Developing & Managing Communities: Interaction with Players

The gaming industry has understood the value of communities. There are many community managers in every video game company. They tap into the folks who follow their games for the folks who invest in their products.
“That’s brilliant,” says Malik Forte, “because you want people to play your games again and again. If you implement micro-transactions, and they keep coming back, you, the developer, make more money. “
A lot of games nowadays are about persistent online experiences. You play those games for a long time. The developers keep releasing content for the games.
Players look forward to all those content updates and additions. They see the game grow and mature.
It is like planting a tree and seeing it grow. Games are the same. Therefore, so many video game communities are passionate and dedicated to the developers and the game.
Forte’s been a part of several game communities like the Overwatch community. Overwatch is a team-based shooting game in which the players fight over objectives. Blizzard Entertainment, a veteran game publisher/developer, created the game.
“It wasn’t about me knowing the developers, the game, or the characters,” says Forte. “I got to know several people who were passionate about that game.”
The Overwatch community is one of the biggest of any video game. Community members love Overwatch and its characters. The community has people who passionately love the game, love watching other people play it, and love talking about it. They’re so invested that they make fan art and dress up as those characters at conventions.
Overwatch became more sophisticated on the competitive side, too. It became a whole league and made it to the Barclays Center for the grand finals in 2018. It’s been on television.
It is the community that made Overwatch a phenomenal success. “You see that with many games that top the sales charts,” says Forte. “If you go on Twitch,” Forte continues, “the most-watched games have the strongest communities.”
Establishing a community is crucial. You hire a community manager to keep that excitement going. With video games, it’s super imperative to have somebody in your company who focuses on your game’s community.