Retention, Part Eight: Validation
By Sanya Weathers
Golf is, at its core, a game involving putative adults whacking tiny balls with sticks in between long walks carrying bags of sticks. The dubious exercise benefits from this activity are usually negated by electric carts and caddies. The people who love it will actually pay a premium in order to live near a golf course, if necessary rearranging their finances and their professional lives to do so. But it is a highly respectable game, and while people regularly blow entire weekends doing it, there are no interventions or twelve step groups for the practitioners of golf. No one whines about defining excessive golfing as a psychological disorder.
This is in part because golfing is largely done by rich old people, which automatically makes it acceptable. But it is also because golf has been validated by our culture. People can brag about their golf scores, receive praise for golfing well, and travel to socialize with other golfers – even travel for the express purpose of trying a different level of golf – without having to endure trite comedy about their weight, sexual opportunities, and living quarters.
People who quit playing video games and take up golf are made to feel virtuous and have that choice validated by people who don’t know any better. However, the inverse can be equally true, and this is where we can take action. We can validate the choice to pursue the hobby of gaming and create a community where achievement is recognized.
Some suggestions:
– Moderate any negative references to gaming. The most common scenario on a message board is your hardcore users harassing your more casual customers, and while that’s unacceptable, it’s also unacceptable for your casual customers to refer to the hardcore in negative ways. That negativity affects all of your customers.
– Encourage positive activities where people identify as gamers. Child’s Play is the most famous example, but any time groups of gamers unite to improve the world, it validates the concept of gamer identification. If your players are forming teams for walkathons, for example, support/sponsor them.
– Solicit advice from achievers. Someone who has maxed out his level/visited every zone/done every quest has demonstrated tenacity, loyalty, and attention to detail. These are valuable qualities, and that person has learned something you do not already know about your product. If you ask questions, they have answers – and if you ask the questions, the answers will be specific and clear.
– Celebrate achievement. Host tournaments, sponsor writing contests, post player art. If it’s related to your product and showcases talent, it belongs on your website.