Harnessing the Internet

The internet can be a dark, dark place. Behind a laptop screen users can pose as whoever they please, and act however they choose. Underneath the appearance of organization the websites and networks we build, the internet is in a state on anarchy. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. Sure, a mistake can spread like wildfire, but so can the praises of your company. Though they may not be an independent studio, Valve is an exemplary example of how a video game developer can hardness the internet to bolster their reputation.



Valve does two things better than the others, and that is listen and interact. Through out the development of Left 4 Dead 2, Valve faced a boycott from a handful of consumers who thought that the sequel should be released as free downloadable content. When photos of the founders of the boycott visiting Valve headquarters hit the internet, it was followed quickly by another story.

Traitors

A screen shot appeared of an email conversation between Gabe Newell of Valve and the head of a mod being developed for Left 4 Dead Joe W-A of Brisbane Australia. Joe is apparently a friend of Newell’s, but he asked why he wasn’t invited to visit Valve headquarters as well. Newell responded with “We are boycotting your campaign”. This caused the gaming press to explode with headlines like “Gabe Newell Boycotting L4D Modder’s Campaign”.

When Joe W-A asked if that meant he could fly Newell to Australia, in a reversal to what Newell did for the L4D2 boycotters, Newell responded “Me and Erik.” Stories spread about how Joe W-A was taking donations to fly Newell and Erik to Australia. He called Newell’s bluff, and soon had $3,000AUS in his support; enough to fly Newell and Erik to Australia.



What made for such great news on the behalf of Valve was the constant chatter on forums and in comments about the boycott by Valve, the donations, and if Newell would really visit. It appears he really will, and another round on news is spreading, keeping Valve in the spotlight. No one expected the co-founder of a developer as big as Valve to go through with it, but with the internet watching him, Newell knew it was an opportunity for some fantastic press.

Recently, a fan developed a fake “class update” for Valve’s Team Fortress 2. Conversation quickly whipped up about the update, and if it was really going to be included in the game.

Real or Fake? Valve wants to keep wondering.

Valve found it so entertaining that they included it on the game’s blog as a fake update to the game. They fed into the controversy, and more debates popped up throughout the TF2 fan base.

Valve is really harnessing the daily conversations that their consumers are having on a daily basis, and using them to their advantage. Not only are they using them, but they are doing so very publically, showing their fans that they really are listening to them.