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The importance of community moderation in gaming cannot be underestimated. It is the act of managing discussions in your community to create a safe and secure environment for your players.
Today’s gaming communities are more diverse, vibrant and engaged than ever before, but they are also under threat from a tidal wave of bad actors whose sole aim is to spoil the fun for everyone else. In fact, Utopia Analytics surveyed more than 1,000 players in the US and found that a staggering 70% had experienced harassment whilst playing online multiplayer games.
What is worse, unmoderated communities can develop seriously toxic cultures in which abuse and harassment thrive, drastically impacting player churn. A study by Riot Games of its hugely popular League of Legends found that toxicity has tangible effects on player retention, as first-time players were 320% more likely to churn immediately and never play again.
To create a loyal fan base that truly engages with your brand, you need to create an environment that fosters unique identities and interactions that bring people back again and again. Therefore, proper moderation can help reduce these risks, prevent players from feeling threatened or discouraged from engaging with others, and encourage healthy socialization by setting clear expectations for acceptable behavior.
Here are 5 tips on how to appropriately moderate your gaming community:
Tip #1 — Set the right tone
Creating safe and respectful interactions is just the beginning. Sometimes it helps to work with a specialized service partner who is uniquely positioned to represent both the core language of the game and the relevant region, therefore maximizing engagement.
Tip #2 — Be the good cop, not the bad cop
Policing everyone around should not be the goal. Instead, gaming companies should strive to create dynamic and exciting environments where players can fully engage. Working alongside experienced community engagement strategists is an excellent way for your brand to co-create and execute the right plan, ultimately expanding community reach and brand loyalty while increasing players and playtime.
Tip #3 — Act fast when something goes wrong
Flexible community management teams allow for faster and more relevant responses to alerts or other triggers. A highly responsive team builds trust and creates a safe environment for players across the globe.
Tip #4 — Localize community engagements
Sourcing moderators in different time zones can give your firm the geographical and language coverage you need and burst flexibility to keep costs down. Moreover, targeted engagement with highly active influencers helps scale positive behavior and knowledge, which results in increased player engagement, positive sentiment, and trust in the community.
Tip #5 — Take a holistic approach from the automation layer to social media management
Gamers are everywhere: online forums, Discord, Reddit, Twitter… you name it! Therefore, your team should seek specialized moderators to cover a broad set of community use cases. Such professionals are skilled in taking a holistic approach from the automation layer to social media management, which can help you reduce the cost of moderation while identifying compliance issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.
All in all, effective moderation and community management is crucial, but often an underestimated element of running a successful game. A strong community will act as a positive force for your game and its player base, helping to create a sense of in-game social cohesion, encourage player retention, and most importantly empower you to better understand your players.
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