Social Media or Unsocial Media

Having been involved in the IT industry and Software Development industry for over 16 years, I have seen how powerful marketing can be. With the advent of Social Media, it is even easier to do marketing now but unfortunately this is a double-edged sword ... because it is easier it is even more difficult to sometimes get noticed.

Recently I experienced just that with Re-Spawn, although I ensured that I had a Press Kit, a Website, a Facebook page, a Google+ page, and a Twitter account, the traction on Re-Spawn was still slow.

I had made sure that I was keeping the pages updated and posting news and updates as often as possible. I then started thinking that maybe people wanted to see the game before they downloaded it, so I started posting more screenshots and started recording videos. I uploaded these and shared them, but the traction was still slow.

So I thought maybe people needed more information, so I started with the development blogs and official wiki. This opened up a whole new can of worms with some individuals saying that I was giving them information overload and they were being overwhelmed.

So I changed tactics, decided to list my game on IndieDB, and things started to change ever so slightly. But it still wasn't the traction I was looking for and this is when I started getting despondent.

I sat back and started thinking, Don't they like the game? Is there something wrong with my idea? Am I wasting my time? Do I can the project? Maybe I should stick to application development? So I took a few days off, played some Kerbal Space Program, spent some time with my family and started thinking about the future and what the next steps would be ... I had no idea but I decided to move forward and at least do a new bug-fix release for Re-Spawn. I released version 1.0.0.6 on Saturday the 10th May 2014 and settled down for a quiet weekend and uncertain week ahead.

And that is when it started. On Monday I receved an e-mail from unSigned Softworks who created the Graphical Installer for InnoSetup software stating that they add added my installer for Re-Spawn to their gallery and had tweeted about it. I had actually forgotten that they had asked me for an image and that I had sent it to them ... and I was like that is cool.

So I get to work on Monday morning, feeling happy about the news from unSigned Softworks when all of a sudden my Re-Spawn Twitter account goes mental. Okay it wasn't exactly mental but it had a tweet from IndieDB that contained Re-Spawn in it. I was like ... cool ... here is another tweet. So I re-tweeted it, as I did with the unSigned Softworks one and started my day job. All of a sudden Re-Spawn went up 105 places in the IndieDB ranks of the most popular game for the day to number 6, just below Minecraft and Project Zomboid.



Feeling happy about the update in rankings, I decided to check a few things. The IndieDB Twitter account has 17.7 thousand followers, which explains why the rankings for the day jumped up. Yes I know it is only the rankings for that day, but it is that one day when I was in the top with Re-Spawn (and actually finished up at number 28) and it is exposure for that one day. I knew it wasn't going to last, but I rode the wave while I could and noticed my watched members on the IndieDB page jump from 3 to 10.

So during the day I started looking at player registrations and game statistics and noticed a SoftpediaGames had registered an account and done some playing. Being curious, I went to the Softpedia Games page and did some searches for Re-Spawn. I didn't find anything and decided that it was possibly just someone from their testing the game and left it at that.

Feeling positive about the day and knowing that it had been one good day for Re-Spawn, I went to bed quite happy and feeling re-energised. I was under no illusions that I was going to get rich from this one game, but I was happy that people were at least willing to download the game and give it a try ... this was at least a start. If people try the game and only a small percentage gives you feedback, at least you get feedback and can use that to make the game experience better.

So when I woke up on Tuesday morning (today when I posted the blog), I was surprised to see an e-mail from Softpedia Games indicating that they have tested Re-Spawn and given it a 100% Guaranteed Clean rating as well as a download link on their page.





But what was more exciting was the description that the Softpedia Games editors had written about Re-Spawn.

Quote:A competitive arena first-person shooter inspired by classic titles like Quake and Unreal Tournament

Re-Spawn is a fast-paced first-person shooter that tries to bring back the thrills and action-packed matches from classic FPS titles, such as Quake 2, Quake 3 Arena, or Unreal Tournament.

Combat in Re-Spawn requires more than just aiming and shooting. To become the best in the arena you will have to improve your reflexes and approach the game with a tactical thinking.

Just a few minutes of playing and the individual from Softpedia Games had clearly identified what I was trying to achieve with Re-Spawn and had hit the nail on the head. This game had never been intended to be just another FPS and was always intended to go back to the roots of the old school FPS games. This is ultimately a game that I wanted to play and that I wanted others to experience the joys of old school FPS and in-your-face combat.

Yes it is still in early days and the game is still Alpha, but the fact that someone armed only with the game and the marketing information provided by the various content that I provided managed to get exactly what I was attempting with the game has renewed my enthusiasm for the game and made me realise how very important social media and marketing actually is.

So hopefully others can learn from this post and realise how important it is to have these tools and make sure you have the foundations in place in order to be heard above the noise that is the Internet ... it works, here is the proof ... the only thing now is how do I continue with this momentum and grow it from here.