Twitter for #GameDevs

So you’re a #GameDev and you’ve heard about this great social platform called Twitter. How do you use it? I’m not some marketing guru but I do have 500+ followers on Twitter and I only joined Twitter in May 2019.

First off social media is just that social. You are going to encounter all sorts of people. Think of it like a big party where you hardly know anyone and everyone has drunk 16 cups of coffee. There is lots of virtual running around and excitement. Now my first tip is make sure you remember your manners. Being a jerk is going to get you kicked out of the party super fast. Don’t be a troll, don’t be a misogynist, don’t talk politics, don’t be creepy, don’t be needlessly critical of other people, and remember there are lots of people out there. If you don’t like someones actions or life style to the point where you can’t even say a few polite words to them just don’t fallow them.

It is easy to get drawn into political arguments because some people are very vocal and you feel this urge to tell them how they are wrong. Ignore that feeling and go talk about cheerful stuff. Which is my number 2 tip be cheerful. People are on Twitter to brighten up their day. Distract them from their mortgage and the guy or gal who was a jerk to them today at work. Post cheerful happy things. Now this could be hard if you specialize in dark games but there is always a way. Post about your little successes. Post pictures of your game in progress. Have polls about what you should name the main character.

This leads to my number 3 tip be interactive. If someone comments on your post minimum is to like it. It’s better to comment back and start a discussion though. Comment on other people’s posts. Retweet, it’s a secret super power. People love when you retweet their posts particularly if also say something about it when you retweet it. A simple “Wow that’s really cool” or “Look at this fantastic artwork” or “congrats for reaching your goal” can go a long way.

Number 4 it is a marathon not a sprint it takes time to build connections and get followers. Despite the speed of the medium this stuff doesn’t happen instantaneously.

Number 5 now that you know what to do with followers once you get them how do you get those first few? Well it is pretty simple fallow other people and interact with them. Also plenty of people post stuff like “hey looking for interesting new people to fallow” jump on those opportunities and introduce yourself. There are a number of people who specialize in these sorts of things they are great people to fallow. Start by fallowing other #gamedevs and #Streamers they generally are pretty interested in video games.

Number 6 don’t just post about your game be human occasionally post about your other interests like #MiniaturePainting.

Number 7 don’t get so consumed by marketing your game that you forget to actually make it. Both are important for success.

Those are my top 7 tips for using Twitter as a #gameDev. If you feel that I have missed something feel free to comment with your favorite tips. Also you can check out my twitter account at https://twitter.com/OctopusGilded.