2026-10-03

I've shown my games, both alt-control and conventional, at a lot of events over the years. Here's my condensed wisdom for folks getting ready for a show:

Make sure you can start, run, and reset the game without internet access. You can't assume your expo hall will have free, fast internet. In fact, you should assume you won't have any internet access at all, even using a cellular hotspot. If you have a web game, for example, don't rely on itch.io; pull the code and run it locally.

Make sure the game is easily reset, as people will walk away before finishing the demo. For my last alt-control game, I wired up a physical RESET button, but for most games this is probably just an input listener for ESC or the home button on the controller or whatever. Making it easy for you also makes it easy for volunteers to reset your game for you when you step away from your booth.

Bonus points: have the game reset automatically after some amount of inactivity.

Don't demo from your personal laptop if you can avoid it. I realize most people can't just pick up an extra computer, but if you don't need a top-of-the-line gaming machine to run your game, there are options, and IMO it's absolutely worth a couple hundred dollars to keep your personal life at home. Plus, there's always a chance your demo machine might get broken or stolen. Rare, but it does happen. My alt-control games have been able to run on Raspberry Pis and mini pcs, but if I ever need a "full" laptop, FreeGeek's ebay shop always has a bunch of refurbished business machines.

Make sure your computer won't go to sleep or lock after a period of inactivity. As a bonus, I also set up my demo machines to automatically log in on boot, and as a BONUS bonus, to boot directly into the game. (Another reason you don't want to demo from your personal laptop!) You won't be at your booth, actively monitoring your game every second of the showcase. You need to eat and use the restroom and play the other games and talk to people who have questions about your game. If you walk away and your screen locks and needs a password, you're going to miss out on potential players.

If you really want to be cool, add an Attract Mode. Sometimes a person can't tell from the title screen if this is a game they'd like to play. Help 'em out! On the title screen, after a few seconds of inactivity, run a cutscene with a few seconds of gameplay. On keypress, immediately return to the title screen.

Use external peripherals. Playing a game on a laptop is certainly possible, but it makes for kind of a cramped experience.

  • Bring an external monitor. Laptop screens are tiny! Monitors are plentiful at the thrift store, so long as you don't have super ultra fancy graphics. This has the benefit of letting you mirror the display back to your laptop, so you can set it behind the table and still see what the player is doing. A bigger screen also lets people walking by see the action without looming over a stranger's shoulder.
  • External keyboard, mouse, controller (and sanitizing wipes) all makes the experience more pleasant for the player. Use headphones instead of speakers--the show floor is going to be loud as hell, and blasting your sound on top of it all is a great way to annoy your boothmates.

Display your information! Ideally you want 2 things: signage big enough to read in a photo and a way for them to follow you. For the first, you can order one of those standing banners from FedEx, but that costs a couple hundred bucks and might crowd your booth. I've also seen great results from making a "marquis" out of foam board and taping it to the top of the monitor. For the second, you have options. I tend to go with a little acrylic sign holder with game name, studio name, URL, and QR code to URL. I also like to have things like business cards, stickers, if the venue allows it (some don't!), and pogs. (I'm really trying to make "business pogs" a thing.) In a pinch, you can also just have a sheet of paper for people to write their email addresses.

If you don't have any kind of internet presence, you should get one. If your only internet presence is inaccessible to people who don't have an account (ie, Instagram, Twitter), you don't have an internet presence. Now is the time to set up a mailing list! I use Buttondown. Bonus: make a website. Bonus bonus: hire me to make you a website.

Have backups. If you want to be ultra prepared, bring 2 of everything. If you're setting up an alt controller, bring a multitool, super glue, tape, wires, and screw nuts. One time I got to an event and my controller just wasn't working, and I didn't have any way to repair it, so we set up the game to be played with a regular keyboard. Was it as much fun? No. Was it better than nothing? Absolutely.