Hello there. This is the Yamiyuri Girls' Academy circle. We are a group of people who love lovely girls, weaving various stories set in a school filled with darkness.
Circle "Yamiyuri Girls' Academy"
A circle formed by people who love lovely girls. We create games, manga, novels, and more, set in a school filled with darkness, weaving various stories. Currently, we are conducting a mysterious mock entrance exam at events.
On November 3, 2024, we made our first exhibition at the DigiGame Expo 2024 held in Tokyo. For the playtest display, we prepared a mock exam lasting 1 to 3 minutes.
Good morning💐
It's a sunny day☀️ #DigiGameExpo is today!
We are waiting for you at D-21b #YamiyuriGirlsAcademy.
Thank you very much💐 pic.twitter.com/BU6hyZOh0L— Yamiyuri Girls' Academy 11/17 COMITIA150 East 7 [K21ab] (@Yamiyuri47) November 3, 2024
Since it was our first exhibition as a circle, we prepared with a sense of tension. Fortunately, we were able to set up the day before, starting from November 2, which helped us avoid a last-minute panic on the day of the event. However, on the day itself, it rained due to the typhoon. It seemed that not many circles came for the setup the day before, possibly because of the rain.
Setting up our booth took about 1.5 hours with two people! We transported our setup materials with two suitcases and a larger bag, but there was no space to store cardboard or distribution materials. For the next time, I plan to think about storage space for our items, reflecting on this experience….
Thanks to finishing the setup the day before, we were able to prepare with ease on the morning of the event! Once the event started, time flew by, and many more people than we expected took the mock exam. Some asked, "What are we being tested on?" and the mysterious mock exam received positive reactions. Honestly, I was very happy about that.
However, there were many points for reflection and improvement.
Guiding those who want to take the exam
Initially, we had the headphones and controllers hidden under a cloth below the monitor, but many visitors asked, "Is this a game?" and we realized it was hard to recognize it as a game. By changing the layout and placing the headphones and controllers in a visible spot, we made it smoother to guide people to the playtest, so I think it would be good to keep this layout in mind for the future. It seems much more effective than just a sign saying "Playtest available."
Ensuring eye contact and space adjustments
We raised the height of the booth rack too much, which made it difficult to make eye contact with customers, and it was quite inconvenient to hand out pamphlets from above. I need to be aware that I can't step out in front of the booth. Considering the depth and height of the table, I plan to improve the setup for the next time to leave space where we can see each other's faces while making it easy to playtest.
POP for game duration
We didn't have a sign to inform about the duration of the mock exam in advance, so we quickly made a handwritten sign at the DigiGame Expo. For future events, I plan to prepare a sign indicating the duration.
Setting up a storage area
It was inconvenient not to have a place for customers to put their flyers and materials, so I thought it would be kinder to have a basket for storage, as I noticed at other circles' booths!! Also, regarding chairs, we hardly used them while standing, so I'm considering effective ways to utilize them in the future.
Conclusion
The DigiGame Expo 2024 was a valuable opportunity for many people to enjoy the mock exam, even though it was our first playtest exhibition as "Yamiyuri Girls' Academy." We received a great response, identified challenges, and will prepare for smoother testing at the next event. We will utilize the learnings from our interactions with everyone, so please look forward to our next exhibition…!
See you at COMITIA 150 on November 17!
Until then, blessings to the pure flowers💐