Developers, how do you make your game stand out and thrive in a crowded market? As more and more games are free-to-play or released to the public in alpha status, it's more important than ever for game makers to nurture long-lasting communities around their work so they can continue to thrive long after release. Professional eSports broadcaster Sean "Day[9]" Plott has managed to build a thriving audience for his work over the last five years, and at GDC 2014 he gave an excellent business-minded talk guiding developers through the principles he uses to stay connected and relevant to his audience. By showing how those principles were applied during key points in Day[9]TV history, Plott provides concrete examples that developers can adapt and apply to their own communities. The free video (embedded above) of 'Keeping a Community for Five Years: The Story of Day[9]TV' is now available to watch here on the GDC Vault.

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