17 - Reviews and Previews

With the large number of new board games released every year, many board gamers look at reviews before making a purchase. This primarily includes reviews in magazines, board game blogs, podcasts, and above all video reviews on YouTube.

These are also excellent ways to reach players for Kickstarter campaigns. It is often recommended to start building relationships with reviewers as early as possible, since they frequently need some lead time to produce content—especially when it comes to YouTube videos. However, I have found that this approach is not always ideal when you are an unknown board game designer.

There are many board gamers who are working on a board game idea, but many of these ideas are never realized, or only after years. As someone who writes reviews myself, I can understand why you might not want to schedule time for someone from whom nothing may ever materialize. It therefore helps to already have something tangible to show, and depending on the scope of the game, it can take quite a while until you have something where the design and illustrations already look appealing. Initial contacts can also be made very effectively at conventions and, of course, when you are already part of the reviewer’s community.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

In addition, it is important to research what kind of content is being produced. Does the channel focus on certain genres or mechanics that fit my game? Are previews shown from time to time—that is, games that are not yet available for purchase—or only games that are already on the market? Some creators also show games that are clearly not finished yet; others do previews as well, but only if the preview prototype already looks very polished.

It is also important to note that some reviewers or previewers charge money to produce their content. This is understandable, as there is often a great deal of work involved. However, there are also many who are happy to create content for free, as long as the game is interesting to them.

It is also worth considering providing reviews in different languages. On Kickstarter, you can usually assume that at least 60% of customers are English-speaking, so English-language reviews are definitely essential. Since I also plan to produce a German version, German should of course not be missing either. If additional languages can be included beyond that, it certainly won’t hurt—provided you can distribute the game well in those regions.

Do you also like to watch reviews? If so, which formats do you prefer, and which reviewers do you particularly enjoy? I’m curious to hear which ones you mention—there are so many, and you keep discovering new great channels all the time.