Level 5
David Mullich
Marketing and Monetization
The Los Angeles Film School

What Are Assets?

Assets
Content used for presenting the product to
influencers through marketing materials;
refers specifically to screenshots, videos, key
art, etc.
The first assets you’ll probably create for your
project will be your game name and logo.

Game Name Factors
 Title Length
 Distinctiveness
 URL and Social Media
Account Names
 Visual Presentations and
Title Treatments
 Potential for Misspellings
or Ridicule

Central Image
 Key Art: Analogous to movie
poster art for films.
 Icon: Small but strong visual
representing your game in
online storefronts and device-
based app stores.

Icon Do’s
 Feature a clear, succinct image that
pops and conveys an interesting key
element of the game.
 Keep fairly simple and direct.
 Focus on hero characters, where
relevant.
 Focus on strong brands and visual
elements.
 Use bright colors without being
garish

Icon Don’ts
 Cram too much into a small
space
 Have too much text

Icon Resize Test

Icon Context Test

ART AND SCREENSHOTS

Concept Art
 Can work well early
in your promotion
campaign
 Consider creating
some just to show
game’s visual style
around
announcement
time.

Never Publish Bad Art!

Key Art
 An iconic hero
image to generate
excitement for your
game
 Can be used like a
movie poster for
your game

Screenshots
Screenshots should showcase the very
best your game has to offer
 Capture your game's most
magnificent moments, like when you
are fighting a colossal boss, or
solving a complex puzzle.
 A broad range: different settings,
characters, scenarios.
 Post periodically leading up to
game’s release

Best Screenshots Ever

What Was Good About These
Screenshots?

Screenshot Do’s
 Show representative gameplay
 Show variety – different levels, characters,
environments with different color palettes
 Compose scenes thinking about legibility,
contrast and weighting

Screenshot Don’ts
 Use shots your User Interface, Menus, and
Game Over screens
 Show the backs of characters (except 3rd-
person games)
 Show characters in static, uninteresting
poses
 Release batches that are nearly identical at
a first glance

Best Free Screenshot Tools

PRINTED MATERIALS

Must-Have Print Materials
 Posters
 Business Cards
 CD/DVD Covers or Sleeves
 Instruction Booklets
 Poster Cards
 Calendars

General Considerations
 Weighting: Your key focus –
character, vehicle, tagline, etc.
 Legibility: Your game name,
tagline and key focus should
come across clearly
 Contrast: Most important
elements should pop
 Format: Design for limitations of
format
 Competition: Look at marketing
materials for similar games

VIDEO

Video
 Game release announcement
 Trailers or gameplay video of characters,
themes, features
 In-game cinematics or “first 5 minutes”
 Interviews, behind the scenes, live streams
 Big, new trailer jut as game launches

Top Ten Game Trailers of All Time

What Was Good About These
Trailers?

What An Effective Trailer Does
Effective videos must inform, entertain, and
build an emotional connection with, the
audience by developing characters,
conveying plotlines or even inciting laughter
or fear, much the same way that movie
trailers try to do.

How Faithful Should They Be To The
Game?

Fidelity To The Game: Yes or No?
 Some developers feel that you should only
release content that show scenes actually
as they appear in the final game.
 Others will take liberties, such as moving
the in-game camera to increase the drama.
 You need to decide your position – just be
careful not to mislead players!

Trailer Do’s
 Show gameplay, targeting each facet of your gameplay
 Showcase the features that make your game special
 Mix up footage to show diversity
 Use killer music selections
 Synchronize visual and audio beats
 Clearly show game’s title, your company name, release
timing, platforms, call to action and URL
 Be creative, and leave players with a lasting
impression of your game
 Record a new trailer with each game milestone

Trailer Don’ts
 Leave trailer planning to the last minute!
 Overload it with cheesy titles
 Hammer users with repetitive footage
 Think you need to be an expert
cinematographer.

How To Make A Gaming Video

Video Blogs
A video blog (aka video log, vlog or video
diary) is a blog in which the medium if video.
Game developer video blogs and behind-the-
scenes episodes can be used to promote
progress on your latest game.

Snowdrop Next-Gen Engine

Behind The Scenes – Monument
Valley

What Was Good About These Videos?

Video Blogs Do’s
 Keep it 2-4 minutes long
 Keep audio levels consistent
 Match music to visuals
 Use royalty-free music
 Get your audience to participate
 End with a call to action
 Wait a day or two before posting
 Post a minimum of twice a month

Group Quest
Create a video blog script and storyboard for
your game.
 Write a script for a 1-2 minute video blog. It
can be serious or funny, but it should sound
professional and spoken as though you were
speaking to potential customers for your
game.
 Create a PowerPoint of still images as your
storyboard. Each PowerPoint page should
look like a single frame from your video.
 Present the video blog trailer to class.

YouTube
YouTube should be high on your list of priorities
and it pays to plan a consistent drip feed of
content that will build familiarity with your brand.
To stand out on YouTube you need original
compelling content.
In terms of search, gamers rely on two
resources, Google and YouTube, so the title of
your video is almost as vital as the content you
are promoting.
LA Film
YouTube
Page

How Gamers Use YouTube
 95% of gamers watch gaming videos on
YouTube
 50% of views were for videos made by
developers/publishers
 1 in 3 views took place on a mobile device
 Peak viewing time is 6pm to 9pm
 50% of views associated with a game took
place within a month of launch or immediately
after launch

YouTube Do’s
 Build a strong, search-optimized, traffic-optimized,
and navigation-optimized YouTube channel.
 Build a strong library of in-game content, out-of-
game features, and viral videos.
 Post at key stages as you build toward launch,
with the biggest videos right around launch time.
 Make sure ALL video content abides by YouTube
copyright terms and conditions.
 Vimeo, Blip.tv and Brightcove should also be
included in your video content planning for video.

CONTENT AND YOUR CAMPAIGN

Plan Content Early On
Schedule time for creating marketing
materials well in advance of launch so that
you get cost-effective, high-quality pieces.

During Development
 Create screenshots and trailers frequently, and
let all the news sites know it when you do it.
 Consider working with both in-house artists
and external creative firms to make a steady
pipeline of static and video content for all your
marketing channels.
 Once you have a diverse array of content, test
them rigorously to see which ones best
achieve your marketing goals.

Updating Materials
Once your game releases, update your
marketing materials.
Add review quotes, awards, Metacritic scores,
game updates, and so on.

Away Mission
Create the following marketing materials and upload as a
single PDF or PowerPoint:
 A game icon at sizes:
 128x128
 64x64
 32x32
 A game poster with
 Key art as its central image
 Game title
 Game slogan
 3 screenshots