Your Ultimate Playbook to Resurrect a Dead Web3 Gaming Community 

Ideas are reproductive. From this, you'll birth even more ideas.

This playbook exposes you to ideas on how to resuscitate a once vibrant web3 gaming community by focusing on intricate touch points such as user persona, strategy, incentive structure and timeline.

If you're new to web3 marketing shenanigans, this piece will bring you out of the bubble. It's not something you should rush through, so remember to save it.

Assumption

A Web3 gaming company with a random name – Gipix desperately needs help growing their community before their upcoming node sale. At the moment, it appears the project is dead, with zero activity in the game’s metaverse.

Let’s fix it by focusing on the following:

• User persona
• Engagement techniques
• Platform utilisation
• Incentive structure
• Marketing and branding
• KPIs
• Timeline

Gipix is an AI powered multiplayer combat on-chain game that allows players to customize their own worlds.

1. User Persona

Core characteristics

• Avid gamer with interest in multiplayer combat games
• Aged 16-55
• Creative gamer with a knack for great storytelling
• Tech savvy - plays PC, console and web games
• Virtually active
• Economically minded with interest in virtual economies, asset ownership and trading.
• Community oriented hence values collaboration in completing in-game tasks.
• Interested in quality games either on-chain or off chain.

Roles

• Gamer - enrol in tasks like conquering dungeons, playing custom games on Gipix finding loots and building new worlds
• Trader - buying and selling in-game assets
• Creator/streamer - create awareness about Gipix’s lore through streaming platforms, or posts on X
• Speculator/investor - early adopter interested in the overall growth of Gipix

Interests

• Exciting gameplay and creativity
• Customizable and upgradable weapons
• Technology trends like AI
• Digital sovereignty
• Large virtual economy
• Interoperability of in-game assets
• Community

Attraction

Following the initial assumption of low activity in the community, that means the Discord server is dead.

Here's how to attract active participants:

• Review the game login process by collecting email addresses and enabling sign-ups via Discord.
• Assign a special role – “Master🏅” to those who complete this authentication. Those already in the server before this update will also receive the role upon verification.
• Announce in the server and on X that a sanitisation process will take place: Anyone without the special role will be removed.
• As a grace measure, members who were active within the last 30 days regardless of their current role will be temporarily exempt and given a final opportunity to gain access by verifying within 7 days.
• Create a social media sharable badge to be displayed by everyone who now has the “Master 🏅” role on Discord to build exclusivity.

Next…

1. Start with a narrative: "Your World, Your Rules," showing how the ecosystem will be governed by players and driven by their creativity. {Show don’t tell}.

• Create five gameplay teasers to be rolled out over two weeks, with the narrative shared across X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
  • Team members should have unique GIFs to use as responses, amplifying the effect.

2. The founder should be the face of the brand, actively participating in gaming conversations and highlighting key challenges in the Web3 gaming space, such as the lack of exciting gameplay and interoperability, which Gipix is addressing with proofs alongside the narrative.

3. Work with top creators/streamers.

4. Revamp website to carry the campaign theme and incentivise with points those who submit their emails

5. Create an exclusive discord release for 30 minutes.

• Those who make it into the Discord join others with the “Master 🏅” role.

6. Because Gipix is AI-powered, organize a campaign where community members on Discord can create their own GIFs from the game  in line with the narrative.

• Top 3 most engaged posts will be given in-game rewards like exclusive loots and items.
• Aside from in-game rewards, this campaign should focus on identifying creative talent to spot potential game creators. The goal is to elevate one of the top participants to the role of an internal KOL and then offer in-game rewards with stipends.
• This activity should be announced on X to build more FOMO.

7. While the momentum is on, release access to Discord for a much longer time - say 30-45 minutes. These set of community members will claim the “Explorer 🥇” role.

8. Organize a contest for players to find loots and create a leaderboard to showcase the top players. This should be reviewed frequently, with in-game rewards given to the top three players. Players who climb top 20 on the leaderboard are entitled to refer one person for the month.

PS: The idea behind this approach is to bring in only individuals who are genuinely interested in the game. It is expected that gamers will refer others with similar interests.

8. Organize bi-weekly in-house streaming sessions.

9. Put out a rare item with unique features for quests.
   • Winner earns exclusive NFT item

10. Post dev updates regularly on X as well as Discord.

Retention

• Active founder’s funnel strategy
• In-game points and rare assets giveaway for players based on time dedicated and completing quests.
• Snippet post of activities with players on Gipix's metaverse to build more FOMO.
• Reward creators with the best content.
• Leaderboard, ranks and incentives.
• Bi-weekly in-house streaming sessions hosted by rotating active community members and giving others an opportunity to level up
• Creative campaigns and content that stem from Gipix’s gaming ecosystem.
• AMAs

2. Engagement Techniques

• FOMO and exclusivity: This marketing technique is designed to make community members and players feel valued, not just for the sake of hype, but also to reflect the game’s quality. Players will earn exclusive rewards and a social ‘badge of honour’ for gaining access.

• Exclusive benefits for node holders
  • DAO governance
  • Access to limited items
  • Priority access into new worlds, dungeons and features on Gipix (beta testing)
  • Access to advanced in-game tools
  • Access to Gipix’s exclusive events.

• Exclusive badges
  • First 100 members on Discord are given the Master 🏅 tag, with early access benefits for all new features.
  • Upgradable badges based on time spent on gameplay.

• Leaderboard and points: Top 3 players who top the leaderboard will be rewarded with in-game points and sometimes rare tradable assets in the ecosystem.

