Linking Developers and Players

One of the great things about networked forms of technology is that they can break down barriers between the content producers and consumers.  This has a number of meanings – it means that anyone can now become a content producer (you can blog, post to youtube and so on) but it also means that it is much easier for those that make content to listen to and learn off those to consume what we make.  I noted in a previous post that we read every player comment posted to the iTunes store – we also did our best to respond to everyone who emailed us about any of our other games, such as Savage Moon – and some of the ideas that player came up with got incorporated into the Waldgeist add-on for the game.

So it is with great interest that I read this article about self publishing games…

There are so many positives from moving into self-publishing it’s almost impossible to select one. If pushed I would say being in a position to have a direct relationship with your end user is the best.

It allows us to bring the players of the game much closer to the creative process. Our players have been involved in suggesting and even creating content for updates and sequels. They have a closeness and sense of ownership with our games as they feel, quite rightly, they are part of the development team. As a side effect, they become the strongest promoters and evangelists for your game.