Preface
In the world of independent game development, in addition to making the game itself, developers often face a dilemma as to whether they should invest time in running websites and communities. This article will analyze the value of blogging to independent studios from a practical perspective, and when to start operating.
Why should you consider setting up a website or blog?
As a small independent studio, why did I choose to spend my time building a website? It is mainly used for writing blogs and recording development logs. This decision comes from three pragmatic considerations.
1. Writing is not an additional burden, but part of the development process
One of the biggest challenges of independent development is that it's easy to get lost in the sheer workload. Writing a blog is a kind of self-organizing:
- Clarify work completed
- Plan the next direction
- Reflect on the gains and losses in the development process
When you need to organize your thoughts into words that others can understand, this process will force you to think more deeply about the reasons behind each decision. This kind of organization is not just a simple record, but a process that helps the experience to be truly internalized.
In addition, since I have taken the time to sort it out, taking the extra step to share it on the Internet may also help other developers who encounter similar problems, and it may also increase the studio's reputation. It is a hard-working choice but kills two birds with one stone.
Judging from my years of program development experience, an efficient development process spends 70% of its time on planning and thinking, and 30% of its time on actual programming. Adequate planning can make execution smoother and reduce the chance of detours. . Game development is a larger and more complex project. If even writing a program requires so much planning, game development requires clear thinking and planning. And writing is the best tool to help us clarify our thoughts.
2. Seek feedback from the outside world
One of the hardest things about being an indie developer is the lack of immediate feedback. On the road to development:
- There are always more failed attempts than successful ones
- It is easy for a person to fall into his own thinking framework when working alone
- Wrong directions may take a long time to be discovered
Making the development process public creates an opportunity to be reminded and corrected. Sometimes someone else's words may bring new ideas or solutions.
3. Establish a tangible brand image
For small studios, brand building does not require gorgeous packaging, the most important thing is authenticity:
- Show the real development process
- Share actual technical challenges
- Record every small progress
I think this kind of real record makes it easier to attract truly interested players and build a trusting relationship with them.
When When should I start?
"Only by building your own website can you accumulate brand value!"
"Free blogs are not professional enough!"
"You must have your own domain name!"
These statements often make people feel stressed. But let’s analyze this issue practically.
Realistic considerations
As a web engineer, I can honestly say: building a complete company website is indeed helpful to the brand image, but the investment cost should not be underestimated.
From my experience, even though I had professional skills, understood the website building process, and was familiar with the related technologies, it still took me three full days to build the website and blog.
Advice for non-web engineers
1. Use an off-the-shelf platform
It is true that records on these platforms are more difficult to integrate into your company website in the future, and the value they can bring to your brand is relatively low, but remember that the focus is on organizing thoughts and content, and brand value is not our main pursuit.
2. Seek professional assistance
If the budget allows, seeking professional assistance is the most pragmatic option, which can save a lot of time and ensure the quality of the website.
If you can find the right friends around you, you can build a simple website prototype for only a few hundred USD, and the subsequent fees you have to pay every year will only be a few in domain fees. If you have such a reliable assistant around you, then this will be the best choice. However, if you plan to find outsourcing from the Internet, the cost will start at thousands of USD. You may even spend money and get a web page that is not Not as easy to use as free wordpress.
3. Do-it-yourself considerations
If you are not familiar with web technology and don't have the right people around you to ask, setting up your own website may be more frustrating than debugging game development code. You will mainly need to learn four things
- Learn how to handle domain name settings.
- Learn how to install content management systems such as wordpress, joomla.
- Learn how to encrypt your website
- Regular updates and maintenance
If you really plan to do this, my series of articles may help you a little bit.
The focus is not on the platform, but on the content
No matter which platform you choose, the key is to continue to write meaningful content. In the end, the most meaningful thing is to find what kind of game players want to play and create it.
Suggestions
- Getting Started
- Use the free platform first
- Develop writing habits
- Cumulative content base
- Growth stage
- Assess your own website needs
- Plan an appropriate budget
- Choose the right solution
- Long term
- Gradually upgrade based on needs
- Keep content updated
- Maintain a stable brand image
ConclusionConclusion
Building a brand is not about the choice of platform, but about the value of the content. The most pragmatic approach is to choose a platform that you can continue to maintain and that suits your needs, and focus on content production.
If you decide to build your own website, please refer to myseries of articles
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