WOW 32 downloads so far!! (Heres how) (THANK YOU!)

Hi everyone!

It is most likely you found us through the pixel game jam.  If you found it after, thats SO SUPER COOL! 

At the time of posting we have 32 downloads and thats a DREAM COME TRUE for our first game!!! 32 downloads especially at such a big file size for the jam is absolutely amazing! Honestly ever since I posted it I been checking the page daily and losing my mind with excitement seeing all the interactions its been getting. Genuinely I am over the moon. Big heartfelt thank you to everyone!! Especially those of you brave enough to leave comments and ratings! 

I want to share how I got here,  how I got all 32 downloads so everyone can find that same success or better for their jam!  My favorite parts about jams are the community that forms for them and I really want to give back to everyone whos been so supportive. I know in the grand scheme of things 32 may not be a huge number, but to me it was a huge goal to hit 30!

So lets get into it! 

1. Friends and family:  it can be nerve wracking to be the first person to rate something! It gets a little easier each time... Your mutuals (hopefully) trust you, and would be more happy to download your game then a stranger! If you can get your friends to try your game and be the first to rate it, then others know it is safe to do so as well! I shared the link with a bunch of my friends first. I didnt send it to all my friends, and I only sent it to one family member. Reason being if I know the person has no interest in games, then it would be more respectful of me not to push something I know they wont like! Remember to be kind, and ask nicely. It may go without saying but how you ask is important and may compell them to try it or not! If whoevers in your back corner isn't able to, thats ok there is always step 2!
2. Play other peoples games and give genuine feedback: if you want it to happen to you, you got to imagine (almost) everyone wants it to happen to them as well!  Giving to the community is first and foremost in my opinion.  Game jams are meant as a growing and networking opportunity! Not doing this I feel is to miss out on alot of the fun. Remember! This is for fun and have fun with it! Its easy to get wrapped up in trying to speed through to play every game but really take your time on each game, it means alot to everyone. I got onto the pixel jams discord call and live stream playing as many games as I could giving everyone live feedback! People really appreciated it which brought me alot of joy! I think it brought them joy as well. I believe this makes it easier to engage with my game, as now they know I am invested with the jam, and not just trying to get you to download trash.
3. Make a video: GOODNESS that was a huge spike in downloads and views the day I uploaded the video!! I think itch pushed the game because of the added video. The day I got that boost thats all I did! My video is..... itsl has been likened to an art school project demonstration haha... One of my first videos and only public one on youtube as of posting so getting used to it still! But even though it didnt do well on youtube (17 views, 4 likes as of posting) itch responded really well to it. It doesnt have to be good! Just make sure it makes your game look fun to play and be sure to highlight the cool features and value the game has. The act of adding a video alone will give you a boost!
4. Quality over quantity: give it your all! Try your best at all these steps, people will recognize the effort you put into it! Try and make your game page look nice, make a video to the best of your ability, pick acurate tags (I've gotten a bit of traction from people searching idle!) And give thorough reactions to others.
5. Take feedback with grace: if someone gives you feedback they gave your game their time. There is nothing more valuable then time and it was truely a generous offering to give you their input! They are in most cases just trying to help, even if you disagree with what they say.  Responding is a good chance to network and see if theres interest in any of your ideas for how to improve your game!
6. Don't forget to celebrate what you have acomplished, I believe about 9000+ entered this jam and it only ended up with 700 or so even if your game isnt to your liking you had the courage to hit submit and thats incredible. I am super happy for you!!

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask questions in the comment section! Hope you have a wonderfull day, and best of luck in the jam!