Gaming & Social Media
What do Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have to do with gaming? How does social media play a role in shaping the games we play today? Find out.
The Evolution Of Gaming
Gaming has changed and evolved throughout the decades. Starting with very simple, yet addictive games such as Pong. You could definitely say we have come a long way since then! Today we have games that look so strikingly life-like, you would swear you are watching a movie. One of the biggest changes and advances in gaming today is how we as Gamers communicate with Developers.
Social media has created a huge impact on the way we can communicate with developers. It’s brought in a new era of gaming, revolutionizing our lines of communication from gamer to gamer, gamer to developer and very importantly developer to consumer. Social media has created a way to conveniently reach out to millions of fans with the click of a button!
Social Media Platforms
Game developers have learned that they can reach out to their fan base through directly addressing them. Twitter is a huge way they tell everyone what’s going on. Through Twitter they post updates on the latest games,updates and trailers.
Facebook is a way people largely meet like minded individuals who play the same games as they do. You can join groups devoted to the games you play.
An important example is Ubisoft utilizing Twitter to share patch notes with fans/teaser trailers for the upcoming seasons and operators. They also use YouTube and Facebook to drop teaser trailers and Facebook to address any glitches and big changes they are bringing to games. They drop big news updates on streaming services such as Twitch and Mixer. This is a prime example of full utilization of the resources provided.
Gaming Events
Game conferences such as E3 and Games-con create huge hype for upcoming games. Social media has – throughout the past 7-10 years – highly heightened the experience and excitement factors surrounding these events. If you see a game that interests you, you can follow the developers on your platform of choice and gain access to the latest updates in development. This creates a more engaging and rich experience from the standpoint of the gamer. If you gain interest from the announcement of a new game, then naturally you’ll want to watch the teaser trailers. Learn about the Alpha and enjoy enjoy every subsequent experience. These layers of experience create more well versed, die hard fan bases for games. Social media has enhanced and created these opportunities.
HowA?ThisA?AffectsA?You
These factors can have a negative or positive affect on you as a gamer. Developers largely depend on feedback from gamers to know if their games are successful, to understand what they should change. To nerf and buff characters in their games. Sometimes this can have a negative effect on us as players of their games. This can enhance or lessen our overall experience in our games. Negative traits can include unnecessary nerfs. Large changes to your most beloved maps, characters and more.
Some patches based on consumer feedback are mostly in the favor of new players and leave veteran fans scratching their heads. Some companies who do not utilize the tools given to them by social media or listen to their fan base severely suffer and ultimately end up closing or tanking on big-name games.
On the other hand, social media this can be a real enhancement for gamers! Developers can make the necessary changes to broken mechanics and fix game-breaking glitches. Social media bridges the gap between us as consumers and game companies and has escalated the Video Game industry to one of the highest-grossing industries in the world.
Next time you like a post or trailer on social media, consider the enhanced experience you are receiving and how you can utilize these tools to bring your best experience imaginable to yourself as a gamer.
