So here I was admiring the trailers of the latest video games this year as they were being shown.
Man, how games have changed since back in my days!
I remember just how exciting games were 15 or so years ago. The blocky graphics in that era seemed cutting edge to me. You could barely make out what your character looked like or what your opponent looked like — you just took in on faith (or from the image in the cover of the game packaging) that your character was this really cool, bad-to-bone undefeatable hero.
What was also really cool about these games is the engaging gameplay that they had. Unlike the games of today where it’s almost always pointing gun’s crosshairs at someone, the games of the yesteryears had more thought and creativity in them.
I’ve been around for quite some time now, and I have to share with you something that I noticed about these games. For a lot of them, the basic premise remains the same: you have a hero who goes around doing quests, helping the character move up the levels and get stronger and better. You go about righting wrongs or whatever else your character would be inclined to do, and then you get to fight some really nasty final villain to save the world or at the very least, a princess.
I’d think even the younger ones would agree that a lot of the games they’ve played, as engaging as they are, pretty much share a lot of elements between them. Then again, this is because these games were specifically designed that way. Game developers have noticed that no matter how many games they create, there are certain game styles and game plays that gamers tend to stick to, regardless of the fact that they have actually seen it and played it in some other game.
So why do they keep on patronizing similarly-themed games?
Because it’s what they want. So game developers will keep on giving it to them, and gamers will keep on paying good money to get it. To break the monotony, game developers do try their best to insert some variations into the game play, like new elements, maybe some added ability or weapons or stuff, anything just so it won’t look like a total repackaging of an earlier game. The basic elements that gamers have always loved, however, will remain there, because it is what makes the game so desirable to the gamers.
Now, putting this into perspective and applying it to what we usually talk about, what do you think would encourage your readers, subscribers, or customers to keep on coming back to your site?
Get them back into the game, so to speak.
Find that one thing (or maybe even several things) that they really, really want from your site, and keep offering it to them. Unless your most perennial visitors happen to be your best friends or members of your family, people would definitely need a good reason to keep on coming back to your site and actively participate in it.
This is something you need to figure out early in the game, maybe even before you actually put up a site of your own for whatever purpose. If it’s for business, find a target audience, offer something to the target audience which you know for a FACT that they would want, and offer it to them. If you offer information that’s not exactly unique, make it a point to do it in a more appealing way than competing websites. Remember: everyone has competition, and the only way to deal with this is to rise above them so that your audience will see more of you than of your competition.
It’s the same thing, only backwards
Like I said earlier, game developers try their best to inject a little variation into whatever they develop so that while it is essentially the same as an earlier game, it contains some new and different elements, so that it will feel like you’re wearing the same pair of comfy shoes, only of a different color. Whenever possible, see what elements your readers really like and make a note of them, because you might inadvertently change these too. Just be sensitive to whatever changes you do to something which you know works well for you, because your audience is sure to notice and feel these changes, and the outcome may not be what you expected, or even want.
Tell me more
It might also b a good idea to tell them of anything new you may have, and how it may possibly relate to whatever it is that makes them go back to your site. Informing them of such gives them this sense of belonging, like you were addressing them directly and solely, out of the multitude that follow you. And while you’re at it, it may also be a good idea to…
Ask for feedback
Keeping them involved also means asking them if what you offer them still works. This is far better than getting the answer from the steady dwindling of the people visiting your site. Asking people what they would want also saves you valuable time in figuring out what new elements you need to implement into your site. Why experiment with what you think might work when you can find out what your followers/audience want from you? Save yourself a good amount of time and ask for feedback, you will definitely be glad you did.
Now while you people chew on the things I just said, I think I’ll try and see if they made remakes of my favorite games when I was younger. Hey, who knows, right, a guy can dream.
Andy “Game master” Jenkins.
