEISURETIMEGAMES.COM

On a regular basis, people walk into my humble little shop, and have no idea what they are looking at. These days, games come in CD cases and require electricity. Board games? Card games? People still play those?

As a matter of fact, yes. Quite a number of people actually. 

To the uninitiated, a place like my shop is like a foreign world. The games we have here don't flash, they don't go "Ping" and there are no jiggling polygons. We're not talking Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land either. If they are going to have a clue as to what we're all about, they are going to have to be shown what the heck ::Insert name of game here:: is. This is where a little demonstration comes into play.

Over the years, I've learned a trick or two about how to show someone how to play a game. My goal is, when we are done to at the least give the potential new gamer an understanding of what the game in question is. More so, to gain a convert. Ultimately, at least from the perspective of a game retailer, I am out to gain a customer. 

The following is a list of some tricks I've come across over time to give you an idea of how to convince someone to give ::insert name of game here:: a try. Let's start with...
 
1. "1"

The average attention span, at least according to some studies which I won't site here because I'm not writing a thesis for crying out loud, is somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. Now, you can cram a bunch of info into someone's head in that amount of time, but for purposes of what we are trying to accomplish here, we're going to emphasize less education, and more interest. 

Let us consider the back of the average game box. It's not covered in encyclopedia like paragraphs of information. There's a few paragraphs, and they're usually colorfully written, and chock full of adjectives like "Exciting" and "Realistic" and so forth. It's just enough info to catch your attention, and give you an idea of what's going on here. This is where the "1" comes in. You have about 1 minute to explain a game to someone, while at the same time trying to grab their interest.

If, after your enthralling synopsis, your potential new player is ready for more, we move to another time frame, "5", which I will address shortly. For now, there are a few other things you'll need to consider as you try to entice your audience with your wares. From the moment you have their attention, and throughout the entirety of the demo, you need to remember to...


2. Be Enthusiastic

 “You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”
-Colette

Enthusiasm is contagious. Have a good time with this. Your potential player will see it, and key in on it. Heck, ham it up. You have an audience now, give them a lasting impression [editor's note-make it a good one though].

Another important point to remember, do not use...

3. Game Speak

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
- Albert Einstein 

You- "When I have priority, I'll put this instant on the stack, and when it resolves the game will then check to see if this static ability applies. If it does, all instances of the trigger fizzle. Then, I'll pass priority, but since it's my turn, I'll get another action phase, but you'll have an action too."

Yeah, that.  It totally makes sense to you. You talk and talk, not realizing that the blank stare you are getting isn't one of absolute immersion, but utter confusion.

Please, don't be that guy. Time isn't something you want to waste. You must use it wisely. Speaking of using your time...

4. Rules Lawyering

I've Had It Up To Here With You And Your "Rules"
- Unnamed character, The Simpsons


When you break open your demo box, you should spend as little time as possible explaining the rules. You need to get dice in hand, cards drawn, pieces moving, or whatever it is the game you are showing off does. Remember, you've got a limited amount of time, make it count for excitement and fun, not a treatise on the first known Mesopotamian Audits.

So if I don't explain the rules, how will they know how to play? Well thanks for asking that, totally made up person who happened to ask the question I was prepared to answer. You teach them by remembering the following...


5. "5"

Remember that whole 15 to 20 minute thing I discussed earlier? We covered 1 minute of that time, now we're gonna cover the next 5. You've got 5 minutes to give them a quick run through of the game. This is the demo, and pretty much what the bulk of what the rest of this article is about. For now, let's get on with how to run that 5 minute demo... 

6. "I'll Go First"
-You, beginning of demo

By going first, you'll be able to set the tempo, and you'll also get to show what the actions a player can take are, and how the game progresses. Remember to keep it simple though. Do a minimum of actions. You don't want to confuse the new player. 

As the game progresses, on every successive turn you can add more game mechanics, and introduce more rules. Add something every turn. Once your players get a chance to try what's going on using the rules as they know them up to the moment they'll be ready to take the next step. 

Think of it like learning to run. First, you need to be able to roll over. Then comes the butt in the air push up. Before too long, you're using furniture to prop yourself up. Next thing you know, you're standing on your own. You lean your head forward, and you move your legs to stop from falling flat on your face. Suddenly, mom and dad's life will never be the same again. 

Teaching rules is just like that. Each turn is the next phase in the demo's evolution. Remember, don't add too much at a time. You're going to need to...

7. Keep it moving

You know how to play the game. You know how the strategy of the game works. The thing is, just like you shouldn't get bogged down in game speak, or get bogged down in rules lawyering, if you want a person to keep interest, you have to keep the action going. Mistakes will be made, and they can be corrected as you progress. You make the game exciting by making sure things are happening. Once you hit the "You can't do this because..." wall, you run the risk of losing your audience. Just remember...

