"If any of you doubt the power of community for games, eight months a year I spend my Friday nights playing a game I'm both mediocre at and lukewarm about, because I'm deeply attached to the community that comes with it."
Kongregate co-founder and CEO Emily Greer was talking about her Friday night softball games when she delivered that line at GDC 2014, but her message was aimed squarely at video game makers: Don't neglect the power of community, because it can make (or break) your game.
Her brief presentation was part of the popular GDC Microtalks session, and in just under six minutes Greer underscored the critical role games can play in creating communities of players by sharing facts and anecdotes about how people thrive when they're part of a group.
It's a talk well worth watching, as Greer tackles a common topic in game design (what kind of community and culture do you want to cultivate in your game?) from an under-explored angle. If you missed it in person, you can can watch her brief segment of the full panel over on the GDC Vault's official 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.
Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech