Sakaba Game Report: Web3 Game Community Building - Part 2
Creating an Effective Gamer-Centered Community
In the first part of this series, we delved into understanding what a Web3 gaming community entails and examined the current state of these communities. We further explored the challenges that often arise during the early stages of community building. In the second part of this series, we shift our focus towards successful community-building strategies from various game projects. Based on these examples, we aim to derive best practices for creating an effective gamer-centric community.
Table of Contents:
・Part 1 (previous article)
1.What is a Web3 gaming community?
2.Challenges in building a community, especially in the early stages
・Part 2 (this article)
3.Successful community building examples
4.Key aspects for building a Web3 gaming community, particularly in the early stages
5.Conclusion
3.Examples of Successfully Established Communities
Let’s start by looking at game projects that have successfully nurtured communities in their early stages. What initiatives have they taken?
🎮WILDCARD
WILDCARD is a unique game combining elements of TCGs, RTS, and MOBAs. The game emphasizes spectatorial enjoyment, with a motto that watching is as exciting as playing.
The WILDCARD team appears to be adopting a long-term strategy, prioritizing nurturing their community over quick hype. They keep low Twitter exposure for information involving rewards and focus more on engaging closely with individuals who show interest in the game and actively participate in the community, such as on Discord.
They conducted alpha testing with a small private/invite-only group who were major contributors to the community. They also guide quests for obtaining AL or NFT on Discord, while less encouraged on Twitter. The wide range of quests offered is from easy to challenging ones, which include following them on Twitter, participating in the Discord, engaging with other users, creating memes, suggesting ideas for community activities, etc. They seem to use hype effectively to their advantage while focusing on fostering high engagement among gamers.
A recent event, The Genesis WildPass on 20 April (supply: 4,444, price: 44Matic) at Mint, was an instant sell-out success.
🎮GranSaga: Unlimited
GranSaga: Unlimited is a traditional-style MMO RPG that aims to deliver an open, free, transparent, and externally connected economic experience to MMO RPGs.
They successfully managed a series of community activities from the release of information to the first user-participatory test play.
One remarkable aspect was that they provided very little financial information until the end of the test play. Quests were rolled out from the beginning, but the only explicit reward was the right to participate in the test play. Consequently, users’ enthusiasm was primarily driven by the prospect of participating in the test play. There was minimal information about asset sales, focusing more on gameplay, their blockchain vision, and sharing gameplay videos on social media.
Moreover, management members actively communicated with users. They followed back on Twitter, reacted to tweets about GranSaga: Unlimited, and even participated as players in the test play. This direct interaction contributed significantly to fostering a sense of community.
As a result, the three-day playtest was a great success.
・About 500 people participated.
・About 300 players achieved Lv 15.
・Average playing time was 11 hours 18 minutes.
・Top 200 testers averaged 21 hours of playtime.
🎮CyberStella
CyberStella is a project aiming to create intellectual properties (IPs) with users. They work on comics, webtoons, animations, films, etc., with economically potent games being one of their main fortes.
CyberStella’s founder, Shinnosuke Murata, shares his valuable experiences in running Web3 games. He has shifted his community-building approach from avoiding hype to focusing on quality over quantity, which seems to have a positive impact. For instance, instead of blindly spending money on key opinion leaders (KOLs), he prefers choosing KOLs who truly love the project and are willing to share their enthusiasm with their followers. This strategy effectively combines marketing and community building.
We have seen the initial community building of the above three projects. I’m really looking forward to the future development and growth of the game and community for each project.
4.Key Aspects for Building a Web3 Gaming Community
The successful community-building initiatives shared above provide insights into effective strategies that can be adopted while building a gaming community. Here are some key aspects to consider:
1. Transparency and Trust
In a Web3 community, the interaction between the developers and the community members is crucial. Developers need to be transparent about their vision, their development plans, and any issues or setbacks they encounter. This openness fosters trust between the developers and the community members, which is the bedrock of a strong community.
2. Engagement and Interaction
Engagement with the community members should not be limited to announcing updates or answering queries. Developers should aim to interact with the members on a personal level, participate in discussions, and encourage community members to share their ideas and feedback. This interactive engagement fosters a sense of belonging and encourages community members to contribute to the development of the game actively.
3. Inclusive Decision Making
In a Web3 community, the community members should have a say in the decision-making process. Whether it’s regarding gameplay mechanics, new features, or tokenomics, their opinions should be valued and taken into account. This inclusivity further strengthens the bond between the developers and the community.
4. Rewarding Participation
To maintain the enthusiasm and interest of the community members, it’s essential to reward their participation. Whether it’s through in-game rewards, early access to new features, or voting rights, these rewards make the community members feel valued and motivate them to remain active.
5. Long-term Vision
Lastly, developers should clearly communicate their long-term vision for the game. This vision should align with the interests of the community members and provide a roadmap for future development. Having a shared vision helps in keeping the community engaged and committed to the game.
5.Conclusion
Building a successful Web3 gaming community is not an easy task. It requires careful planning, consistent effort, and a deep understanding of the community’s needs and expectations. By learning from successful examples and adopting effective strategies, developers can foster a thriving community that not only supports the game’s development but also contributes to its success.
Reference
Deep Dive #1: Wildcard Alliance / WolvesDao
2022最新版【Wildcard】とは？始め方、遊び方を解説 / GameWithNFT
創業から1年でブロックチェーンゲームタイトルをリリースしてわかったこと / Shinnosuke Murata
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Thank you for reading this article! In the next part of this series, we’ll be exploring advanced strategies and tools that can be used to further enhance the effectiveness of your gaming community. Stay tuned!
