Gaming used to be something that gamers did on their own or with friends and was usually limited to doing it at home. Those days are long gone with the introduction of the internet and with that has come social media which has changed gaming in a big way.
Benefits of Social Media
It goes without saying that social media has transformed how games are being played. Gamers in the past would only interact with peers and only make friends at arcades or game shops. Later online forums became popular, but were often only limited to other gamers. Today these forums have moved to social networks and now gamers can exchange videos, share images and connect with one another. Gamers from all over the world can now connect with like-minded people whether they live in Thailand or Tahiti.
Gaming and social media networks like Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are now merged in such a way that it would be difficult to imagine one without the other. Gamers utilise these social media platforms to share gaming tips and hints about playing online pokies NZ and all other games, share videos of their progress and give hints by sharing walkthroughs of the games. They are also able to discuss new releases and give their feedback on these. There are also networks which are specific to gaming such as Twitch and are able to share their gaming experiences in real time which brings a whole new facet to gaming.
Social Media has Transformed Gaming
Not only has social media been a great transformation for gamers, but also for the developers. Developers are now able to receive feedback from gamers and with social media this feedback is quick and there is no long waiting period to hear what gamers think about a new game for example. For developers social media has a two-fold purpose. They can make use of social media to let gamers know of any issues and how they intend to fix them and can also let gamers know of any problems as they arise which means they are able to work on these and get them sorted immediately.
On the other hand gamers often do not use social media in a constructive way and often communicate with developers in a way that it is not helpful, by being abusive or disrespectful. Even though there are cases of this happening social media has opened the dialogue between gamers and developers and it is more helpful than not. Developers are now able to received feedback that they may not have been able to get in the past which in turn helps them to develop a higher quality gaming experience. Developers also make use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to market their companies and games and able to reach new gamers. In this way they build relationships with the gaming community and are able to engage with them.
One of the largest gaming companies in the US has a Facebook page which has had over 770 000 likes and has around 600 000 followers on twitter with 4.5 million YouTube subscribers for its game Call of Duty. This gaming giant has been able to use social media to their advantage.
For Gamers and developers alike social media has become an integral part of the gaming world and allows gamers to share what they have accomplished and interact with other gamers when new releases are due. This enables the news of these releases to spread quickly through the gaming community and is great publicity for the developers.
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