This was yet another new experience for me - doing a roadshow at a bookstore. I am now distributing Snow White and the Eleven Dwarfs and Dancing Queen to Book Xcess bookstores. As part of this, I did a roadshow at the store at KL Pavilion. It was on Sun 4 Feb 2024, 2pm - 5pm. They set up a small table for me right at the entrance.
The crowd was very different from that on Saturday when I was at the Game On Lah! event. At the event, people went to play. There was an activity which encouraged visitors to play games because when they did so, they could get a card stamped, and by collecting enough stamps, they could enter a lucky draw. I had a non-stop flow of eager players. At the shopping mall, the crowd was passersby, probably mostly going to a bookstore to buy books or stationery. Not to play games. There was no drive which pushed them to want to play or to know about the games. So I needed a pull factor instead. What I realised was the artwork by Edwin was a great pull factor. I was grateful I got him to help me with the art.
One thing I learnt was how to fine-tune my elevator pitch. Passersby have no intention to play. Those who get attracted are mostly just curious. They may not even be aware it's a game. Most start by asking what's this. I can only go into a short and sweet elevator pitch. If they are still interested, they may ask more questions. I gauge the interest level before offering more information. Even for those who want to know how the game works, I don't go into actually teaching the game. I mock up a gameplay scenario and just explain some of the concepts. I listen to their questions and watch their reactions. I realise that the story and theme are an important aspect that attracts people. Being a gamer, I tend to think game mechanism is more important than theme. I forget that for normal people, game mechanism isn't something they think or talk about.
My stall was right next to Boost.
Yes, I wore that Hawaiian style shirt again. It's my Cili Padi Games uniform now.
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