Gregg Seelhoff’s Post

Normal day in the life of a smol reviewer: - Sends request to review cool game - Gets notification they haven't been selected - Gets emailed a few weeks after to review cool game We take those 😂 Jokes aside, this is something that works for me, as someone who doesn't have IGN levels of popularity: Contacting the folks on all relevant channels. Contact the PR folks who works with them. Get an email on press platforms and request keys. (Optionally) Get on platforms for creators and just fill in press details. Get on their Discord, share relevant info about you, and ask if you can be connected with the person handling your type of request. I usually go with Discord first. It works best for me, since I mostly review indie titles with veeeery few exceptions. PressEngine is another great platform for indie titles. Most of the review copies I got are probably from here. And you also get a buuunch of notifications from folks handling the campaigns about what's being released or when. Lurkit is a platform I use sparingly when I really can't find any contact point. And if I'm ever redirected to PR or publishing folks, I take a bit of a look at their previous, current, and future launches. If I see a pattern, I kindly ask them to include me on their press list. A few folks in the PR and Publisher space who have been exceptionally kind to me are the people at Midwest Games, Kwalee, and PM Studios. As long as you're a decent human being, you won't have problems reaching out to them. PS I'm not affiliated with any of these folks. PressEngine has simply been the most useful tool for me ever since I started. I became friends with the folks at MW Games and PM Studios. And the people at Kwalee have been nothing but responsive and open to working together. I'm not all-knowing and I repeat: This is something that works for me. Take this with a grain of salt and adapt it to fit your needs.

I am super happy to join Amir Satvat's newest resource: Games Creator Partner Program! What does this mean? Basically this means I am here to help. Look, I haven't gotten a job in the industry yet, much like other industry transfers or new graduates. But I have found a way to not only follow my passion to create games, but also exersice my skills so I continue to improve in the meantime. Just like many others, I have chosen to join an indie project so that I can just *make games*. If you are tired of waiting for a company to allow you make a game on a team - I can help!! My studio, Cave Bear Games, partners with other pre-seed indie studios to help developers like you and me find game teams to work with! So no, I can't help you find a paying job in games. I can't help you with your portfolio, and I don't have high level connections that are hiring. But I can help you start making the games you joined this industry to make. DM me, or join our Discord, to learn more. (and if you are a pre-seed indie, let's chat)

🚀 Knowing Your Destination: A Key to Indie Game Development Success 🎮 Indie game development can be an exciting but overwhelming journey, especially when you’re a solo dev or part of a small team. With so many moving parts—from design, programming, art, to marketing—it’s easy to feel lost in the chaos! But here’s the thing: knowing exactly where you're going makes all the difference. 🧭 💪 By clearly outlining your goals, breaking down tasks, and sticking to a roadmap, you can avoid the endless rabbit holes and keep your project organized. 📝 Whether it's a detailed checklist or a simple visual roadmap, having a plan keeps you on track, reduces decision fatigue, and helps you stay creative without getting bogged down by the overwhelming process. It’s not about controlling every detail but knowing your destination so you can enjoy the creative process along the way. Which STEP do you get stuck or stalled in your Indie Dev process? Comment below 👇 #GameDev #IndieGameDev #CreativeProcess #RoadmapToSuccess #SoloDev #SmallTeamDev #IndieGames #StayOrganized #GameDevTips

Hello LinkedIn! Week #31 post is here! For those who haven't seen my last few posts. My New Year's resolution is to lean more into the solo development lifestyle and post weekly updates on my gaming projects here with pictures and/or videos. Why am I doing this? A few reasons (in no particular order). The first reason is to show my passion for game development. The second reason is I hope to inspire people with an interest in game development to start and a few other reasons include showing what game dev is like for us solo / indie developers, and stepping out of my comfort zone by posting on LinkedIn more. This week, I attempted to get the sound synced up when a new player joined the game, and I succeeded! When a player joins an in-progress game, the music will sync to what the lobby is hearing. To do this, I needed to condense all the audio files into a single file and then use the "Spawn Sound" blueprint to skip to the specified time that is being tracked in the Game State. With this being finished, I only have a couple of things left till I am comfortable letting my friends playtest it and getting feedback. Little by little, I am getting closer :D I hope to continue this series throughout this year, as well as teach people about game dev. If you made it this far down, thank you for taking the time to read all of my posts. Consider following if you'd like to see weekly updates or want to see what I'll do next! Week 31/52 #solodev #gamedev #unrealengine #ue5 #ommg *LOUD AUDIO WARNING* I Forgot to turn it down

