More than a blog post, more than a company

The blog posts aren’t simply about the game’s lore or expanding upon the game’s large world. It’s a place for ArenaNet to come and show their mistakes and willingness to learn from it. During the first beta weekend event, Guild Wars 2 suffered from large latency and server issues. While many were able to enjoy the weekend, the fact that the problems were prevalent didn’t go unnoticed. Before the second beta weekend launched ArenaNet wanted to make it clear to players that they were more than ready for the onslaught of gamers. In a blog post they told players that they had doubled their servers and even created a humorous image subtitled “We doubled our servers!!! Guild Wars 2 beta is go!” They want fans to know that they messed up but they’re not going to simply dwell on it. They’re going to correct it and even add a bit of humor to it. “Just laugh it all off and let’s move on,” seems to be the message. 

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Perhaps the most interesting set of blog posts are the ones that discuss mechanics, features, and systems in Guild Wars 2. One of the greatest feature in Guild Wars 2 is Personal Story. In order to tell a story like a single-player game, ArenaNet implemented this feature to show the background of the five races available in the game as well as using it to help players discover their role in the overall narrative of the game. It’s an ambitious idea to say the least. ArenaNet knows it and they want you to know it too. In their article “The Evolution of Narrative in Personal Story” they explain exactly how Persona Stories work and why they’re important. There are three diverging paths in the story and they help so that the game doesn’t feel repetitive when you play the same races over and over again. This means that each play through is interesting and makes it worthwhile. ArenaNet wants to make it clear why they’re approaching narratives in a certain fashion rather than just simply explaining the mechanics of the game. 

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Later on in the article it states that the writing team was trying to make the stories cohesive and how it was difficult to approach it a certain way. The way the blog outlines the tough times and their thought process really takes the reader into the actual development area for this game.To ArenaNet, gamers aren’t just gamers. They’re an audience that deserves to know what is going behind the scenes and how they are taken care of because the team behind the product cares about its product. 

Guild Wars 2 is simply one example where ArenaNet tries to reach out to its fans. Blog posts are only one thing also. By using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media devices, ArenaNet tries to be a real down-to-earth company filled with staff members that truly care for its community. Sites like Guild Wars Guru and Internet faces like TotalBiscuit have caught the company’s eyes and are asked to spread word about the game. To be so open with its community is something rare, and to be even shown kindness at that is even rarer. Like I said, in a time where companies have become much more about money making, it’s nice to know that a company like ArenaNet doesn’t have finances as their sole goal on their agenda. 

In a time where video game companies are so focused on making a profit or ways to money pinch you, it’s hard to find one that actually cares about its fans and communities. Companies such as Capcom find ways to get more money by locking content on discs or sell costumes at absurd prices. Others such as Activision overcharge its customers with expensive map packs. In light of this it’s refreshing to know that not all companies are like this and actually try to communicate with its fans. ArenaNet is one such company. 

Dedication is one of the greatest attribute that ArenaNet possesses, constantly keeping its community updated with what they are doing, what’s happening, and why they do the things they do. It’s all time consuming and for a company that’s always busy making games they shouldn’t invest hours explaining to its customers exactly what they’re up to. For ArenaNet communicating with its fans is all part of the development process. Take Guild Wars 2 for example; ArenaNet takes the time to write up a weekly blog post filled to the brim with content and information about the game. These articles range from lore about the races in the game to art design when creating the game’s world. 

The blog posts aren’t random tidbits of information but stories that really entice you. To ArenaNet, the idea of stories are important and with each blog post they try to portray a mini-narrative that captivate the audience with rich information. Take for example their article titled “The Savage Pride of the Jotun” which is a detailed description of the giant race that inhabit the Shiverpeaks. It’s not just how they live or what they look like. The article divulges in how their society interacts with each other, what their religious beliefs are, and why the developers care so much about the Jotuns. 

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With ArenaNet a blog post is never a simple thing. It’s not a publicity stunt or some sort of random news that they throw out at the last minute. For the company, anything they want to tell its fans has to be of the highest quality. If it’s not then it’s not worth telling. In ways, ArenaNet is a retailer of luxury products. Whereas companies would hand out trailers and a bullet list of what’s new in their product, ArenaNet spends thousands words telling and showing the audience a beautifully crafted game and the reason why it’s so important. The developers want to tell us that they think this information is interesting and important to them and as a result that same emotion is portrayed to us. If the devs care so much and show it then isn’t it a testament to how much they also care about the fans? After all, if they didn’t care then they wouldn’t go the extra mile to prove it.