Communicating to improve our community

It’s no secret — without gamers, the role of the game developer is redundant. We need our players and we don’t mind admitting that. It’s the role of the developer to engineer the most immersive and creative experience for our players possible. But not just that — integrity is key too.

In a recent piece, we analysed the importance of social gaming and its growing social responsibility. We concluded that society is now looking towards our industry to lead the narrative — not just be a part of it.

That’s why it’s becoming increasingly important for industry leaders and game developers to be transparent. Players now view games as an extension of themselves — not just a pastime.

Build the bridge

Admitting imperfection is key to an honest relationship, it’s something we’re never afraid to acknowledge. It’s easy for developers to shout about the good stuff, but being open about areas of improvement is just as important.

Lockwood were such vocal allies to the #ChooseToChallenge campaign for this very reason. We recognise that there is still lots of work to do in the fight for gender equality gaming. It’s work that must be done by everyone.

We took extra steps to ensure the voice our players hear when we’re discussing societal issues is a personal one. By taking time to share the thoughts of our employers individually — we hoped to strengthen the bond between gamer/developer.

Stay Connected

The hunger to constantly want to improve the relationship we have with our players drives us to succeed. We know that we’re not perfect — but we also know that we never stop trying to be better. It’s our responsibility. Much like it’s our responsibility to build a platform where our users can be their creative best.

We’re inspired by our community — we’d like to think we inspire them too. Some of the most creative and innovative content to come out of our metaverse is user-generated. Take our recent #dinosquaddance challenge as a prime example. The initial seed for the dance challenge may have been planted by us, but the ingenuity and originality from our players took the idea to another level. This influence and inspiration are why developers simply have to take note of their communities. Without their input, the games we love so much just wouldn’t be as enjoyable.

The future

Developers have the responsibility to develop themselves — not just their games. We pride ourselves on creating unlimited ways for users to be themselves. This can’t be done unless we’re constantly listening to what it is they need.

The relationship between gamer/developer is ever-changing. We can’t guarantee a ride without bumps along the way, but we do promise we’ll stay honest and transparent every step of the journey.