The Affect of video games in PR

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The field of video games is no exception; public relations, or PR, is a crucial component of every enterprise. The video game industry has experienced remarkable shifts in PR throughout the years. PR is important in gaining an audience to stick with your company. It wasn’t important back then but it is now so organizations have gotten creative which has intrigued individuals to join the gaming community, 

Nonetheless, the value of PR increased along with the industry's expansion and evolution. Thanks to social media and the internet it is now easier for companies to interact with their audience as well as have the ability to grow that same fandom. The horror game classic, Five Nights at Freddy’s, has to be the best example to show the growth of PR in the gaming industry.

Five Nights at Freddy’s was created by Scott Cawthon, the release date was August 8, 2014. Who knew that this was the beginning of something astounding. August It soon gained popularity because of its original idea and fun gameplay. But it was the PR approach that truly made Five Nights at Freddy's stand out. The team's creative use of social media and community involvement is responsible for its popularity as well as the fact that it is a really detailed and creative game series that has been leaving people stuck on its lore for years. 

I loved that Cawthon made it a point to engage with the game’s audience on social media. From sites like Reddit all the way to Youtube, Scott was always a message away from interacting with his community. He published teasers, and updates and gave fans somewhat of creative control as well due to the fact that he was willing to take in their suggestions of how the games may be improved or a direction they can take on that can be different yet intriguing. 
The game created positive commotion which caused fans to gain interest in creating theories for the game. Scott Cawthon encouraged these theories by putting in-game Easter eggs and hints. He even created a website with fan theories and speculations as its focus which intrigued more viewers.

Five Nights at Freddy's developed into a cultural phenomenon thanks to its innovative PR campaign, merch, the overload of sequels, and even a film being placed in the works.  It serves as proof of the influence of strong PR in the video game business and the transformative potential of community interaction.

Thus, public relations has significantly gotten better and that just proves that with time comes success because we learn from past mistakes made by bad PR tactics. Again,  Five Nights at Freddy's is a great example of how social media and community involvement can be utilized to develop a devoted following. I’m excited to see what new PR tactics are waiting to be made and shared in the future. I’m also excited to see what games will be created next and will gain a loving fandom.

Biography: Emylie Avelar is currently a student enrolled at California State University, Northridge, and majoring in Public Relations. Her passions include creative writing and streaming on the platform Twitch, for which she has gained a following of 4.3k, playing games from all over, and sharing her bold opinions and interesting stories with her viewers. Her plans for the future include entering the gaming industry whilst using her degree to merge with her other passions.