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What is the best way to start a game forum?

User is offline   m96 

#1

Hello,

This is a curious question, what is the best way to attract members to a forum about a particular game?
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User is offline   MrFlibble 

#2

I guess the game needs to be popular and played by a lot of people who will be also eager to discuss it. I think it is hardly going to work the other way round.

So the proper question would be, how to increase the popularity of the game? And one of the answers is to have features in it that will make it attractive to players: fun gameplay, interesting storyline, great modding possibilities etc.
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#3

The bigger question is, how do you get people to care enough to visit your forum?
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User is offline   Kyanos 

#4

View Postm96, on 19 November 2015 - 04:13 AM, said:

Hello,

This is a curious question, what is the best way to attract members to a forum about a particular game?


I'll say have extra content for the game.
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User is offline   MrFlibble 

#5

View Posticecoldduke, on 19 November 2015 - 07:55 AM, said:

The bigger question is, how do you get people to care enough to visit your forum?

The only thing that can bring people to a forum about a game is the desire to talk about that game. Hence, if the game is not popular or widely played, such a forum will be limited to only a few users at best. Conversely, if the majority of forum members (however numerous) mostly discuss something else, then this defeats the purpose of that forum as a community dedicated to a specific game.

That said, I'll repeat that a forum doesn't seem like a useful tool for promoting a game. Rather, the existence of such a forum is a consequence (and indicator) of a game's popularity.

One thing of note is that a dedicated game forum/community is probably more likely if that game has an active multiplayer component, and/or modding possibilities.
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User is offline   MusicallyInspired 

  • The Sarien Encounter

#6

It's not something you can make happen. If the game already has a forum (or two) you probably won't get anybody. People are usually very loyal to the forum they've been going to. You can't compete with that. If anything your forum needs to have or be about something that the others don't/aren't. If it's got nothing new to offer and it's just a "look here, another place to talk about the same thing!" it'll fail hard. Especially so.

Don't just make a forum because you want to run one. Let the need make way for a new forum, not your want.

This post has been edited by MusicallyInspired: 19 November 2015 - 08:34 AM

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User is offline   MrFlibble 

#7

I'm assuming that the game in question is Shaw's Nightmare.
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#8

If there's no forum yet, whoever is first and loudest wins the race, but may fall from grace if your moderation is Nazi-like and/or picks fights often with members.

For smaller less known games it's very difficult to exist more than one or two forums. For bigger games you have to find a niche for your forum, but sometimes the forum acquires a niche because of the people who visit it. Most forums either are or start general but if for example the modding section is more active than the forum's niche becomes modding. It's up to the admin to see this and react accordingly, making the forum focus on what its members discuss more.

Example: Duke4 forum is the EDuke32 forum, not just Duke Nukem forum. That's its niche in the Duke3D community. The 3DR forums are probably more suited to general conversation about the games, and other 3DR games as well. This allows them to coexist.

Also, don't even think about being admin or mod in a forum if you don't have time for it and/or have problems managing people. :)

Forums evolve as any community of people. If your forum is dedicated to long-running series, you need to know how to make it move forward. Forums can always become obsolete with time, especially if someone else develops your idea better than you. One example (please don't cringe at it) is Pokémon. In the beginning of the 2000s, Pokémon fansites with own made "Pokédexes" were a dime a dozen. With the development of Wiki encyclopedias, Bulbapedia was created by the people who run Bulbagarden. Bulbapedia had every information those old sites had, and more. It made every single one of them obsolete overnight, and none survive to this day.

This post has been edited by Duke of Hazzard: 19 November 2015 - 03:59 PM

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User is offline   MusicallyInspired 

  • The Sarien Encounter

#9

Don't start out with too many categories and subforums either. 3 subforums and one category is enough to start. Max.
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User is offline   Sixty Four 

  • Turok Nukem

#10

I agree with some of the posts here. There needs to be an interest from people and a need for a forum if there isn't much interest then someone needs to create that! Also, I know some people who created a forum just so they can have a forum or "Be an owner" of a successful forum... That never goes over well, you need to have true motives and not the urge to be recognized! You also need to be able to handle and deal with people well, whether it is bad or good. Being able to have or create extra content for the game is obviously going to help things to.

All of these things are true but there is also ways to help promote or spread the news about a forum. You could make videos of the game/games involved and include the link of your forums in your youtube/daily motion videos. Post pictures on pages across the internet with the link as the caption/description. Write blogs about the forum and what your hoping to get/accomplish with them if you don't write blogs find someone who does and try to get them interested enough to write about it. Got to make it interesting.

Also, since your forum is already up keep it updated even if little to no others are posting. If anyone shares interesting things share the link to facebook/twitter. You can also share your forum to other gaming forums or forums that are somewhat related but don't expect to much out of that besides visits. Most people are dedicated to the forum they know. Try talking about other games but be sure not to cloud the sole purpose of the forum. But just remember people don't only like one game or style of game (there is a hole lot to consider in that statement). You can also use steam if your on there :)

I can use an example here: I started a Turok Forum because there was no sole place for all of the games in one. I couldn't tell you the countless times I have heard my forum members say were just really happy to find a place for Turok and they can't believe it. There was a need for it and a passion for the franchise I had a passion to. I only created that forum because there was no forum for it but people didn't just start popping up on there own.... There wasn't a forum for Turok before so why would there be now? You have to help spread word around. By doing little things and making it exciting.

I don't know whats considered successful but my forum has been open for less then a year and here is the stats

2691 Posts in 84 Topics by 107 Members. Most Online Ever: 97 (October 04, 2015, 06:26:34 PM)

By any means that didn't just happen overnight no I busted my ass :)
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