Most players don't want to read a rulebook before their first game
They'd rather watch someone set up the board and take a turn in a few moments or less. A how to play video does that in a few minutes. Once you have one, you can use it on your campaign page, your box, your website, and in search.
This works for family party games sold in big box stores and for hobby games sold in indie game shops. Online or in a store, a clear how to play video can give buyers a reason to pick up your game.
Where Can You Use a How to Play Video?
Campaign pages
Backers on Kickstarter and other platforms want to know how a game plays before they pledge. A how to play video answers the common questions: how long a game takes, how many people can play, and how hard it is to teach. Put it on your campaign page below your main teaser video.
QR codes on boxes and packaging
Print a QR code on the box, the insert, or the rulebook cover. Players scan it at the table and learn the game without stopping to read. Shoppers in a store can scan it too and see the game played before they buy.
Influencers
Creators have audiences that trust them. A how to play video on their channel can put your game in front of a lot of new players.
Search (SEO and AEO)
People search for game rules all the time. "How to play" plus the game's name is one of the most common searches for any game. When your own video and rules page rank for that search, players learn the game from you instead of a forum thread or a stranger's video.
Ways to use your video for search:
- Build a how to play page on your site for each game. Embed the video and write out the rules below it. Search engines read text, so the video alone isn't enough.
- Upload the video to YouTube with the game name in the title and a full description. YouTube is a search engine itself, and its videos often show up in Google results.
- Add captions or a transcript. It helps people who watch with the sound off and gives search engines more text to read.
- Add video schema markup to the page so Google can show it as a rich result with a thumbnail.
- Point your store listing, campaign updates, and box QR code to that same page, so the traffic builds up in one place.
- Give each licensed edition its own page. Fans often search for the character or show name, not the base game.
- Add a short FAQ to the rules page with plain answers on player count, play time, and age range. AI search tools and Google's answer boxes pull from clear question-and-answer text.
Should You Use an Influencer or Make Your Own Video?
Influencer how to play videos can reach a lot of people. They can also be expensive, and the influencer often keeps the rights to the video. If you don't own the video, you may not be able to put it on your campaign page, link it from your box, or cut it into ads. It stays on their channel.
When you pay for your own video, you own it. You can post it anywhere, update it when the rules change, and decide how your game looks and sounds on screen.
Many publishers do both. Influencers bring in new players, and your own video is there when those players look up the rules. See this example below from Bicycle Games with Wil Wheaton. The production for this series was directed and managed by We Make Treasure.
Should Your Video Be Animated or Live Action?
Animation works well for teaching rules. You can zoom in on a card, highlight a rule, or pause on a turn to explain it. It's also easy to update, since nothing has to be reshot.
Live action shows real people playing. Lifestyle marketing is a powerful way to showcase the way a product makes people feel. That helps with party and family games, where the fun at the table is a big part of the pitch. Our video for Kites is one example.
You can also mix the two: live footage of players, with animated graphics on top to explain the rules.
How Do You Make Videos for Multiple Licensed Editions?
Some games get reprinted many times with different IP. The rules stay the same, but the characters, art, and box change. This is common with family party games, where a publisher licenses a movie or show and releases a new version of a game it already sells. Each edition needs its own how to play video. Making each one from scratch costs time and money.
At We Make Treasure, we build adaptable video systems. You receive an original template with scene variations built around modular elements, including camera angles, characters, color palettes, card art, logos, and voiceovers. By swapping these variables for each new edition, every video feels fresh and unique. You get custom marketing assets at a fraction of the cost, mirroring the savings of running a game reprint versus designing one from scratch.
After the first build, each new edition costs less and takes less time. Every version teaches the game the same way, and each one still looks like its own brand.
If you expect more than one edition, tell us at the start. It's easier to build the template up front than to rework a finished video later.
Get a How to Play Video for Your Game
We've made how to play videos for large game companies and small indie publishers. If you need one for your game, or a template for a series of editions, contact us.
