Author: 1mpal
Compiled by: TechFlow
As a blogger active in the Web2 and Web3 gaming communities, I’ve noticed that many gaming projects face challenges in creating effective guides. In particular, there is often confusion around deciding which guides to create and how to prioritize user onboarding.
Guides posted on platforms like Notion or Gitbook often go unnoticed and fail to provide substantive help. I was responsible for the Korean blog guides for The Sandbox and also wrote some guide books when running a Korean game guild, but this approach is not very efficient. Here are my three suggestions for individuals and projects when creating guides:
1. Make good use of introductory keywords
Basic training on VPN usage should be the first step when going through the Web2 portal or YouTube promotion guide. For those who are not familiar with P2E (Play to Earn) games, I think the following aspects need to be highlighted:
Use of VPN
How to join the exchange
Deposit Operation
Withdrawal and cash-out methods
Interestingly, I found that I didn’t have to go too deep into monetization methods. I would prioritize making guides on VPN usage, especially in regions where P2E gaming is illegal. It can be challenging to introduce concepts like MetaMask or CEX/DEX to someone completely unfamiliar with blockchain, especially now that many social accounts have integrated wallet functionality (e.g., IMX Passport, Face Wallet).
While it is beneficial to prepare separate guides for depositing and withdrawing funds on exchanges, I personally find written guides easier to read and more trustworthy than videos. However, it is also a risky challenge for content creators or gaming bloggers.
2. Use the video guide
Video guides are far superior to written guides in terms of immersion. The main reason we seek out guides is usually not to learn how to play a game from scratch, but because we get frustrated when we hit a roadblock.
Many projects create guides on "How to buy a character" or "Understanding the in-game UI", but these aren't particularly helpful - people who can't operate the UI probably won't continue playing. The audience you want to attract are people who want to know "I want to complete this quest, how do I do it?"
Visual content transcends language barriers. Project teams don’t have to create in-game guides themselves. Instead, work with a small group of creators to create videos that focus on specific tasks or keywords, and reward and publicly praise them. Projects like Pixels and Spellborne are great examples of effective use of small creators, guides, and incentives. (I’ve also benefited from guide videos from Mavia and Pirate Nation.)
3. Engage players and communities
I like the game but I'm not an avid player so I don't always have the right answer in the game. Don't underestimate that some players may know the game better than the organizers of the project. There were a few times when I thought the right strategy didn't work.
The community itself is the best guide. When a new player comes to your community with a question, what does it mean? Are they just picking and choosing and not wanting to learn? Of course not. This person is likely to become a big fan of your project, and the process of having community members answer questions is more convincing than any written guide.
Some project stakeholders may not know as much about the game as the average player. So don’t be afraid to ask your own questions. If you’re unsure about something, ask the community, and make sure to recognize or reward those who provide helpful answers. The core message is: “If you don’t know something, ask the community!”
The threshold for using a VPN is higher than the threshold for depositing and withdrawing funds.
Think about what you want to know and write it down.
Let the community provide the answers, and reward those who do. Of course, these are just suggestions, and the implementation depends on your project. I believe that projects would benefit greatly from encouraging the creation of guides, especially video guides. A series of guides from different YouTubers can attract new users more effectively than a single influencer's commentary.
I find @spellbornegame's guide system particularly novel because they have a full-blown website and the community (jokingly) puts all of their development resources into guides. They use a Discord bot to create a separate channel for questions, and differentiate between creation points and airdrop points to encourage small creators to actively produce guide content.
Additionally, if you plan on creating tutorial videos or content for your project, you could have a participant or team member who knows very little about the game start playing from level 1 with no help. If there are keywords or quests that would be curious or confusing to an inexperienced player, that's exactly what you need to create a tutorial for.
