(Prelude: Recently started a wee little game company, gonna do a KS, etc.. usual nonsense. Probably end in disaster)
Right now, I'm in the middle of putting the finishing touches on my company website. When I did the first draft of the page, I put the most potent information at the top–– title, thematic blurb (100 words), "buy" button, Game overview (~400 words) along with some images of the components, and then a box with the player/age/time information.
But when I showed it to a friend and he said that it needed more fluff–– that once I get people looking at the page, I need to hook them with theme, and that the mechanical description of the gameplay would put people off. And then I began wondering if what I'm putting on the website is what people really want to see and know. So I changed it up, but I'm still having doubts.
But here's the question–– actually, a two-part question.
A) When you are checking out a game on the company website, what do you want to know about it? What do you want to see right at the top? What would make you stay on the page and learn about it? What do you usually not see that you would like to see?
Here are some possible answers, of varying importance:
• Theme/fluff
• Mechanical walkthrough of the game
• Physical size, weight, price
• A link to download the whole rulebook
• List of components
• Comparisons to other games ("Worker-placement deckbuilding game")
• Artwork used in the game
• Pictures of the components
• Mock-up of a game in progress (so you can wrap your head around the physical experience)
• Pictures of people playing the game and having so much fun.
• History of the game's creation and development
• ... anything else?
In case you have forgotten, here are a couple links to the official sites of some games:
http://riograndegames.com/Game/278-Dominion (very sterile)
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=176 (very flashy)
B) When visiting a company's website, what are you interested in knowing? What are the most important things for you? What should be on the front page? What do you wish they would stop wasting space with?
Some ideas:
• Physical location and contact information
• Company history, mission, etc. Who they are, why they do what they do.
• More detailed information about the designers and other staff, including pictures, bio, etc. (Always good to put a face to a name!)
• Ways to become more personally invested in the company, like, a playtester, or more.
• Hype about about their upcoming releases
• Available merchandise–– T-shirts, posters, etc.
• Schedule for attending conventions
What say you, o' internet?
Thanks for the replies so far!
I made some changes and the website is now live.
www.lost-boys-productions.com
Feel free to take a gander and offer feedback. Still tweaking things.
But answers to the original question are still very welcome!