One Year of SpyParty
Wow, SpyParty has the best beta testers in the world! Not only are they really patient while they’re waiting for invites, then they’re patient while finding good repros for bugs, then more patient while waiting for fixes for all the bugs they find, and they’re patient and super helpful mentoring new players…but they’re also hilarious and fun and creative and just generally great to hang out with!
I’ve been heads down on trying to get the lobby scalable for open beta, so I didn’t even realize today is the one year anniversary of the first batch of invites I sent to strangers! To celebrate this auspicious day, zerotka made this amazing video and posted it on the forums; it’s simply wonderful:
Thank you so much, I ♥ you all! More invites soon!
:’)
Interesting. I really wonder WHY this community is so cool, because I’d expect that communities for skill based games (like SpyParty) are very newb-unfriendly. Is it because of the ‘feel’ of the game (which makes you very unsure about yourself), or because the dev writes friendly stuff on the internet, or the fact that we’re part of a closed beta, or the fact that is 1vs1 (so you can only blame yourself), or something different?
I think it’s a lot of those things, and now it’s a positive feedback loop, since new people see the culture and join in. Hopefully open beta won’t destroy everything! Yikes.
You’re right, about the feedback loop. I’ve been running a forum for a long time, and one thing I’ve noticed is that any community is always becoming more of what it already is. Stupidity drives away intelligent people, and rudeness drives away polite people. And, mercifully, vice-versa. If you can establish a community that’s thoughtful and friendly from the get-go, those traits will self-perpetuate.
The SpyParty community really reminds me of in-person Chess Clubs, where players are polite and respectful even to their rivals. I suspect that this community will always, more or less, have that vibe because it’s a cerebral game that basically requires forming friends to play with one-on-one (again, like chess). If you’ve ever seen Searching for Bobby Fischer then you know the polite kid always wins.
I can’t wait for my invite, although I expect it might take a while since I only recently signed up. I’ve been watching old SpyParty streams while I wait. I find them highly entertaining to watch, especially KCMmmmm’s streams. I feel like I’ve absorbed a lot of subtleties of the game just by watching, and am hoping my knowledge will translate into the gameplay when I can finally play the game.
Super interesting game Chris! I hope the best for its progress, and keep on rocking!
Nope, won’t be long now!
Congrats on getting on the front page man.
@Wessel I think it’s because there are no tutorial modes yet so players have to teach and learn from each other, bonding all of us making it surprisingly friendly overall.
I think it’s more than the lack of tutorials. The core loop of the game is very intimate, and is almost like a debate between two strangers. Over the course of the match you build an understanding of the other person, share knowledge and develop a friendship. Our culture has very few such activities that promote such intimacy and bonding without need to discuss your personal life.
This leads to an almost instinctual reaction to want to talk about a round once it’s over and learn more from the other person.
SpyParty feels kind of important in that sense, a 3 minute game loop arranged such as to implore intelligent, well reasoned discussion between two people on the internet.
<3
Great video Zerotka, very cool! SpyParty rules.
Thanks! I hope work isn’t treating you too terribly. I’ll still be playing whenever you get around to playing again.