New Game Demo Events

This topic got discussed briefly in the Sante Fe Station thread, but I thought some more discussion is warranted.

It was mentioned that Santa Fe may not continue doing new game demo events. Raving Consulting appears not to be having the Table Games Conference this year. So what is the best type of event for both game developers and Table Game Directors to look at new table games?

From a developers standpoint, it seems like casino's having their own customers (i.e. their table game players) be invited to an event where they could try new games and give their favorite establishment feedback would accomplish a lot of goals for everyone.

The developers provide their own dealer labor, the casino provides tables for the developers to spread their games (no attachment, just under the trays & armrests) or you rent tables from somewhere and charge the developers, etc. It is BYO chips, cards, dice......whatever you need to play your game and the host property decides if they want to provide refreshments or whatever.

First, the casino would get a sense of what new games their players particularly enjoyed. That tells them what games they may want to try adding to the floor in the future. This is a lot better than guessing at what might work and then finding out that your players don't like a game you thought they would.

Second, the developer would get some feedback from real table game players on what did and didn't work with their games. It is not like a full fledged field trial, but if you participate in several of these events, it seems like you would get a lot of good feedback that would be very valuable in the development process.

Third, while the developer is only getting in front of one property at a time in these events, it is a lot easier and less time consuming than trying to get a Table Game Director to sit down in a one on one demo. Plus, you would figure that casino's willing to host these events are the properties that are looking to put a new game on the floor.....you can't get a better audience than that when trying to sell a new game or get that first field trial.

Fourth, if the casino schedules the event on an early evening when the tables are normally light, after the 90 minute event, you suddenly have boosted play out in the pit as you know most of these players aren't going to leave without giving the real pit a try.

This concept must be flawed because no one seems to be doing it and Stations is discontinuing it. Seems like it would be a great event for the casinos & developers and make the casino's players feel like they were part of the process of determining what new games are coming to the floor next. What am I missing?

Maybe you make these events in a circuit during a one week period where you get five properties around a particular state to agree to host these and the developers traveled to a new location each night. I could see California doing a San Diego Event, a Palm Springs event, a Santa Barbara area event and two northern California stops (one inland and one towards the coast).

It would take a lot of work to organize and maybe the formation of a game developer association is what is needed to make it happen. It just seems like there has to be an easier way to make get Table Game Developers, Table Game Directors and most importantly their customers to tell all of us what works in the way of new table games.

I can't speak to the larger organizational issue, but I did hear from Dennis Conrad (Raving) that he's looking at March or April of next year for their next session. G2E's move to early October meant that a late August session was too close for out-of-area TGDs to go to both.

What am I missing? What is missing is the incentive to get players real money in action. That is the only real way to gauge interests,
Now if players were given $100 of money they could keep or even match play that would gauge which games they were attracted to.
But if you want to market a game, why not follow in the footsteps of professional marketeers. I have been parts of focus groups for companies like Home Depot, Marie Callender, Shingles Immunizations, ETC I am sure there are outfits that do it or would do it. Perhaps we need to form such a company. Look at the asinine patents that are filed. Or the number of people who have paid the Wiz for analysis, and when he told them they were wasting their time, they ignored his advice.
If I had some real math skills or abilities to made demo games, I would develop a web site to display free games, feedback, player feedback , etc . If priced right I am sure it would be a winner.

I think there is a reluctance to do the focus group sort of thing because, without real money risked and real rewards, the responses from the test gamblers would be skewed.

Wasn't the Raving Game thing the weekend before G2E last year? I bet that one reason it's not happening this year is because G2E is sandwiched between the Jewish Holidays.

The focus group I attended paid from me from $60 to $200, I imagine if players were given that in chips that could be exchanged
for Real $5 chips on a winning bet, the risk and reward would be there.

So a couple of you have said that without a monetary incentive, a local casino couldn't get 48 of their table game players to come in some evening for an invite only free event where they get to try some new games, meet the developers, talk to some folks on the table game management team about what they like, etc.

It would have to be something like try all 8 of the new games, rank your top three on this survey and we will give you $25 or $50 in cash or free play. That is $1,200 to $2400 in cash give aways, the bulk of which would likely have to be paid for by the developers attending via a registration fee.

I do think the casino is also getting some "good will" generated with the players that attend. I think once a year, the property would get some buzz out of the event from their players. Plus their players get to socialize with one another. That drives a community experience for the players when they see each other on the floor in the future.

I think focus groups for other consumer products or companies seems like a different animal. Gaming is an activity that these players like to participate in. No one gets excited about doing a focus group for Home Depot or Marie Calendars. It seems like learning a new gambling game where what you tell your casino has an impact on whether you will ever see that game on the casino floor you frequent has more appeal.

But maybe I am just too close to trees and can't see the forest!