How You Can Support Video Game Creators
We’ve been avid gamers our entire lives, from playing Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda as a child, to playing tons of crazy and cute games nowadays. I’m sure many of you have had similar gaming experiences and been pulled into the wonderful world of video games. But the real question is: how can we support the people who make games?
Donations
When indies are fully dedicated to their work, they might not ask for money at all. This is because they’re focused on creating a product that they are proud of, whether it be purely out of passion or because they wish to strike it rich. So what can you do to support them? Aside from giving feedback and development teams who have worked hard to get where they are today, one thing you can do is donate.
Purchasing games
If you enjoy a particular video game, buy it. It’s not just about supporting the creators with your money; it helps them know that there is a market for their work, which encourages them to continue creating games.
Spread the word
Share the games you like with your friends—If someone has recommended something to you that you think would be interesting to try out, go ahead and give it a shot! You’ll find that if something catches your eye, there’s probably other people who’d be interested in seeing it as well. If there’s someone who’s been recommending things but hasn’t convinced you yet, don’t let that stop him or her from sharing more recommendations!
Follow them online
Follow them on social media (and share their posts with your friends). This helps them get exposure for their work, which leads to more people learning about them and possibly buying their games! You may not know this, but if you see a tweet or post by an indie developer on Twitter or Facebook and you reply to it or like it, that counts as an engagement for that tweet or post! This means it will show up higher in the newsfeeds of people who follow both you and the creator—meaning they might be able to see it more often!
Make sure to let them know
If you meet one of them at a convention or event, ask them if they want any photos taken with fans or if they’d like you to record an interview with them (or both!). You may not think it matters, but these things can make a huge difference in how much visibility someone gets online. Write reviews of their games on Amazon or wherever else you buy things from online—and leave positive ones! This will help raise awareness for their work among potential players who might not have heard about it yet.
And don’t forget…
The most important thing is to just be kind and supportive. Video game creators are just people who love what they do, and it’s easy for them to get discouraged when no one is watching them or listening to them talk about the thing they’ve poured their lives into creating.
