Open Development Methodology: Is It For Your Game?
In today’s world, on a daily basis we utilize software, use products and even play games that were created using the open development methodology.
I am neither Pro or Against this method. One has to determine for themselves if this is the right direction to go. This article is created to inform and provide information relating to the Open Development Methodology. Also before reading this, note the article is from a marketing, public relations and community development standpoint.
What is the Open Development Methodology?
There are several definitions out there, but this one stands out.
Paul Anderson: The term open development method (ODM), or sometimes community led development, has been coined to describe a collaborative way of working. In this model, there is a primary emphasis on collaboration and the role of a community.
What does ODM mean for the games industry?
“Building a game in a way that brings game developers and the community together. Not just to give them a peek behind the curtain, not to just to obtain feedback; but to actually include the community in every step of the process along the way. To truly build a game and relationship together. To build a game out in the open where everything that is done, every change made takes place instantly effecting the game in real time and anyone any place in the world can contribute. This includes: Open Code, Open Content and Open Communication.” — paraphrased Jim Brown (Epic Games)
With this methodology, from the very beginning the game is available to be downloaded, played or one can contribute by trying to change it. This includes making all the source files and content available to the community. The idea is to create a transparency between the developer and the community and allow for communication for a highly collaborative project.
In this method, the studio takes on the role of a gatekeeper, by determining what makes it into the game and what does not… while remaining as transparent as possible. This really empowers the community.
Establishing A Community For Open Development.
Creating a community does not happen overnight. The first stage would be to develop the platforms and channels that would be used by the community. Before moving forward, it is important to communicate with the marketing and public relations department. This way each platform is cohesive and branded correctly to match the brand bible or style guide of the game or studio. Additionally, the development team should be looped in. It is essential for them to be up to speed on the platforms and channels being used as they will play an integral role.
Once everything is defined and there is a clear communication flow between all the essential departments, then one can begin to build the platforms and channels where the community and developers will interact.
These could include:
• Clean streamlined website with a blog.
• Facebook page.
• Twitter account.
• Instagram feed.
• Twitch/Mixer site (this can come later in the process).
• Discord channel.
• Most importantly a well-designed forum (where the development team has a say in the creation).
Releasing the tools alongside the game assets and code can help with an open development methodology and enable participants to dig in deep.
Next Step: Announcement
Once the website, blog site, forum and necessary channels are created it is time for an official announcement with link to the website and forum. If the studio already exists, then the announcement will come via their channels. Thus, it will be announced on their site and social networks. The announcement will also go out on the channels that have been created for the new game. If a studio has a forum already or has other games with forums, the announcement can be published there as well.
Also a well written post with a link should be shared by the studio on LinkedIn. The development team and studio heads can then share this post. In today’s world, reach is important and every member of the team probably has their own network and followers. In fact, posts on Facebook and Twitter can be shared by the team as well.
Staff members who are in development groups or networks can also share the info there as well. This also helps spread the news regarding the initiative. Each studio or developer has their own network, but the employees do as well. Having proactive employees that are willing to share content via their social networks only helps to extend the reach.
It is also important to announce the initiative outside of the social channels. The PR department can contact magazines, bloggers and other sources to ask for a feature.
Additionally, the PR department can submit speakers to various events relating to game development. In Berlin for example there is Talk & Play, and in Düsseldorf there is the monthly NRW Game Developers MeetUp. Taking part in events like these can also spread information. Speakers can also be submitted to bigger events or conferences such as: Devcom and Quo Vadis. It is also possible to submit speakers to other conferences taking part in Europe as well such as Digital Dragons in Poland. It is a good idea to research various conferences and then decide which events speakers should be submitted to.
Another way to spread the word regarding the initiative is for the studio to host a Game Jam or Code Jam. This kind of event can also be streamed via Facebook Live or Instagram Live. This can be an exciting way to energize developers and encourage them to take part. If a studio does not have the resources to host a Game Jam, then they could become a sponsor of an existing Game Jam produced by another organization. For example, Ubisoft BlueByte sponsored a Game Jam at the Next Level Festival for Games in Nordrhein Westfalen.
