What Publishing a Book Taught Me About Publishing Video Games | NZGDDC 2025

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk provides valuable insights from a practitioner with experience in both book and game publishing. The argumentation is structured and persuasive, using concrete examples and data to support claims. The speaker effectively draws parallels between the two industries, offering actionable advice for game developers. The discussion of genre, key art, and community management is particularly insightful, backed by real-world examples like Rival Stars Horse Racing and Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days. The argument that publishers prefer games that sell themselves is well-supported by the court case reference. Overall, the talk is informative and practical, though some claims rely on anecdotal evidence.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk demonstrates a good level of rigor, referencing specific statistics (e.g., 200,000 games on Steam, 92% of hours spent on games older than 2 years) and a court case. However, sources are not formally cited, and some data points lack clear provenance. The title accurately reflects the content, and the talk stays on topic throughout. The speaker’s dual expertise adds credibility, but the lack of formal citations and reliance on personal experience slightly reduce the overall scientific rigor.

The title accurately reflects the content, which draws parallels between book and game publishing.

7/10

The talk is based on the speaker's dual experience as a book author and games publisher, providing practical insights. It references specific statistics and a court case, but lacks formal citations and relies on anecdotal evidence.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction and speaker's dual career in games and books.
• 02:00Explanation of what a publisher does and self-publishing vs. traditional publishing.
• 05:00Discussion of market size and the challenge of selling new games.
• 08:00The court case about whether publishers can make a hit.
• 10:00Importance of genre and key art in marketing.
• 13:00Example of Rival Stars Horse Racing and genre expansion.
• 15:00Key art as a promise and the importance of setting, tone, and tropes.
• 18:00TikTok strategy and the value of chasing sales over views.
• 20:00Community management and building a fan base.
• 22:00Q&A: self-publishing choices for different genres and platforms.

• Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter — Referenced as an example of an author leveraging a fan base to self-publish.
• Steam statistics — Referenced for the number of games on Steam and hours played.
• App Store and Google Play statistics — Referenced for the number of mobile games.
• ISBN statistics — Referenced for the number of books in the US.

• Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter — Supports the idea that self-publishing can be successful with a strong fan base.
• Steam statistics — Supports the claim that new games face stiff competition.