While Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023 boasts numerous talks, panels and more, one of the key features at all of our Pocket Gamer Connects events is the Big Indie Pitch. Are you competing? Well here’s what you should know…
For those unfamiliar, the Big Indie Pitch gives contestants five minutes to present their in-progress indie game to a panel of experts. It’s like speed-dating… but for mobile games.
The panel’s three favourite games will win lavish coverage at PocketGamer.biz with interviews to let them put themselves and their game out there plus limitless free advice from our experts.
But that’s not all, the overall winner will get free tickets to, and showcase space at the next Pocket Gamer Connects event, allowing them to present their game live to the industry.
One such former winner is one-man development team Noah Rosenfield, whose game Addagrams took home the prize at PGC Toronto 2022. We’ve since gotten to know more about Noah and his work on Addagrams, but what advice does he have for pitchers coming along to PGC Helsinki next week?
PocketGamer.biz: Before we begin, how has Addagrams been doing since your appearance at the Big Indie Pitch in Toronto last year?
Things are going well! Addagrams recently launched in the App Store and Play Store and we are continuing to get great feedback from a growing number of hardcore fans and casual players.
What did the Big Indie Pitch do for you?
It’s all about creating opportunities. You never know where the right connection or conversation might take you. There’s plenty of opportunities to network with people digitally, but given the transitory nature of digital profiles I think the lasting impression of a face-to-face interaction has real value.
What are your three key tips for devs participating in the big indie pitch?
First, and this sounds like a no-brainer, make sure to demo and discuss the game with a bunch of different people before you pitch it to the judges. This will help you identify problem areas with both the game and the way people receive it. Then you can make the necessary tweaks to either the game itself or what you’re saying about it.
Second, work what you’re demonstrating into the pitch as much as you can. What you’re saying about the game should match what the judge is seeing on the screen. Creating a resonance between what they’re seeing and hearing will strengthen your message and create a better experience for your listener.
For Addagrams, I created a custom level just for the pitch so that what I was saying about the game was being directly mirrored in the gameplay at each moment.
And third, a two-part tip: Don’t expect to finish your pitch and be ready to go off script. The judges will have questions. They will interrupt you. This is a good thing! It shows they’re interested and allows you to transition into a conversation about your game which is actually much easier (and more engaging) than a speech.
Of course this also means you should be prepared to get things back on track with the next highlight if the conversation doesn’t naturally take you there, so practice, practice, practice.
Want to get involved?
There are VERY limited places at Big Indie Pitch (mobile edition) at PGC Helsinki 2023.
But the doors are wide open for Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan 2023 in November, and Big Indie Pitch (mobile edition) and Big Indie Pitch (PC and console edition) at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2024
Good luck!