• Community Engagement: Monthly hangout sessions will be co-hosted by Gipix’s team and the community member of the month.

• Regular contests rewarding players who use Gipix’s AI infrastructure to create the best lores - this will be judged based on activity.

• GIFs: Just like Pudgy Penguins, Gipix fans will have exclusive GIFs for communication on social media like X to build a “We are everywhere” notion.

3. Platform Utilization

1. Twitter (X): Official brand account for all marketing efforts, including Twitter Spaces, livestreams and announcements.
2. Discord: Exclusive access for gamers and early community members.
3. Instagram: Development updates and other visually captivating updates.
4. TikTok: Development updates. Rationale - 50*% of daily users on TikTok watched gaming-related content in 2022, amounting to over 3 trillion views. 82% of gamers on TikTok play games weekly.* Source - Tiktok
5. Telegram: A smaller community hub for fan discussions outside Twitter.
6. Emails : To share exclusive updates

4. Incentive Structure

• Email signups : Earn 3 points and exclusive information when you submit your email.

• Accomplishments: Players earn 5 points for creating new worlds, finding loot, and earning weekly badges. These points will translate into eligibility for airdrop campaign, node sale or rare item giveaway.

• Milestone Rewards: A player completing 10 dungeons or designing 3 worlds within one week will unlock 1 rare in-game assets.

• Streak and Rolling Rewards: Players earn 1 point for daily login, with access to locked areas granted after 30 consecutive days of logging in. Rewards increase as players maintain their consistency.

• Referrals & Leaderboard : Players who climb top 20 on the leaderboard are entitled to refer just one person for the month and request a new game feature (governance).

  • Cumulative reward for consistent streaks on leaderboard e.g bigger land space.
  • Longest position on leaderboard after 3 months gets unique Gipix NFT with exclusive perks.
  • Player who invites a friend earns 10 points once the referee achieves a 10-day streak immediately after being referred.

• Unpredictability

  • Random seasonal or surprise rewards like Easter : say find Easter eggs (rewards are not fixed)

• Hangouts : Earn 5 points as a community member for moderating Gipix's virtual hangouts.

• Group quests: Consistent top players will have access to exclusive in-game items.

• Social: Earn a sharable badge for socials when you find loot and lead top 3 on Gipix’s overall monthly leaderboard.

5. Marketing and Branding

Pre launch - Awareness and hype

1. Founder’s funnel

• Build the founder’s brand as a strong voice of authority in the gaming space by actively joining gaming conversations on X spaces while also tweeting consistently about how Gipix will change the narrative.
• Podcast interviews.

2. Teasers and GIFs

• Create 5 teaser videos to be shared in 2 weeks along the theme - “Your World,Your Rules”

• Announce Discord authentication

• “Master 🏅” badge holders and team members share exclusive GIFs and shareable assets on X

3. Provide a pitch deck to secure and announce partnerships with gaming creators and communities for endorsements.
4. PR rounds.

Launch Phase

• Announce website launch and provide points to incentivise those who submit their emails and authenticate with Discord.
• Announce a discord release for 30 minutes and then lock access after.
  • Those who make it will be granted the “Master 🏅” badge  on Discord and shareable assets on socials.
• Create quests and a leaderboard to track best game players.
• Ensure the leaderboard is sharable to build more social traction.
• Run a twitter space to discuss the project's roadmap and hint on another discord release.
• Run community hangout on Discord and share on X
• Second Discord release for a longer period of time with the “Explorer” badge and shareable asset.
• Begin referral program for top game players on the leaderboard.
• Play to airdrop campaign
• Node sale

Post launch

• Consistently host hangouts on Discord and X
• Roll out more quests to encourage retention alongside incentivising top players on the leaderboard
• Provide more content through dev updates, education and project roadmap
• Drive competition through the leaderboard by giving surprise rewards.
• Put out a rare item for sale to drive more FOMO
• Ensure invite is strictly shared by top 3 players on the leaderboard each month with 1 exclusive invite each
• Build more partnerships and carry out co-marketing efforts
• Community ambassador program: Active gamers over 2-3 months will be enrolled for this program with in-game rewards and stipends to moderate hangout events.

Thoughts behind marketing strategy

As explained earlier, this marketing strategy is built around FOMO and exclusivity by limiting access and prioritizing active gamers within the community. This approach not only enhances the project but also supports the community ambassadorship program and the unique referral strategy.

KOLs and partners will have exclusive access and 3 priority access invites into Gipix

Feedback loops

• Rewards for bug report
• “Master 🏅” badge holders , active gamers on the leaderboard and node holders vote on proposed game features.
• Regular discord polls
• Collect anonymous feedback using Mentimeter.
• Gauge social listening to understand sentiments on the project and marketing techniques.
• Host AMA with Gipix’s devs to discuss roadmap and new ideas.

6. Success Metrics

After node sale, the following KPIs should be met or exceeded.

• Achieve 10,000 DAU
• Reach 50,000 Discord members in the first 3 months.
• Generate 500+ player-created dungeons and worlds within six months.
• Retain 70% of players after the first six months to 1 year.

Important KPIs

• Number of nodes sold
• Email signups
• Daily active user rate
• Monthly active user rate
• Gameplay activity milestones like loots recovered, dungeons created
• Community feedback
• Activity on polls
• Number of in-game items traded
• Attendance on regular hangouts
• Social listening
• Backlinks

Vanity metrics

• Discord followers
• Twitter followers
• Telegram followers
• Website traffic
• Blog post mentions

7. Timeline