If you're considering going indie game dev, consider this: I've spent more time on marketing, analytics, testing, and polishing than I have spent making new exciting features for the games we're making in the last two years of being indie. I've also learned and practiced my craft more than I ever had in the industry, had more opportunities to create artifacts like books, projects, products, and a lot more freedom. I've also had to budget and reduce spending and live way more frugally until we actually start making enough money to live off of. Fortunately I have a partner who is okay with that lifestyle. So if you're considering going indie, take into account that it's a different lifestyle, you'll have to do way more work and lots of unexciting work. There is no one to keep you accountable but yourself. There are no promos. But that hard work can pay off and be extremely fulfilling.

🎮 Leveling Up My Creativity in Game Development 🎮 Recently, I had an amazing brainstorming session with some talented indie developers working on a Souls-like platformer. During our discussions, I was able to contribute several ideas for upcoming features, and seeing those ideas take shape made me realize just how much my creativity and vision have evolved through my experience with game testing and design. As I've delved deeper into the gaming world, my understanding of what works—and what could completely change the game—has transformed. My ability to think outside the box, design engaging features, and contribute to compelling narratives has taken on a new level of refinement. I've come to believe in my potential to design stories, shape game mechanics, and even build sequels or continuities within a game's universe. It's an exciting realization that what I once saw as simple game testing has opened the door to a deeper understanding of game development and creative direction. Looking forward to exploring this new chapter of my journey, collaborating with more creative minds, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in game development. 🚀 #GameDevelopment #IndieGames #Creativity #GameDesign #Soulslike #Storytelling #IndieDev #Innovation #GameIndustry

Curious about the game development process? Our latest article breaks down the key phases of developing a game from concept to launch, offering actionable insights for both indie and major studio developers. Dive into the full guide and level up your game creation skills! Read more: https://lnkd.in/eSRqwMT4

Hey game dev community! I wanted to share an idea that I had today and I want to makes sure that it would be valuable to you. What would you think of a community where you got closer to full time game devs and publishers; as a way to to get wisdom from other game developers and publishers on creating games? Communities and courses have been a huge help to me in getting started in making games, and it's led to me finding work. As a marketing person I would love to provide a community where game devs and publishers a like could share their wisdom. Would both full time game devs, indie devs, and publishers join this to share widom with each other. I will make a discord if there is a enough interest. The goal of this is for full time game devs to share their wisdom with indies, and for publishers to share their wisdom on what would make games succcessful. Please comment or DM me with your thoughts on how a marketing focused community like this would be valuable to you! #indiegames #videogames #indiegame #marketing #videogamebusiness #ideas.

Some developers and studios don't look at a game as a product 😯 In general, this is not a problem if you make a game alone or with friends and expect nothing but fun in the process. But let's be honest, almost all people expect at least one of three things when they create something: 💫 Recognition 💫 New opportunities  💫 Money The only problem here is that there are creators and studios that create games only because of someone's dreams and some personal desires to make something cool. And most of these people simply forget that if a game is developed to make money and to give them the opportunity to continue developing other games later, then they should look at it as any other product. The game has an audience, it has a shelf it will hit, there is a wallet of players, their tastes and preferences, trends, competitors, market and a bunch of other boring and not so interesting things, if you compare it to the generation of ideas and mechanics, and the game development itself. What's my point 😁 👾 If you're developing a game, think about what your goal is, if you just want to have fun, then enjoy every minute of it! 👾 If it's more than that, think about whether you've done your homework and are ready for the market.

👨🎓𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐒? I currently work as an editor at an online game development publication. Additionally, I've been talking to video game developers for a long time. So, the question comes up regularly, one way or another. It would seem that the answer is obvious, but when you look deeper into it, various nuances begin to emerge. For example, I know of situations where artists and programmers don't play games at all despite being employed on game projects. Even more, some people in the game industry consider video games to be “child's play,” so they don't even touch them outside of work. There are even stranger reasons. For example, a game designer once told me he doesn't play games because they "hurt the originality of his thoughts.” Allegedly, in such a case, he just copies other people's ideas rather than creating something of his own. However, more sensible reasons exist, too. For example, some developers don't play their games because they have seen almost everything there during production. Or the project managed to bore them. This is especially true for game testers. So, what do you think? Do developers need to play games? Maybe you know some stories from people you know or your team. I would like to use your comments for my text in a piece on this topic. #gaming #dev #developers #opinion #survey #videogames #gamedev