As 2012 winds to a close, communities play a more significant role in determining the success or failure of game studios and projects than ever thanks to platforms like Kickstarter, Steam Early Access and Twitch.

At GDC 2015, Hinterland Studio founder Raphael Van Lierop took the stage to speak to how involving your community in the development of your game can help you create a better game -- as long as you sidestep the known risks.

Using his own experience leading development of Hinterland's debut game The Long Dark, Van Lierop offered advice on holding to a clear creative vision while also incorporating feedback from your community and balancing the demands of the crowd with your own game design goals. 

Hinterland tackled these challenges and many more while developing The Long Dark in Early Access, and if you missed Van Lierop's talk on the topic in person you can now watch the whole thing for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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