The Little Rock Games team just got back from an amazing weekend in Dallas for the DreamHack Festival, and it was a total blast! We got accepted into the student game showcase and were incredibly excited to be able to show the game to such a fun group of gamers.
Robbie, Tanner, and I (Olivia) were really nervous to be among so many other great games at the event. The student showcase was right in the middle of the indie game playground and it was great to be surrounded by new and exciting projects. In particular, we had a great time chatting with the developers of Witch, Wildermyth, and Project Arrhythmia. We also were happy to share the student showcase with Sydney McMahan, the developers of Overtime, and more. You should definitely check out all of those games. They blew us away! So much talent in such a small space.
To The Rescue! really seemed to resonate with people. We met loads of players, streamers, and even publishers who loved the idea. It was really heartwarming to see peoples’ eyes light up when they walked by and were like “Ooh look! Puppies!”
When we first got to the festival, we were really nervous that TTR! wouldn’t be very well received at an event so centered around eSports, but we were pleasantly surprised. Everyone loves cute dogs, as it turns out.
The festival was also a great learning experience for us. The great thing about having lots of different people play the game is that we learn a lot about the way players approach it. Things that seem really intuitive to us are definitely not as intuitive for new players. It’s one thing to know that, but it’s entirely another thing to see it in practice.
Plus: bugs! So many bugs! We’re going to have our work cut out for us trying to squash them over the next few weeks.
A particular highlight from the event was all of the people that ran up to the game and told us their own dog stories:. From telling us about working in shelters, to showing us pictures of their own good puppers, our game made people really excited to engage with something they are passionate about: their fuzzy friends!
Thank goodness that the Monster booth was handing out free energy drinks, because we certainly kept busy the whole time. Between running the booth, taking spare moments to peruse the other games and events, oogling Monster Hunter collectibles, and beating Robbie at Soul Calibur VI, I was pooped.
Overall, DreamHack was a resounding success and an immense amount of fun. We’re really thankful that they selected us for the showcase, because we are excited to show To The Rescue! to as many people as we can. This game really means a lot to us, and going to events like this reminds us why we’re doing it. While working on a game like this it can be hard not to worry that no one will want it, or that we aren’t doing something right. But DreamHack has kicked us back in gear to work on this game and make it the best that it can be!
If you played the game at DreamHack (or even if you didn’t) we would love to hear from you about what you think. As always, feel free to email us at playlittlerockgames@gmail.com or message us through social media.
Hopefully we will see you again at DreamHack next year!
-Olivia