8. You Aren't Playing The Game Yet

You're going to need to check your awesome database of knowledge at the door. You're going to do things that make no sense when it comes to winning strategies. You're going to see things that are obviously wrong being done by your new player. Unless it is against the rules, sometimes you're just going to have to let it go. The idea here is to introduce rules and mechanics, not show how good you are by utterly crushing your opponent. You're gonna fudge some dice, you're gonna hold some win condition cards back. Keep it all nice and simple. Keep progressing. Keep interest up. 

Speaking of fudging stuff...

9. "Let the Wookie Win."
-C3PO, Star Wars (the good one)


Go ahead, give the victory condition to your new player. Let them experience a win. The next game, when you play them with all the rules, you can show them what it's like to open up with both barrels. That way, they get a good taste of what's what, then they spend the rest of their lives chasing that dragon.

10. "10"

You gave them a quick synopsis ("1"). You ran them through a demo ("5"). Now what? Time to seal the deal, that's what. 

This means something different based on what you are trying to accomplish here. If you are going to your game closet to give an old copy of ::insert name of game here:: a try, this is when you actually play the game. If you did the demo right, the game stoppages to address the rules should be minimal, and you can progress into strategies and tactics as you play an honest to goodness game. At this point, for the person trying to get a new player anyway, "10" isn't as relative to time as it is to how good a job you did on a scale of 1 to 10 to get your player's interest up enough to give this particular game an enthusiastic try.

On the other hand, if you're like me and trying to make a sale, this "10" is 10 more minutes-15 to 20 minute attention span, remember? This is where you can show them all the other bells and whistles that go along with the game in question, show them other similar games, and most of all, ask for that all important sale. I'm not doing charity work here after all.

 There you have it. What can I say? Give it a try. You've got that old game you want to play, or that one you made oh so long ago but had no idea why no one wanted to give it a go, don't you? Try this strategy, see if it works for you.

If you enjoyed this article, please don't forget to Plus it, share it on Facebook, or whatever it is you do to get your friends out there to check out something you found interesting. If you have questions, remarks or whatever, you may not be the only one. Post something in the reply section, and I'll see what kind of scintillating address to you I can come up with.

So, what's all this then?

LEISURETIMEGAMES.COM

"Inspirado...It arises from a stillness of quietude."- 
 Jack Black, Tenacious D 
 (you youngsters may want to get your parent's permission first before you Google it)

Back before the Internets changed how everything works, if a show on the boob tube could ever get a shot at being a long term staple, they had to put out a single episode known as a pilot. It was designed to give the watcher a snapshot into what that particular show was suppose to be about; Who the main characters were, how they'd interact with one another, how the episodes would be formatted and so on. If the pilot got enough positive response, they got the go ahead to air their first season, which was usually about 10 episodes. 

Not many shows made it past their pilot, let alone their first season. If they were lucky, they got a second season, then maybe a third, etc. If the show made it to 100 episodes, they had something to celebrate. More than that, and it was on its way to television icon status.

Each step of the way was a test. Passing the test was dependent on the response of the viewers, market share in your time slot, and the all important advertising dollars. Pilot sucks? Yeah, well no one watched anyway so nothing lost there. Season one wasn't all it was suppose to be? That one and all these other shows pal. Managed to get a few seasons in then suddenly dropped by their network? Nice try, maybe next time. I hear they're casting next door. Made the 100+ club and fizzled out? Hey what can you say, it was a nice run and the show did far better than the majority. More than that? Congratulations, this program is what every other show on TV will try to emulate...badly.

Okay, that's well and good and all, but what's this have to do with a game store blog?

Well, it doesn't. 

It does however have more to do with my mindset as I write this blog. The past few entries have been about me trying to find my way in this wild wacky world the kids these days are calling "The Blogosphere." Essentially, I'm fishing around, and trying to see what it is the readers out there want out of me. 

In other words, I'm trying to feel out  what my format will be, then off to the pilot episode.

By throwing my ideas onto these blog pages, I am shanghaiing you into being my own little focus group. Behind the scenes, there are little graphs, info-graphics, and pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one* that I can use to see what it is people are responding to most. Ultimately, I hope to find what it is that works, and what it is that doesn't, as it relates to the information I want to convey about Leisure Time Games, based on what it is that you the reader are responding to. From there, the format will be created, the basic story line will develop, and between you and I something wonderful will come into being.

Well, at least a season one anyway.

So far, I know that I'll be letting you know about events, tell you about new stuff happening, and so forth. Maybe once in awhile take you for an under the hood gander at the gears and belts that run this machine of a mind I lug around in my skull, to give you an idea of my mindset and reasons for doing the things I do as they are related to my humble little game store. Ultimately, I want to put together something that, as far at this blog is concerned, is more what you are looking for as defined by you, the gentle-reader's interaction. Are you looking for up to the minute info? Flaming shark juggling? More moments of inspirado word wall creation? Time will tell, of that I am certain. 

Now let's see what kind of crazy misadventures we can go on from here.

Oh yeah, and always record- 
Also from Tenacious D

 *stolen from Arlo Guthry, Alice's Restaurant