The influence of influencers: why they are vital for the PR gaming industry.
|| In the beginning... ||
The birth of the internet not only allowed wide spread communication, it also led to the development of social media. Unlike the world wide web of the 90s and early 2000s, social networking has not only led to connecting with others outside of the confines of chat rooms but allowed viable careers based on hobbies and passions. However, there had been a few individuals that had made careers (debatable on their longevity) outside sites like MySpace yet this was still uncharted territory.
As a public relations expert for a gaming company, you will find yourself liaising with journalists for sites such as Kotaku, IGN and Polygon who can offer their insights. Many will drive attention to your game through playthroughs, reviews and opinion pieces.
|| The early days ||
However, journalists are not the only public figures to develop an online following relating to gaming. Since the meteoric rise of online platforms like YouTube, many creators have taken online to provide commentary, walkthroughs and analysis on various video games. According to Google's internal data of 2018, 200 million people watch gaming content on YouTube, double the television audience of that year's Super Bowl. When the pandemic hit in 2020 that skyrocketed numbers due to people being at home looking for escapism around 62% of adults to be precise. According to YouTube's official blog, 100 billion hours of watch time and 40 million active channels occurred as well.
Many of the creators have now amassed a fanbase in the millions (in that same blog it states that 1,000 channels hit 5 million subscribers.) The widespread reach and appeal of these content creators have propelled humble indie titles into the mainstream spotlight. An example is the Five Nights at Freddy's series (FNAF), originally a small horror game set in a pizzeria with Chuck E Cheese knockoffs that led to cult status when YouTubers such as Markiplier and Pewdiepie made videos reacting to the game. We fast forward a few years where we now have spinoffs, merchandise and a movie deal with Blumhouse in the works. This is just one prominent example of the power that people online can have. Since then the gaming community on YouTube has grown exponentially with users of different backgrounds and perspectives going online to offer their insights.
Markiplier's Five Nights at Freddy's playthrough.
It is not just YouTube that has allowed gaming enthusiasts to make content, Instagram and TikToks' short yet effective videos allow audiences to receive quick reviews or recommendations in under a minute.
This content is easy to produce with effective results as the algorithm can allow people who may have been unaware of the user to find their content due to similar interests. The online streaming giant, Twitch had over 7 million active streamers in September and has boosted careers like Sykkuno, Tommyinnit and Valkyrae.
With the advancements of technology, we can now have our phones with us at all times thus accessing content on social media sites whether it be videos, photos or blog posts (hi!) instantly wherever we are. We can stream videos on our television, send them to friends and post them on social media which includes those outdated minion memes that your parents put on their Facebook wall that says a cliche slogan like “Exercise? I thought you said extra fries!” Then you have to laugh like it is the most hilarious thing you have ever seen before asking them to drive you to meet your friends etc.
|| Birth of the Influencer ||
With a large choice of social media platforms and content, people will find a creator or content that suits their preference. This is because of the vast pool of creators, many people have found their niche in an already saturated genre so that they can stand out and gain a small yet loyal audience that has a similar interest or by monopolising on trends which includes video games. Think of how games such as Bendy and the Ink Machine (and now its successor Bendy and the Dark Revival) or Slender took hold of the gaming community on YouTube. This has led to creators becoming influencers online with a fanbase that takes interest in their opinions.
An influencer is defined by academic Keller as a "trusted individual who can influence the opinions of established social media audiences" and in the gaming sphere this can be a content creator that has a following regardless of the size known. This includes Micro influencers for those who have a following of 1,000 to 100,000, Mid influencers who have 100,000 to 500,000 followers, Macro influencers who have 500,000 to 1 million and Mega influencers which have 1 million and over. These definitions can be debated but it is just to give a general picture of the different influencers and their following. These numbers and influencer types occupy a wide range of hobbies and topics from beauty and lifestyle to literature.
The versatility of social media platforms allows users to cross-promote on their various other sites to a large audience. Imagine, you find yourself on Twitter and see a user comment and promote a recent let's play they have done because the algorithm promoted it based on your likes and follows. Clicking on their profile has their other socials such as Instagram and YouTube linked which when clicking on them can lead you to their Twitch platform. You have just clicked on 3 or 4 of their social media accounts in roughly 5 minutes allowing you to gauge the content and compare it to your own interests.
