Gaming fans need a new safe haven

Don't be afraid of the Dark Forest, but don't ignore it either

It seems that many major players in the video game industry haven’t quite caught on to the fact that social media is essentially dead or dying.

I talked about this a bit in January in my monthly column. But I ended the article on a note upon which I probably should have elucidated.

At the time I wrote:

“Currently, I think brands and media need to focus on building up their own safe haven for consumers, readers, and fans away from social media and the like. Own your community and treat it well, because if you lose it to social media or Google, it may be forever.”

That dangling thought came back to mind when I recent spoke with Tim Courtney about, well, a lot of interesting things.

Courtney pioneered a crowdsourcing innovation that would later become LEGO Ideas. He turned the passion of LEGO fans into a $100,000,000-generating community. But more importantly, he did it in a way that respected and empowered fans and without the need to cede control to some outside source.

We got onto the topic of social media, and when I mentioned my thoughts about its slow death, he pointed out that what I was saying sounded a lot like the Dark Forest Theory of the Internet. Something I hadn’t been aware of.

The theory holds that people are retreating from the big public platforms to private, smaller digital spaces.

I couldn’t agree more. Where Yancey Strickler talks more about the implications for the internet when this happens, I’m more interested in how important it is for game makers to help either create or maintain those safe spaces.

When social media came along, a lot of video game discourse slowly moved over, leaving behind a lot of amazing places to wither away.

Forums still existed, of course, but they mostly gave way to behemoths like Facebook, Twitter, and the like.

Now, with social media crawling with Nazis, AI-created invasive porn, scammers (and Elon Musk) most people—at least those without some sort of fiduciary tie to the services—are moving away, on the hunt for green pastures, or perhaps a friendly copse in a dark forest.

My suggestion, which is driven by my own personal need for safer spaces, is also one that can help game developers in their need for a place to interact with authentic fans about the games they hope those fans will play.

Act now. Build those safe spaces. Invest the money and energy to create the kind of community you would be eager to join—before it’s too late.

I say, with more than a little personal interest in the outcome, that one great such place could be, and often is, video game publications.

If maintained, and many are, the comments on a website dedicated to the coverage of video games can be filled with authentic fans who want nothing more than to participate in the conversations sparked or driven by well-researched, well-written stories.

Of course, this requires a level of effort to ensure that these places don’t become their own dark forests, but it’s very doable.

Support your local gaming site—developers and publishers—now. Don’t do it just because they may cover your game. Do it because they are critical safe havens for your fans. At their best, these gathering spots spark meaningful conversations, inspire current and future developers, and—when necessary—demand the occasional course correction.

Create your own forums or open comments on your own sites. Build out your sites to include a form of editorial coverage. Hire those who want nothing more than to dive deep into your process, bring to light your passion, and help build a community that loves your creations as much as you do.

Whichever path you choose, do it soon, because it won’t be long before the people you so want to connect with have scurried away into unknowable pockets of an increasingly dark forest—leaving you behind.