Gaming community - Attracting new members

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I have run my gaming forum for over a year now but had been revamped a few months ago where I proceeded with a clean installation. I do not see it going anywhere anytime soon, I have invested too much time and money. It is a hobby and I have not profited from it in any way. I am struggling to find ways to attract members and keep them on the forum. What can I do? What can I offer?

 

[Creaky]

Getting a gaming community up and running is very hard these days. Current site used to be active but mainly just me posting these days, spent a lot of time and money on it which is why I keep it going.

I have asked some companies in the past for game codes for giveaways or competitions, some you will reply others ignore you.

 

[Steve]

What can I do? What can I offer?

Play games, make friends and offer cookies with milk. Gamers love milk and cookies

 

[Return to Sender]

Play games, make friends and offer cookies with milk. Gamers love milk and cookies

Love this!

 

[zappaDPJ]

General gaming forums have a similar history to general forums. If they are not already large and active the chances of any new forums gaining traction is slim at best.

On a more positive note I would consider opening up a section for a specific game, preferably one that's yet to be released and fill it with appropriate content. That might get you some views and new members coming from search engines.

 

[haqzore]

answer this question, truthfully:

What experience, functionality or capability does your site offer that users don't already receive, in better & more convenient form, from Discord / Steam / Playstation Network / First-party forums?

Put simpler, what's the point? Why join your site?

You offer a forum, gallery & resources.

Every game, network or Discord has in-house forum equivalents.
Every game, network or Discord allows image sharing, and usually video.
Every game or network hosts its own files & updates.

They also let you form groups.
They let you 1-click "Join" your friends games, live & real-time.
They facilitate all-encompassing Voice chat.
They let you buy the games.
See live & real time what other people are playing.


I'm not trying to be rude, but let's be brutally honest. What the hell is the point?


It sucks, but it's the state of things.
It's very hard to offer a compelling reason to sign up to a "gaming forum" in today's market.

 

[Maxxamillion]

answer this question, truthfully:

What experience, functionality or capability does your site offer that users don't already receive, in better & more convenient form, from Discord / Steam / Playstation Network / First-party forums?

Put simpler, what's the point? Why join your site?

You offer a forum, gallery & resources.

Every game, network or Discord has in-house forum equivalents.
Every game, network or Discord allows image sharing, and usually video.
Every game or network hosts its own files & updates.

They also let you form groups.
They let you 1-click "Join" your friends games, live & real-time.
They facilitate all-encompassing Voice chat.
They let you buy the games.
See live & real time what other people are playing.


I'm not trying to be rude, but let's be brutally honest. What the hell is the point?


It sucks, but it's the state of things.
It's very hard to offer a compelling reason to sign up to a "gaming forum" in today's market.

True true that’s why most sites have gone

 

[Joel R]

I agree with haqzore , as brutal his advice may seem.

You really went about your community planning in the wrong order. You need to figure out your strategy, target audience, and competitive advantage first. And then build the community to suit. You don't build a generic community and then expect users to show, and certainly not in today's competitive online environment. There are an estimated 600-700 million public websites; how does yours stand out?

With that said:
1. Your community should already have an established base of 12-15 core users. If you don't have that, then I would suggest you focus on building that core following before you fully launch.
2. I really like the idea of focusing on a new or soon to be published game to get a head start. Zero in on that community of users. Don't try to be a general gaming forum.
3. In that games official forum, try to build a gathering of users. Start a clan, ask for freebies, be a vocal advocate for the game, etc. Be really really good at that particular niche.
4. Build a database of content, such as weapons heroes walkthroughs for the game. Search engines give traffic to the best content and most relevant content sources.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

I have run my gaming forum for over a year now

Your stats:
Threads
421
Messages
3,511
Members
208

That ain't terrible for the short time you've been live. What did you expect for such a highly competitive niche? Just keep plugging away, and take some of the good advice you've been given. Keep your chin up and just keep at it. Rome wasn't built in a day, have some patience and perseverance.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

Plus I just noticed.... You've only made 43 posts total yourself. In a little over a year? I've seen you post here and at XF a lot more than that! You gotta prime the pump buddy, and provide engaging content on your own site.

 

[Return to Sender]

Thank you so much for your feedback and answers guys. I have taken them on board.