Difference between revisions of "Forming a Gaming Community"
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| − | [[Image:SGA logo.gif| | + | [[Image:SGA logo.gif|right|Seattle Gamers Assemble!]] |
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| + | __TOC__ | ||
''Seattle Gamers Assemble! (SGA) is a loose community of role-players centered around Seattle, Washington. After several years of operations, we thought it might be nice to share what we've learned about setting up a gaming community.'' | ''Seattle Gamers Assemble! (SGA) is a loose community of role-players centered around Seattle, Washington. After several years of operations, we thought it might be nice to share what we've learned about setting up a gaming community.'' | ||
=WHAT IS A GAMING COMMUNITY?= | =WHAT IS A GAMING COMMUNITY?= | ||
| + | |||
| + | In this article, we mean by "community" a '''group of people''' that adopts a certain '''structure or organization''' to support certain '''activities'''. Since we're talking about gaming, these are obviously people interested in gaming activities; at SGA, we focus on role-playing games but most of this advice is directly applicable for other types of games. | ||
| + | |||
==People== | ==People== | ||
| − | + | * Different skills and interests | |
| + | * Newcomers and people without a regular game looking to form small gaming groups | ||
| + | * People looking for drop-in games or players | ||
| + | * People who like to try different games | ||
| + | * Game designers looking for playtesters or actual play | ||
==Structure== | ==Structure== | ||
| − | + | * Online group | |
| + | * Gaming circle | ||
| + | * Game club | ||
| + | * Meetup group | ||
==Activities== | ==Activities== | ||
| − | + | * Weekly games | |
| + | * Meetups | ||
| + | * Bring-and-battle | ||
| + | * Tournaments | ||
| + | * Mini-conventions/Game Day | ||
| + | * Full-scale conventions | ||
| + | * Social events | ||
=LINKING UP= | =LINKING UP= | ||
==Online Presence== | ==Online Presence== | ||
| + | * Mailing list | ||
| + | * Meetup group | ||
| + | * Yahoo! group | ||
| + | * Gaming blog | ||
| + | * Wiki | ||
| + | ==Networking== | ||
| + | Who else is out there that shares your hobby? Although our main focus at SGA and in this article is role-playing games, most of us are interested in many other related activities: | ||
| − | + | * Board games | |
| + | * Miniatures games | ||
| + | * Wargames | ||
| + | * Live-action role-play (LARP) | ||
| + | * Console or online gaming | ||
| + | * Comic books | ||
| + | * Science-fiction and fantasy | ||
| + | * Creative writing | ||
| + | * Game design | ||
| + | |||
| + | So your contacts in the local community might include: | ||
| + | * Gaming clubs and associations | ||
| + | * Gaming stores | ||
| + | * Comic book stores | ||
| + | * Book stores | ||
| + | * LAN gaming oufits | ||
| + | * Writing groups and workshops | ||
| + | * Movie clubs | ||
| + | * Local game publishers | ||
| + | * High schools, colleges and universities | ||
=PROMOTING= | =PROMOTING= | ||
==Creating Buzz== | ==Creating Buzz== | ||
| + | * People | ||
| + | * Events | ||
| + | * Locations | ||
==Promotional Materials== | ==Promotional Materials== | ||
| − | + | * Posters | |
| + | * Handbills | ||
| + | * Ads | ||
=RESOURCES= | =RESOURCES= | ||
| + | * [http://www.gamecircle.org/ Game Circles]: Bringing gamers together | ||
| + | * [http://uk.games-workshop.com/gamingclubs/ Games Workshop's gaming club resources] | ||
| + | * [http://www.hoboes.com/html/RPG/Meetings.html Negative Space's Role-Playing Meeting Grounds] | ||
| + | * [[Wikipedia:Game club]] (article stub) | ||
(To be continued.) | (To be continued.) | ||
Revision as of 10:35, 3 January 2007
Contents
Seattle Gamers Assemble! (SGA) is a loose community of role-players centered around Seattle, Washington. After several years of operations, we thought it might be nice to share what we've learned about setting up a gaming community.
WHAT IS A GAMING COMMUNITY?
In this article, we mean by "community" a group of people that adopts a certain structure or organization to support certain activities. Since we're talking about gaming, these are obviously people interested in gaming activities; at SGA, we focus on role-playing games but most of this advice is directly applicable for other types of games.
People
- Different skills and interests
- Newcomers and people without a regular game looking to form small gaming groups
- People looking for drop-in games or players
- People who like to try different games
- Game designers looking for playtesters or actual play
Structure
- Online group
- Gaming circle
- Game club
- Meetup group
Activities
- Weekly games
- Meetups
- Bring-and-battle
- Tournaments
- Mini-conventions/Game Day
- Full-scale conventions
- Social events
LINKING UP
Online Presence
- Mailing list
- Meetup group
- Yahoo! group
- Gaming blog
- Wiki
Networking
Who else is out there that shares your hobby? Although our main focus at SGA and in this article is role-playing games, most of us are interested in many other related activities:
- Board games
- Miniatures games
- Wargames
- Live-action role-play (LARP)
- Console or online gaming
- Comic books
- Science-fiction and fantasy
- Creative writing
- Game design
So your contacts in the local community might include:
- Gaming clubs and associations
- Gaming stores
- Comic book stores
- Book stores
- LAN gaming oufits
- Writing groups and workshops
- Movie clubs
- Local game publishers
- High schools, colleges and universities
PROMOTING
Creating Buzz
- People
- Events
- Locations
Promotional Materials
- Posters
- Handbills
- Ads
RESOURCES
- Game Circles: Bringing gamers together
- Games Workshop's gaming club resources
- Negative Space's Role-Playing Meeting Grounds
- Wikipedia:Game club (article stub)
(To be continued.)
Return to Seattle Gamers Assemble!
