That said, I feel like if it's going to get be a game that's worth continuing to play in the short- to mid-term, I'm going to have to act with a little more focus now and put some of my playing time into the communities.
Now, unfortunately, the early returns on my investment into communities are not encouraging. Still, if the game is going to more that just earning eaves to run missions, it's the interest communities that offer the best chance of networking with like-minded players with whom there'll be higher likelihood of some mutual benefit within, and outside, the game. That communities were the recipient of a recent redesign indicates to me the EA team is moving down the right path to grow the game.
I've been a member of Atheists United for a while, and am as guilty as any of neglecting the community in recent months; so, I'm making a concerted effort to get some activity going in there. If I find it's too moribund to be revived, I'll flip the switch* to turn on my own community focusing on secularism & game play, and administer it in a way that rewards engagement. That untapped potential I mentioned above, it's here, where the game rewards engagement. The communities only have to be built well enough to not frustrate users who are trying to converse in order to unlock that potential. At this point, with the relatively low level of engagement in the communities I'm in, it's hard to tell how they'll handle high traffic. We'll see, I hope.
I'm also joining some other communities and engaging a bit in those. The EAv Gangstas are active and I've had a few visitors here from there -- thanks, folks! The Doctor Who community I joined looks like it's been quiet for a few months, so going to make an effort similar to what I'm doing on the AU page to stir it up and draw players back. Hmm. Make that two Doctor Who communities I've joined.
* The switch is flipped. My Active Secularists community is live.
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