We've been doing this for a long time, we have friends at other companies who told us they are using our model, and we've decided to build a company focused solely on products we're excited about. Sure, we like money, but we know there's plenty to be made just doing what we really believe in.
We want to be about trust, authenticity, and transparency. We never want to be in a position where someone has worked all summer to save $60 to buy a game that they feel I sold them with lies.
"It's crucial that we use social media to listen to and communicate [with gamers]." |
As new mediums are discovered, there's a learning period to figure out what works. Twitter is in that state right now. Twitterers aren't sure where the person writing ends and the brand begins. It's a bit like the blog explosion where every person in a company had a blog, and it ultimately confuses the audience.
What I get most frustrated about is seeing big companies try to take their old template and apply it to a new medium. So Twitter becomes a spam machine, where you link to blandly written press releases or contests. I know we're all learning how to navigate it, so I don't fault anyone, but you can kind of tell when an old broadcast model is being applied on a new medium.
It's a great way to figure out how to have a 2-way conversation, but not everyone wants to use it that way, because they're not fully comfortable yet with the idea of 2-way discussions.
Chris and Nelson chat with Attack of the Show co-host Olivia Munn
How important is social media in the video game industry?
Modern video games are one of the few products where the customer changes the product through use. I'm not talking about just modding, or level building -- like with Little Big Planet -- but also multiplayer and even fan-written walkthroughs.
You've got a product where the 2nd player is jumping into a different product than was originally shipped, because of users participating, and communicating, and morphing it. Because of that, I think social media is almost more important in gaming than in any other industry.
Since customers are shaping the game experience it's crucial that we use social media to listen to and communicate with those customers.
If you're just going through the social media motions to check a box, though, it loses its importance. You shouldn't be using social media as a way to just build up your own voice and ignore the dialogue. If, on the other hand, you allow it to foster conversations, and you are flexible about how you interact with your fans, social media can be a way for fans to have a better experience with their favorite brands, and a way for companies to save a tremendous amount of money by engaging directly with customers, instead of throwing millions of dollars into the wind.
Social media basically means that everybody has a voice now – it doesn't mean that every user is "great" at using this new power, but with people able to talk to each other directly, customers are a lot less tolerant of old style PR babble. It means you HAVE to adjust your view of customers if you're a PR or marketing professional.
"We've decided to build a company focused solely on products we're excited about." |
I can't wait for the Twitter fad to be over. It hearkens back to 2-3 years ago where the blogosphere was just copying and pasting the same stories over and over. You see that a bit today with twitter. I love twitter and it's a great tool for informal small talk in a public space, but it's becoming a spam device. On the PR side, I also think we should be doing more than just sending out rivers of box cover art.
Where do you see the game space evolving to... I know, for example, you can't stop playing Quake LIVE, Chris. What's the future of our industry?
I am anxiously awaiting the death of physical media. I really like the ease of playing a game like Quake LIVE in a browser, on a machine that is NOT top of the line.
I like downloading my games through Impulse, Steam, PSN and over Xbox Live w/o having to mess with DRM, or installation, or physically getting off of my sofa to take Gears 2 out in order to play Left 4 Dead.
I also think that the iPhone/iPod Touch IS a gaming platform. It's causing some pain for publishers in terms of price degradation, but I think some companies are starting to figure out how to deliver "premium" content for "premium" prices.
Thanks Chris, and good luck. Oh, and if you do end up conquering the world... all we ask is for you to rename a small island after The 'Stiq.
