Game Building: How to Entice Players

Hello readers, unfortunately I will be inactive for the next month due to summer camp. I also apologize for the mistakes I made on my previous article, reviewing The Sith Empire // Hoth.  The reason I made those mistakes was because of personal issues, forcing me into an anxious state which made me rush the review, without being careful, and considerate of proper grammar.

Hello, I am xLando and I will be writing about hooks in places, and how to keep players playing. As a game journalist, I have gotten the chance to experience multiple games, with different genres, yet some are similar in some very distinct ways. This article should give you a decent look at how to add a "hook" into your places.

Lobbies
Most lobbies are personalized to fit the place, for example, say you had a place all about the Mad Murderer, it would be in your best interests to possibly add in some murder-themed artwork, as well as murder themed- props to your lobby.

For this Paintball game, the lobby is on the sidelines, giving players who are waiting for the next round something to do (watch the ongoing match), and keep themselves busy.

There is also a "Shop" icon on the bottom right, as I said, this also gives people something to do whilst they wait.


In lobbies, make sure to have some activity, whether it is housing a shop there, or even showing a small menu of who won last round, and player statistics. The lobby could have a short obby, players do not want to sit around, waiting for the nest game/round.

You want to always make sure that the lobby is aesthetically pleasing (looks good) ways you can do this are:  nice looking  floors and walls, good textures, and  use of proper c-framing and building tools. Making it non-aesthetically pleasing deters new visitors, lowering your visit rate.




Thumbnails

An action shot reflecting gameplay, a bold title, and a bonus player point tag

Thumbnails are important, as they should give a prospective visitor a chance to see what the game is about, or what the place was meant for, in a short picture. The thumbnail is another important "hook" that gets you players.

Thumbnails should have some sort of picture relating to the place, a title, and could include  a brief 1-6 word description of your game. Note that it is not good to post images that do not relate to your place at all, for it will deter all players, word will get around that your game is a fraud, and everyone in the building community will lose respect for you - your game will also likely be shutdown by Gordonrox24, a ROBLOX mod, for breaking the 'misleading thumbnails' rule. So there's that too.

You can, however, post images of upcoming additions, that you are still making, but almost completed. Make sure these additions are upcoming, or people will think you are posting fake images just to get more visitors. Thumbnails should look good, and have original textures/pictures in them, posting online images on them is not a good way to make it, as people will clearly see through it.

Finally, do not assume that some people on ROBLOX are stupid, and will not judge your building, thumbnails, and ads. Some might not mind, and take gameplay into more judgement, but that doesn't mean they are intellectually challenged, (dumb,stupid,idiotic). A majority of players, no matter what they look like, will judge your game for what it's worth; all you should do in response is take that information and improve your game.

Advertisement
In advertising, it is key to make players click the ad, not by saying: " ROBLOX says:  Bet you can't Click this ad 9 times and beat my record of eight" with a poorly drawn red button. Advertisements need to be very aesthetically pleasing; more people will click good-looking ads rather than click non-good-looking ads.

Presenting an edited attractive screenshot from within the game

Advertisements should have a picture about the game/place, and perhaps a few descriptive words. Some ads display a single message, with multiple pictures/phrases leading to one main subject. For example, in the Clark County Correctional institution ad (I couldn't find a picture, I don't know why) it has three pictures showcasing features of the prison, and text overlapping it "Clark County Correctional Institution".

Finally, advertisements must be on topic and to the point, no one wants to read too little, or too much text. This rule also applies to visual effects, and pictures.

End
Before I bring this article to an end, I would like to say thank you, to everyone who has supported my journalist career, I will try to keep on bringing you newsworthy content. I hope no one minds my upcoming one month absence (Jul 6-Aug 1), I apologize for this, I would change it if I could. I might begin to prepare some articles in the last few days leading up to July 6, so I can bring you content straight after.

Good day.