Social Networks as A Tool for Promoting and Interacting with Indie Game Communities

Аннотация

This study analyzes the impact of social PUBLISHED 10 June 2025 VOLUME Vol.07 Issue 06 2025 media on the development, promotion of indie games, and the communication between developers and their CITATION audience. The relevance of the topic is determined by Mikhail Pyslar. (2025). Social Networks as A Tool for Promoting and Interacting with Indie Game Communities. The American Journal of the increasing importance of digital channels and Social Science and Education Innovations, 7(06), 16–21. platforms through which gamers discover new projects https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/Volume07Issue06-03 via YouTube, Twitter (X), Reddit, and other resources. COPYRIGHT © 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms The novelty of the research lies in a comprehensive of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License. analysis of indie studios' strategies based on social media marketing (SMM) tools and community management. The study explores user preferences, motivations for subscribing to studio accounts, and the types of content that generate engagement, such as development updates, contests, and behind-the- scenes materials. The research draws on the works of I.O. Gavrikov, I.O. Guk, I.O. Kovrizhnykh, I.O. Kamankin, P.P. Smirnov, and international scholars (Freeman, Bankov, Chuang) to identify audience engagement patterns across different social networks. The study examines micro- streamers, giveaways, and user-generated content (UGC) within the engagement framework. The objective is to provide recommendations for building a loyal community and increasing brand recognition. The research employs methods of comparative analysis, statistical data synthesis, and content analysis. The conclusion outlines prospects for further studies and justifies the practical value of the findings. This material is of interest to indie developers and marketers seeking effective digital promotion strategies. Keywords: indie games, social media, promotion, The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations 16 https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajssei community, marketing, content, engagement. aspects; Bankov [8] examines the close relationship between gaming communities and social media in terms M31 – Marketing of financial impact and user engagement; Nguyen [9] L86 – Information and Internet Services; Computer presents a social media marketing plan for a specific Software indie game, describing survey results and audience D85 – Network Formation and Analysis preferences; Chuang [10] analyzes engagement factors in online gaming communities, including social identity