Embedded Files
Screenshots
Screenshots are perhaps the most simple way I could ever show off my work. This is mostly because they are really easy to load even with bad internet connections, meaning websites can host them more often. As well as being smaller files than the real game project download or a video. This low file size means that websites won't have much of an issue with storing the image to display to interested people. The main issues with screenshots are that they can be a bit boring due to there not being any movement, as well as there not really being a way for them to show interactivity like walking through doors. Despite this, screenshots can be very good at spreading the game amongst people, even if the images are just sent around for no apparant reason. Advertisements also tend to use screenshots as they aren't as heavy for a site to process or as distracting as a video, meaning that I could relatively easily pay for advertisements for my game if I had screenshots.
Pros -
Easy to share due to low file size
Accepted on a lot of different sites, allowing me to spread them around more efficiently than a video would
Can be put as paid advertisements on some sites due to them not being difficult for sites to process and not being overly distracting
Can be shared very easily amongst viewers through direct messaging or emails, enhancing the reach of the game
Cons -
Quite boring due to them not moving at all
Not very eyecatching due to a lack of movement or any other type of value
Unable to show off interactivity and other features due to being a still image
Can over-exaggerate which parts of the game are the ones you should be expecting when you play as screenshots don't show how long parts of the game go on for, making them inherently misleading
Can be used to hide flaws in the game due to them being easy to make without including issues due to being still frames, making them inherently untrustworthy
Itch.io
One way I will be showing people my game is by putting it up for download on itch.io .
This will allow people to download the game as well as comment on what they think about it. It also allows my name "DylanTheGameDev" to get some sort of popularity within the website, which is a massive hub of players and game developers alike. This could be very useful to me in the future when I release further projects, as it shows people that my work is quality and can be trusted to be downloaded without causing their computers any harm. It also gives potential employers or my peers a chance to see how good I am at game development, allowing them to judge whether to hire me or trust me in working on some projects with or for them. This sort of showcase is very useful in the games industry where competition is high and the need for practical skills is even higher, by showing people my work I can be sure that they know what to expect from me in terms of quality and what types of work I am actually able to do.
Below is a link to the Itch.io page:
Pros -
Allows the public to download and playtest, meaning more feedback
Showcases my creation in an interactive way
Can be shown to potential employers as a portfolio piece
Ensures the game will always remain public and playable even if I lose the actual development files
Cons -
People need an internet connection to download the game
People need lots of space to download the game and the know how to unzip it if they want to play it
Itch.io pages are quite unappealing and common, this means the game is unlikely to get much attention and more likely to just be scrolled past
The boring aesthetic of Itch.io makes the game itself look worse
Videos
Showcase videos are very useful ways of showing off the project as they can show a lot of things in a very short time. These things could be the animations within the game, the quality of the sprites, the gameplay and the interactivity working. Another positive thing about videos is that you can upload them to websites like Youtube and X to spread the game to new audiences, potential players and potential employers. This is really useful since the gaming industry is so difficult to not only excel in, but also to get a job in. Videos can be used as quick ways to show people of all knowledges in the game industry what your current level of work is. They can also be used as proof that there aren't any bugs in the game, mostly because they would be really obvious and would need editing out, leaving a cut in the video where someone can notice that something went wrong and needed fixing.
Pros -
Really quick way of showing different parts of your game
Great for proving the project isn't buggy as it would be really obvious in the video
Amazing way of spreading the knowledge of how good at game development I am as well as the project
More entertaining and eye catching than screenshots so the project gets more attention
Cons -
Can show the game as really low quality if the viewer has bad internet
Relies upon Youtube and X not going down
Easy to forget as you aren't the one playing the game
Frustrating as the video might focus on things you don't care about that much
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe the best way to present my work is by releasing it on Itch.io for people to play and give me feedback on, though I will also persue the other methods I thought about as the wider I can spread the game, the more attention it will get and the more successful it will be in terms of player count.
The ability to spread the game to potential players and critics is something that I should 100% make use of to the best of my ability. Learning what people like and dislike about my game can give me a valuable insight into how I should make my future projects, what I should do and what I should avoid. Without spreading my game, there wouldn't have been much point to even making the project as I would have been the only person to even see and judge it. By allowing others to play or view it, I can ensure that I'm getting the criticism I need to improve my ability to create an interesting and engaging product, as well as entertaining people through what I made.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse