Lewis Silkin are most popular: <\/p>\n
\n within Cannabis & Hemp, Law Practice Management and Criminal Law topic(s)
\n in United Kingdom
\n with readers working within the Retail & Leisure industries
<\/p>\n
Games communities are more important than ever before.
\nLaura Harper (Partner, Lewis Silkin) chaired the
\nHow to build and retain the Ultimate Games Community
\npanel, with expert panellists James
\nGallagher (Head of Community Management, Keywords
\nStudios), Davey Robson (Senior Influencer
\nMarketing Manager, Kepler Interactive), John
\nCotterill (In-house counsel, Sumo Group) and our own
\nRupam Dav\u00e9 (Partner, Lewis Silkin) who
\ntogether examined the building blocks that form enduring games
\ncommunities, touching on the power of leading with clearly
\narticulated values and the steps studios can take to earn
\nauthenticity. It was a session full of valuable take-aways as the
\nspeakers discussed how effective engagement of games communities is
\nevolving in a changing market.<\/p>\n
The panel shared their views on a number of key issues including
\nwhat they thought the core elements were to building a sustainable
\ncommunity and the role player feedback plays in shaping and
\nevolving the same; as well as addressing some of the most common
\nchallenges or negative behaviors that threaten a positive community
\nenvironment. Here are some of the valuable insights from the
\nday:<\/p>\n
Community as a discipline<\/p>\n
The most successful games communities are not accidents; they
\nare designed, nurtured and resourced with the same intent as the
\ngame itself. A strong community is an extension of the studio’s
\nidentity, and the studios that excel treat community as a
\ndiscipline in its own right \u2013 not just a pre-launch asset.
\nJames emphasised that fans recognise and love when a studio puts
\neffort into its communities: “it’s about how you show
\nup.” John also noted the importance of community leaders
\nand ambassadors to the health of a gaming community.<\/p>\n
Defining the ‘A’ word<\/p>\n
What is authenticity and how is it built? Davey highlighted that
\nin gaming communities, authenticity comes from finding the values
\nof the game IP rather than the values of the brand. The panel
\ndiscussed how a game’s values are far more important to
\ncommunities than the reach of the game \u2013 especially in the
\nworld of content creators \u2013 and more often than not, having a
\n‘corporate’ map of those values is beneficial from an
\nalignment perspective.<\/p>\n
Player feedback<\/p>\n
The panel discussed how in-game features and external platforms
\ncan be effectively leveraged to strengthen community bonds. James
\nspoke about the power of early access and co-creation \u2013
\ndespite the challenges that might be posted due to initial bugs.
\nRupam touched on the importance of understanding players’
\nmotivations for playing a game, highlighting modding as a key
\ncommunity subset of where this understanding is core to nurturing a
\ncommunity. Is it immersion that players are looking for, for
\nexample? The opportunity to extend the world of the game, and to
\nspend more time in that world, is sought-after amongst players.<\/p>\n
Everything in moderation, including moderation<\/p>\n
The discussion later turned to the need for moderation policies
\nto strike a balance between freedom of expression and online
\nsafety. Rupam noted that “the worst thing to do is to have
\na policy done on the fly… it is better for both studios and
\nplayers to have a rulebook in place and stick by it”.<\/p>\n
What does the future look like?<\/p>\n
The panel closed out with some horizon scanning, touching on the
\nincreasing importance of community, the industry-wide push towards
\nproportionate compliance with the Online Safety Act, together with
\nnew Consumer and Data Protection legislation, the impact on
\ncommunity and the international shift towards a safer online world
\n(with some outliers) \u2013 as well as the rise in transmedia
\nopportunities for game IP.<\/p>\n
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
\nguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
\nabout your specific circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Silkin are most popular:
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