Games communities are more important than ever before. Laura Harper (Partner, Lewis Silkin) chaired the How to build and retain the Ultimate Games Community panel, with expert panellists James Gallagher (Head of Community Management, Keywords Studios), Davey Robson (Senior Influencer Marketing Manager, Kepler Interactive), John Cotterill (In-house counsel, Sumo Group) and our own Rupam Davé (Partner, Lewis Silkin) who together examined the building blocks that form enduring games communities, touching on the power of leading with clearly articulated values and the steps studios can take to earn authenticity. It was a session full of valuable take-aways as the speakers discussed how effective engagement of games communities is evolving in a changing market. 

The panel shared their views on a number of key issues including what they thought the core elements were to building a sustainable community and the role player feedback plays in shaping and evolving the same; as well as addressing some of the most common challenges or negative behaviors that threaten a positive community environment. Here are some of the valuable insights from the day:

Community as a discipline

The most successful games communities are not accidents; they are designed, nurtured and resourced with the same intent as the game itself. A strong community is an extension of the studio’s identity, and the studios that excel treat community as a discipline in its own right – not just a pre-launch asset. James emphasised that fans recognise and love when a studio puts effort into its communities: “it’s about how you show up.” John also noted the importance of community leaders and ambassadors to the health of a gaming community. 

Defining the ’A’ word

What is authenticity and how is it built? Davey highlighted that in gaming communities, authenticity comes from finding the values of the game IP rather than the values of the brand. The panel discussed how a game’s values are far more important to communities than the reach of the game – especially in the world of content creators – and more often than not, having a ‘corporate’ map of those values is beneficial from an alignment perspective. 

Player feedback

The panel discussed how in-game features and external platforms can be effectively leveraged to strengthen community bonds. James spoke about the power of early access and co-creation – despite the challenges that might be posted due to initial bugs. Rupam touched on the importance of understanding players’ motivations for playing a game, highlighting modding as a key community subset of where this understanding is core to nurturing a community. Is it immersion that players are looking for, for example? The opportunity to extend the world of the game, and to spend more time in that world, is sought-after amongst players. 

Everything in moderation, including moderation

The discussion later turned to the need for moderation policies to strike a balance between freedom of expression and online safety. Rupam noted that “the worst thing to do is to have a policy done on the fly… it is better for both studios and players to have a rulebook in place and stick by it”. 

What does the future look like?

The panel closed out with some horizon scanning, touching on the increasing importance of community, the industry-wide push towards proportionate compliance with the Online Safety Act, together with new Consumer and Data Protection legislation, the impact on community and the international shift towards a safer online world (with some outliers) – as well as the rise in transmedia opportunities for game IP. 

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