How to build an engaged gaming community | Creative

Esports is booming, there's zero doubt about that. With over 250 million viewers worldwide, the esports audience is now larger than ever before.

Having such a potentially massive audience can feel daunting, how do you tap into that? When your audience is established, how do you keep them engaged and create that sense of community that so many viewers seek?

Here is everything we’ve learnt about building an engaged gaming community.

An esports community is a group of esports fans and players who come together to share their passion for the industry. It can be created organically through shared interests and happenings in esports. Building an esports community takes time but is crucial for a successful esports brand therefore engaging with your fans and building relationships are key to creating a positive and long-lasting community.

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In the world of gaming and esports, video content is one of the most important tools in building an esports community.

Creating and sharing videos is also one of the easiest ways to generate material that is both engaging to your audience and easy to share amongst your followers.

You can talk about new video games, review game updates, talk about the current game metas, esports tournaments, or even conduct interviews with professionals in the field. Wherever your fans are, video content should also be, whether that’s it TikTok, Twitter, Discord (or all of the above).

One of the most effective ways to stay in touch with your audience is... you guessed it. Through the power of social media. Being present on socials not only keeps you current in the esports industry, but it also allows you to engage with your audience.

Twitter and Discord are the two biggest platforms for gamers currently, so being active across these is absolutely paramount. Share your content, best play clips, tournament details, but don’t forget to ENGAGE! Speak to your fans and share their content; after all, your fans are your community, and the more engaged they are with you, the more likely they are to return.

Engaging with your audience members creates a sense of community and allows you to gather ideas and suggestions for future content. Many streamers don’t take advantage of social media, and think their gameplay will do the talking. Your game play may be absolutely ace, but if no-one knows you exist, how will they see it?

Live streaming is another one of the most beneficial tools in building an esports community. It allows you to interact with your audience while they are still in the moment which allows them to feel a part of something. The chat function on livestreams means your fans can create discussions live between themselves, solidifying those community feels.

You are not limited to livestreaming gaming on Twitch; the world is your oyster. If you have a content idea your audience will like, it’s is the ideal way to achieve live audience involvement. Whether it's a private Warzone play with your followers or a Q&A with the streamer.

Building an esports community takes a lot of time, which means that you need to be creative when it comes to generating content.

Creating original content that is only accessible to members of your community is one strategy you can use to keep the content you provide your audience feeling fresh.

There are so many ways to develop exclusive material. Instagram stories, GIFs, custom emojis and videos are just a few. Creating special material for your esports community will help you stand out and give your fans a family-like vibe.

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Partnerships are a great way to spread your brand to a wider audience and build your esports community at the same time. No, this doesn’t mean you have to get Coca-Cola or McDonald’s on board, just chat and game with other streamers! This will allow you to reach a wider audience and build an even stronger esports community.

Take streamers like Jukeyz, TimTheTatman, Nickmercs for example. Even with their own huge fan bases, they continue to play with each other because they know it is what the audience wants. What could be better than two like-minded communities getting together? Nothing. Nothing is better.

The esports community is one where people want to engage with real people, not brands. Be transparent and most importantly, be yourself! People want to interact with real likeminded gamers, so establish your tone of voice. Will you be the super serious but super seriously GOOD Warzone player? Will you be the jokey, prankster that plays Minecraft? Will you be the lovable streamer who spends more time chatting to their audience than actually playing the game?

Think about which one you are and don’t try and change that. Being consistent is key to authenticity, people want to know the real you. As a bonus, when your fans know you’re being real, they will be too. If your audio quality is awful, they’ll DEFINITELY let you know about it.

It is super hard work to grow and keep an esports community engaged. There will be a lot of late nights, long hours streaming and lots of grinding. But have fun with it! With the right approach, you can create a passionate esports community that will support you for years to come. And if you need help with growing your community or creating incredible promotional videos, we can help.