5 great reasons to start a developer diary

A developer diary can take many forms. It can be as simple as a short form blog letting people know what the latest developments in the game are or could even just be regular tweets about the development progress.

But it doesn’t just have to be technical updates and patch release notes. In fact, you’d be missing a trick if that’s all you focused on. For example, you can get much more involved producing regular video updates, not just about the game, but the people behind the game. Explain what life is like working on the game, reveal the inner workings of your studio.

However involved you decide to go, there are certainly several reasons to start your own developer diaries, and in this we try to cover off a few of the big ones.

Building interest before launch

A lot of developers spend months working on their game, isolated from the rest of the world. They wait for a long time before sharing what they are working on. And then they release to a wall of silence. Starting a developer diary and sharing the progress of the game allows you to shout about your work without a finished product.

Develop a human brand

A game can be as much about its developers as its gameplay. Whilst Minecraft is a fantastically innovative and immersive game, it’s enhanced by the fact that it has such a compelling development team. It’s obvious that part of the appeal of the game is characters such as notch. Starting a developer diary allows your or your team’s personality to shine through, and can help put a human face on the game. I don’t know about you but I always prefer to buy something from a person than a faceless company.

Growing a community

Along with providing an opportunity to talk about your game, it allows you to start to turn that interest into a sense if community. Sharing information with those who are interested is a great way to reward them, and further encourage loyalty and advocacy. If you continue development after a launch, either through a beta launch or just new versions / patches, a developer diary is a great way to keep active players up to date and foster a sense of involvement and belonging.

Feedback

A developer diary also opens a channel for feedback. It allows you to let players know what you are planning, and ask them what they think. This isn’t what all developers want, especially if you have a specific vision for you game. And it does have potential problems such as designing a game for a vocal minority instead of a silent majority. However it does allow a more iterative development process, and should hopefully result in a game more grounded in its user base.

Staying sane

Developing games can be a lonely business. Especially if you are working solo on the project. A developer diary can be a great way to stay connected with the outside world, helping you stay sane during countless hours of bug squashing or code compiling. And even if you are working in a team, it’s easy to get stuck in a development bubble. Developer diaries help you and your team express yourselves, and show off what you’ve been working on.

I’m sure there are countless other reasons, such as the fact that a regularly updated blog with help your SEO, but these are the big five. It’s really easy for developers to fall into the ‘build it and they will come’ trap. Starting a developer diary is a great way to force yourself into thinking about the marketing aspect of your game. And if done right can help create a captive audience when you do launch the game, or a more engaged and loyal audience if it already has.

If you gave started your own developer diary let us know in the comments. We are always keen to see how you guys are progressing with your games.