Indie Light

So hopefully since you’re here on this website you’re familiar with me as the editor-in-chief of Indie Light but one of my roles you might not be familiar with is as a Games Demonstrator for Asmodee UK. It’s that which I’d like to speak a little bit about today. 

So first off, who are Asmodee? Well to put it plainly they are a publisher and distributor of board games, card games and role-playing games. I work for Asmodee UK which as you may have guessed is the UK branch of the company, which operates across Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

I have had the good fortune to work with Asmodee since mid 2017, which for future Indie Light historians is roughly the same period of time I’ve been running this platform. Also we’ve both been through a rebrand during that period as well, Indie Light was once Off the Record, and Asmodee UK once operated under the name Esdevium. Regardless of the name I can honestly say that it is easily one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, and that’s why I’m writing this feature today, to encourage more of you to join this amazing employer. 

So what does it take to be a Game Demonstrator for Asmodee? You need to be friendly, outgoing, and passionate about board games. You don’t need to know every single detail of the board game industry to be considered for employment but it’s up to you to learn how to play and demonstrate the various games distributed by Asmodee. Other than that it all really comes down to experience. I remember being incredibly anxious during my first couple of shifts but they try to pair you with more experienced staff when you first start out, and assuming you’ve prepared yourself and know how to play the games you’re being asked to demonstrate it’s a fairly easy job that is also incredibly fun. 

What exactly do you do on a shift? It can vary depending upon where you’re working, an in store demonstration shift for example is different to working at a bigger event but fundamentally you arrive, clock in via the app on your phone, set up your table, and encourage people to come over so you can show them how to play the various games on offer. Something important to note that makes the job instantly less stressful is that it’s not a sales position, you as a demonstrator are not selling the product, merely giving customers a clear idea of how the game works, through an engaging and interactive experience. The advantage of in store demonstrations especially is that often the store you’re demonstrating in will sell the products so the customer is able to purchase them if they are interested but as I said above not directly selling takes the pressure off you, and also it makes customers more likely to actually come and try out the games as you aren’t trying to sell them something. 

I’ve never had a bad time demoing for Asmodee, it’s honestly an incredibly fun and rewarding experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

So why is it so good to work for Asmodee?

• Flexibility – Asmodee employees are all signed up under a zero Hours contract, they do so to the mutual benefit of the employee and employer, allowing for maximum flexibility as a demonstrator. This means that you can take as few or as many shifts as you’d like with no obligations to work a particular pattern. 
• Strong Base Pay – Asmodee is in line with the National Living and Minimum wages for your respective age bracket. In addition you can also claim expenses which will be reimbursed to you alongside your pay. These expenses can cover travel (either via car or public transport), accommodation (when required) and food (during larger events). Rest assured Asmodee makes it as easy, streamlined and cost effective as possible to work your shifts.
• Access to Awesome Events – So this is a really neat perk. Asmodee operates at a variety of big and small events all across the UK and as a demonstrator you get access for free. For example, last year I was fortunate enough to attend Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London which not only allowed me to travel to London for the first time ever but also be a part of an amazing and massive event. I was also lucky enough to meet and spend time with the fabulous Caleb Grace who was promoting his recently developed game Star Wars: The Deckbuilding game.
• Access to New and Exciting Games – For a fan of tabletop and board games, this alone would make working for Asmodee worth it. As an employee, they provide you with copies of games for training and demonstration purposes. So you can practise them, and then take those games along with you to instore demonstrations. As Asmodee has an enormous IP catalogue you will theoretically be able to play and teach others how to play lots of cool and interesting games. Some of my favourite games that we’ve demonstrated in the past include Dobble, Cobra Paw, Mysterium and Ticket to Ride, just to name a few.
• People Focused Work – I don’t know about you but I couldn’t imagine working for the rest of my life in a job where I couldn’t work and interact with people. As a demonstrator you’re right on the floor, meeting new people, showing them a variety of board games and having a lot of fun while doing it.
• Fun and Engaging Work – Lastly, you are literally being paid to play board games. It’s such an engaging and fun role that even long shifts don’t feel like a chore. I cannot imagine a better job. 

Here at Indie Light we pride ourselves on being honest and objective in all our features, and after expounding on all the positives of working for Asmodee I need to mention any potential negatives. Honestly though I was really scratching my head on this one because it’s unlike any other job I’ve ever had and it’s an incredibly fun role. Perhaps the only issue that comes to mind is more of an inconvenience than anything, and it’s that all pay for work completed, as well as reimbursement for expenses is done in arrears, meaning that for any work completed in January for example, you would not be paid until the end of February. It’s a small issue though and not one that’s ever caused any problems particularly especially since as I said above, our primary income isn’t from Asmodee. Plus with all of the positives, it’s fairly easy to overlook.

If you’re interested in joining the Asmodee demonstration team, or just finding out a little bit more about the company and what we do then feel free to get in touch via the email below.

demos@asmodee.co.uk