10 great examples of developer blogs
This week we have been looking at developer diaries, Mike focused on why you should have one with Al showing you how to go about creating a great one. Today I will be looking at some top examples that we can all learn from.I have taken examples from five different categories; Sites, Blogs, Twitter, Videos and Podcasts. Some of these are very traditional and others express the personality of the developers a lot more. All are great showcases for what you can do and hopefully will provide some inspiration.So without further ado here they are.
Websites
These two examples are very traditional in their layout and are quite old school. However there is a reason why they are still popular due to the simple nature and straight forward way of showcasing patch notes and up coming releases.
Runescape
Lord of the Rings Online
As you can see from both of these examples they are pretty old school in appearance and take on a traditional “News” style layout. Runescapes is more feature rich however both are appealing and clearly work very well for their MMO community with regular updates.
It is important to note that regularity and openness is key if you are looking to run a news feed style developer diary on your sight. It doesn’t matter if it is just short patch notes or a quick update around a feature. Aiming to have at least 1 post per week will ensure your community keep coming back to find out what is new.
Downside to this is as mentioned is quite uninspiring to look at due to its traditional nature, plus there will likely be a higher expense for development and hosting. One for the more established/experienced developer.
Blog
Our next two examples are great indie developer ones; the one and only Notch and the guys behind Super Meat Boy. The beauty of blogs lies behind the simplicity to set up and maintain.
Notch
Super Meat Boy
Both of these blogs really emphasise the personalities behind these developers. This has been a major driver behind the success of Minecraft and Super Meat Boy.
With Notch able to show his down to earth nature, provide updates on Minecraft and Mojang and then react to fan comments he has created a community of devoted fans around himself. His personality shines through in his blog. “Team Meat” have been regularly updating their blog again showing their personality and keeping their fans entertained and informed. A great benefit to having a well kept blog is obviously for SEO reasons.
The micro blogging service was made for providing regular bursts of information and creates an easy and simple communication platform with those who are interested in your game. The vast majority of developers are on Twitter and there are some great examples.
@MajorNelson
@BlizzardCSEU_EN
These are two quite different examples but both work very well.
Major Nelson (otherwise known as Larry Hryb) is the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. He is essentially the voice of Xbox and through his Twitter account keeps fans up to date on the latest news for everything Xbox. He takes the time almost every day to respond to questions and comments from gamers and also regularly posts about his interests and life.
The BlizzardCSEU_EN account is one of many accounts set up by the company that provides information and answers questions to the players of their games. Although it is a customer service account for the company they keep a friendly tone of voice and provide timely updates.
Video
Creating a good video is a different kettle of fish however it doesn’t have to be complicated and isn’t as scary as many people think. Mike has mentioned in past posts about using video and they really are a great way to get people interested in your game. The below examples are from two high end developers, however they are a good basis from which to work from.
Resistance 3 Dev Diary
Media Molecule – Behind the scenes
What both of these have in common is that they easily present information and give gamers a look behind the scenes. This sneak peak and future fun element gives extra gravitas to the videos and makes them relevant to not only the gamers themselves but also the gaming press. When it comes to video it is important to think about that medium and add extra content to it like game play videos and artwork. Creating your own unique videos also adds to that feel of exclusivity and will ensure that your audience watch and importantly share.
Podcasts
There are podcasts of all shapes and sizes and these two examples show how vastly different they can be. With different production values and ideas of content they showcase the dynamic ways that you can produce audio content.
Irrational Games
http://irrationalgames.com/tag/irrational-podcasts/
Bungie
http://www.bungie.net/inside/content.aspx?link=bungiepodcasttime
What you will immediately notice when listening to these studios different podcasts is the massively different approach that they both take. Bungie certainly have the more traditional and fun approach of getting some of the guys around a table to talk about their projects (granted yes it’s been a while since the last one). Irrational have gone for an almost BBC Radio 4 documentary approach providing great insights into their creativity and the way the studio thinks.
Both of these approaches show how it really is up to you how you could approach this. Like with video think carefully about the medium and play to its strengths.
Conclusion
The main take away from all of these are:
- It is very important to be clear with any information that you are putting out
- Keep the updates regular and timely
- Communicate directly with your audience
- Be open and transparent
- Think about the mediums strengths and work to them
- Show off your personality
Have a look at all of these examples and take influence from your favourite game developers outposts. If you have any other great examples or want to show off how you do it paste them in the comments below.