By finding the desired audience of the product, you can find others that can help amplify the message, keep people talking and bring awareness. The best method to do that is by finding a person or influencer with an established audience who will have interests that align with the product. By asking an influencer who promotes a vastly different type of content to your client, it may not have a vast audience response. While some people like to get out of their comfort zone in gaming, many tend to stay in their preferences as they may not want to spend their time and money on a game that they may have little to no interest in. So, just because a creator has a larger following, it may not be a wise decision to spend resources on their promotion.
Sometimes, the micro to mid influencers with a following that enjoys similar aesthetics will be more efficient as it is more natural and will tend to have the appropriate demographic. An example is in the farming and life sim genre, the demographic tends to be people who like cosy relaxing games akin to Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. Obviously, this is a case by case basis as everyone is different and it shouldn't be down to appearance or stereotypes which is why finding a creator and an audience is effective. If you take a look at my Switch you will find these types of games nestled between obviously friendly and other cosy titles like Outlast, Layers of Fear and MADiSON. /s
To showcase the importance of a content creators and influencers in promoting games, I will use a current case study:
Just take 5 minutes and Google any new indie title to find 50 people already doing playthroughs and reviews on it. In this example, we shall be looking at Coral Island, a slice of life farming sim set in a tropical island, made by Indonesian developers Stairway Games. Since its recent release in early access, many content creators have made videos covering the game from tips and tricks to livestreams that show their initial reactions. A lot of these creators and online influencers tend to have a similar vibe with their content which tends to be focused on relaxing gameplay usually farming or life simulators.
These YouTubers have been speaking and spreading awareness about the game for a while during its development, an example is user Sarah Sunstone who started her YouTube channel on 21st February 2021 and has been a hub for news, secrets and general content about the game. An aspect that I liked about her channel is that she provides content to those who may not have access to all the media channels such as Discord. This keeps users in the loop and can have discussions in the comment section. She also offers a wide range of content for example if you cannot catch her livestreams, her walkthroughs are shorter and concise yet still allows users to see the full extent of the game.
This continuous stream of content, has generated buzz for the game even when there was a delay in information for fans. In my personal opinion, she and other content creators have been the most prominent and seemingly only way that the game has been getting and maintaining exposure as quite a lot of the game was fairly unknown while being developed due to NDA's. This is not to be disrespectful to the developers, they were clearly working thus had no time to promote the game along with the secrecy due to the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement, which is when information is restricted to those outside of the groups involved. An example is game testers and developers.) While this is understandable as a good method to avoid spoilers or to not be pressured by outside interference, the internet can be fickle and hype can die down as quickly as it started.
These creators have helped maintain the promotion of the game even when there was not a lot of content or resources available. Streamers were offered an earlier date 9th October to play the early access game to show first impressions before its release to the public on the 11th.
LILSIMSIE'S CORAL ISLAND STREAM (10/11/22)
Since then, many in the cosy community have now given their thoughts and opinions on the game to their audiences. The biggest influencer has been lilsimsie, a Sims player, who recently streamed the content and has received around 300k on the upload. Sarah's channel now has over 9 thousand subscribers with her most popular post before the release of the games was one with 65 thousand views and 30 thousand views on the livestream. Her channel as of writing (18/11/22) has 115 posts that involve news, theories and her own content which include since the release:
22 livestreams
9 walkthroughs
6 miscellaneous (tips and tricks, guides etc)
So what is the problem with influencers? Well they are their own person with their own set of beliefs and personality which is why they amassed an audience. Now, what if they decide to essentially bring the wrong kind of attention to your brand ? As mentioned before, if they are not the right fit for your game they may be critical or their audience will not enjoy it. They may have posted or said offensive material online which can fall back onto your brand as the influencer can be viewed as a reflection of you and your values. There have been instances of this happening and can be a risk if you decide to tie your brand to specific influencers. This is why it is important to research the influencers and their audiences or to think of and prepare for these scenarios.
However, influencers regardless of your opinion have now become an important factor in modern public relations (an argument could be made that there have always been influencers from people with high status to celebrities but that is another topic for another blog post) and it is vital to at least think of them when planning a campaign. Influencers and content creators are relatable and are the middle ground between organisations and the public, firms have now understood this which has led to some practitioners working solely in influencer relations. My blog post on gaming firms mentions influencer relations often as one of the responsibilities. All in all, influencers are here to stay so do your research and watch some livestreams.
Next blog post: Cosy Community's online takeover: how video games of farming, crafting and puzzles has reigned supreme on social media Diversity (or the lack of in the gaming and PR industries) |Friday 2nd December|
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