#GameDev Twitter: Resources for developers and artists
Why Twitter? There were over 2B gaming-related Tweets in 2020. Every game’s community is here, having conversations on a daily basis. That means that chances are, the game you’re working on already has a community on Twitter, or there’s a community that may be interested in it.
As a professional in the gaming industry, your level of involvement on Twitter can have quite a range. There’s a good chance that the more involvement you want, the more you may need to talk to your PR or comms team to make sure you can actually talk about *that thing* you want to tease. Unless, of course, you’re an indie developer reading this, then feel free to Tweet at will. Whether you’re indie or pro, here are some ways to interact on Twitter:
Listen quietly to the community
What are people saying about your game or the genre of game you’re working on? Does that weapon feel overpowered? Would adding this new mechanic increase the quality of life in the game? Social listening is a very valuable tool.
Interact directly with fans
Maybe you just want to show some support with folks who are creating content around your game. For example, there’s a vibrant community of artists who share their fan-made art on a daily basis, so Liking, Quote Tweeting, and replying to your audience shows them that you value their fandom.
Tease content or share development details
If you’re at a bigger studio, this will probably require sign-off. But this is a great way to get people excited about your game. This tactic is excellent to use in between big announcements to keep the conversation going.
Get feedback from the community
This one is a bit of a can of worms as not all feedback you may receive will be, well, “constructive” (depending on the community), but asking for feedback could also generate some good tidbits of information.
Talk to other game developers
#GameDev Twitter is a very popular hashtag that was used over 3M times in 2020. Use that hashtag to dive into what other developers are talking about, sharing, and much more.
On the subject of gaming professionals on Twitter, here are some folks that we think use our platform really well:
Looking to at least dip your toes in the water on Twitter now? We’ve put together some Lists that will help get your timeline flourishing in no time. You can follow the List, or go in and follow the individual accounts.
On the Tweeting best practices side of things, here are some pointers to keep in mind:
- If engagement is your goal, then post native media if you have it. Images and videos are more eye-catching than text.
- More people read copy on Twitter than on any other platform, so make it shine. Brevity is typically your friend also unless you’re working on a Tweet thread.
- Easy does it on the hashtags if you’re going to use them: one or two at max.
Lastly, there may be some bad actors at play as with any impassioned community, so it’s important to keep your account safe and know what tools you have at your disposal should you need to use them.
- 2FA: We highly recommend turning this on and using an app over SMS.
- Conversation settings: Not ready to let the world comment on your Tweet? Use this.
- Muting / Blocking: Use as needed.