Time Schedule / Content Calendar
It is important to create a time table or calendar for content. Granted there are two things that one should keep in mind.
1. Each social channel may have a different type of viewer. Thus, you cannot create cookie cutter content that goes out on every channel. Each piece of content produced should be adapted for the audience of each channel. When a studio releases the exact same content across all their social channels it becomes less interesting for their followers.
2. Even with a Content Calendar or Time Schedule you have to be flexible and be willing to adapt. Sometimes new developments may change the schedule as well.
It is also very important to have open communication with the development team in order to make sure the right content is being produced and shared.
There are tools that can help organize and schedule posts such as Hootsuite. This is a good way to schedule posts to go out at the right time for maximum reach.
To start one might try the following:
• One Facebook post per day.
• One or two Tweets per day (this could become more).
• YouTube weekly with developers.
• Blog weekly or biweekly (depending on updates).
• Instagram every other day.
• Twitch/Mixer stream weekly or to be determined.
• LinkedIn post weekly and article monthly (possibly more when there are updates).
• Daily forum and discord moderation.
The thing with social media is to be consistent. Content needs to be shared regularly in a timely manner in order to reach KPIs relating to reach, impressions, interaction and engagement.
Connecting With The Community.
Simply just posting does not help to build a community. You have to take time to respond to reactions and comments. When responding it is very important to remain authentic and genuine. Provide the best responses to both positive and negative comments.
Blizzard also allows the developers to answer questions as well. Saralyn Smith who is Blizzard’s Executive Producer of BlizzCon gave a speech at Devcom this year. She stated in her presentation, that it is important to humanize responses. Allow for those responding (developers included) to let their personality show through. Even Blizzard if takes part in the Open Development Methodology or not, this can be something for all studios to consider if they really want to connect with their community on a stronger level.
It is good to prioritize the interaction and when the development team has time to give feedback or respond… it really shows that they care about the community. In the forum, it would be good if each developer could respond to a topic every day. In fact, in the forum it would be good to have personalized icons that are branded for staff members. This helps them stand apart from the normal commenters or forum members.
As the community grows, members will begin to connect and even at times regulate themselves. One might see the best ideas rise to the top.
Acknowledgement.
By acknowledging the community, this will empower them and encourage them to be more active. They are doing this on their own free time and thus acknowledging them can lead to more or continued interaction.
There are various ways this can be done. For example, community members could be featured in live streams or in YouTube Videos, tweet/shout-outs or highly active members could be interviewed for the blog.
Additionally in the forum, it would be nice if community members could earn badges for their activity and achievements.
Positive reinforcement for good ideas can go a long way! Thus, it is a good idea to establish ways community members who contribute can be acknowledged.
Best Practices For Open Development Communities.
These are ‘The top 5 practices for a successful open source development community’ according to Eclipse Foundation.
1. Engage a wider community, use a permissive (ASL) or weak copyleft license (EPL).
2. Earn the trust of the community, don’t require copyright assignment.
3. Be truly open, develop in the open.
4. Have a clear policy on trademarks.
5. Implement a vendor neutral governance structure.
Wrap & Recommended Articles.
The Open Development Methodology might not be right for every studio or every game. I think it is very important to do the research to determine if it is the right approach to take.
When speaking Jim Brown (Epic Games), mentioned there are pros and cons to this method. He even acknowledged that mistakes can be costly and it is a learning process.
Here are some additional articles and websites that I found to be quite intriguing.
http://www.makinggames.biz/feature/open-development-from-all-perspectives,7156.html
https://opendevelopmentmethod.org/
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002802
Note: This article is just a brief overview of the Open Development Methodology relating to the games industry. It is meant to define ODM and help provide ideas on how it can be achieved… thus, it is concept on how to achieve this process or lay a foundation on which ideas can be built upon.
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