Building a Gaming Community Website

So you have registered your own guild, team, or whatever form of cooperation the game you play implies. You have chosen a name for it, the strategy is developed, and you are ready to conquer the digital lands of fantasy worlds.

Something seems to be missing.

That’s right – a serious gaming community should have its own website. It may be unclear why your team needs one, but there are several reasons for it.

Your team is your brand

If it is professional gaming that you aim at, it is a must to set up a website about your team. You will probably need more players to join you as your rank is improving, and to attract serious players, you are going to need a serious website. It is impossible for a brand not to have a page where anyone interested in it will have an opportunity to learn more about it. The same is true of gaming communities. Other players will be eager to know what achievements your team has recently earned and what opportunities you provide.

Guild management becomes easier if you have a website

Take World of Warcraft, for example. If you are a guild leader, you have to manage a lot of things, including raid scheduling, tactics, supplies of consumables, checking whether your tank has decent gear, etc. All these tasks become easier if you have a website.

Before you venture into a new dungeon, you should discuss with your teammates how you are going to do it. It’s best done using a special forum where no one else will be able to see what you suggest doing next time to avoid wipes. You can use forums to discuss other issues, like what flasks you are going to need, and what the next tier will look like.

You can use a website to schedule raids and other events, which vary from game to game. Notifications, announcements and other things should be posted in one place, so instead of making everyone notify others via Skype, make it convenient and set up a website.

To recruit new players, you can create a special form to be filled out by applicants.

Means of communication

Besides the forum, there is an even more important means of communication used by most gamers. Depending on the game you play, it can be Discord, TeamSpeak, Ventrillo, Skype, Mumble or something else. Since different teams use different software, it can be tedious to explain novices how to install a program which is unfamiliar to them, how to connect to your server, etc. You can post an instruction on your community website to avoid repeating the same things all over again.

How do I build my own website?

If there is someone fond of IT in your team, delegate the fuss of creating a website to him/her. If there is no one like this, it is up to you to set up such a page – you are the guild/team leader after all!

First, consider the features your website should have. Use the examples mentioned above. You may need other modules (some gaming communities even want their own radio and video streams), so planning is a must.

Think about what it should look like. If you do not want to invest money into exclusive web design, opt for a free template. Once you have made up your mind, do some research and find a hosting provider that meets your requirements. Be careful and choose wisely, as migrating to some other server later can turn out to be a tedious challenge. Use special websites that provide hosting rankings, like this one, to pick the best option.

Install your template using the control panel provided by your hosting provider and fill your pages with content. Articles on how to apply, forums, information about your team – everything that may be interesting to other players will be useful.

All this boils down to one conclusion: a more or less serious community of gamers needs a website as a means of representation on the Internet and a tool to manage your tasks as a leader.

 

Author bio:

Helen Jade is a keen gamer living in a fantasy world. Of all things digital, she prefers video games, and writing about it has always appealed to her – just as much as writing fiction.