War Robots is unbelievably divided for such a large community that prides itself on being progressive and pro-gaming.
This situation has led to multiple consequences. First, when players need something in the game to be fixed. Second, there is no single voice that represents the community. The forumites have a representative, the clans have a representative, the YouTubers have a representative, etc, etc, but even these luminaries can’t agree among themselves on how to shape the community and as such, can’t present a united front in regards to the game.
Worse, some portions of the community don’t even have a direct contact with Pixonic. Contrast this with games such as Super Mecha Champions and Mech Battle and you’ll see why Pixonic is seen as a company who lives in an ivory tower.
In order to create an ecosystem in which the business interests of the company are balanced with the direction of the game and the needs of the player base, a unified community is needed.
In this article, the site explores the question: Why is the War Robots community unstable and divided?
Who are the players of War Robots?
The community can be divided into four (or five) broad strokes, which represent a clear interest in the game:
1. The Pro-Pixonic side = They will say that Pixonix’s predatory marketing and sales practices allow them to develop the game further and feed their families. They will say that War Robots is an amazing game and that there’s nearly nothing wrong with it. They will say something along the lines of “free to play can’t bitch, they have no right to do so” or “beggars can’t be choosers” or “so, what? If you hate the game, go find another one?”
Overall, you will see them actively defending the company when something is screwed up inside the game.
2. The Anti-Pixonic side = These compose of many players of all levels and ages. While they don’t necessarily want a better game, they’ll make sure that the company gets the heat when something negative happens in the game. As Pixonic is unable to deal with the heat, they are among the reasons why the company has reduced its engagement with the community.They don’t necessarily have the best-structured or best-articulated opinions about the game.
However, you can be sure that they are composed of people who feel that they have been robbed by War Robots and that the company does not care for the community. You can also be sure that many of the top pilots who don’t spend big are in this group.
3. The Thinkers = These players are in the minority. They handle blogs, create discussions and ensure a balanced amount of input and output between the community and the developers – if they even read those materials in the first place.
They represent a cross-section of gamers, intellectuals and other stakeholders who want the game to thrive and who actually have content which is a part of the War Robots canon.
4. The Silent Majority = They just want a game that is properly made and a game which is not laggy and heavy on their phones. These people won’t comment on everything they see, but they make sure to read everything before making an opinion themselves.
In short, they just want a decent game.
This is the part of the pie that Pixonic targets when they do discounts and whatnot – so that this large group of people don’t start leaving the game.
5. The Big Spenders = They do not care about the cost of everything. They will buy it when they see it. However, not all of these big spenders are “Pro-Pixonic” or otherwise; some of them also want sincerely to have proper matchmaking and to fight their equals on the field.
They have their private lives, drama, Discord servers, group chats, priorities and whatnot – all insulated from the general public.
Typically, members and leaders of clans who belong to this group know each other well, online or in real life.
They are a society of their own. Their lives are above and unknown to the average War Robots player.
Why is the War Robots community divided?
You might want to ask why the community is so divided. The problem is that all players have their own interests and that no one is able to harness all those interests and put them in a coherent manner.
One YouTuber’s opinions may be contradicted by another. The people on the forums may think differently from the people on the Facebook communities. Even on Facebook, various factions have contrasting ideas about the game. Difference and diversity is good, but when it comes to matters that are vital to the game, NO ONE CAN’T DO A SOLID STAND.
Take for instance the “boycott” – Everyone said “yes,yes,yes we will follow” but afterwards, everyone and their dog broke their promise. No wonder the normal players can’t find anything in common with the top ones – they can’t even grow their spines!
As such, it has led to disastrous consequences for the direction of the game. We all know already enough of War Robots history to see how Pixonic was able to manipulate this division and discord in the community to be able to get away with controversial changes to the game.
No voice basically means zero say in how things are done.
Everyone knows where the game is right now.
How do we create a better WR community?
Someone should start building up dialogue between the disparate sectors of War Robots. Let there be a council who represents a resigned consensus of at least most of the players in the game, who will be recognized by Pixonic as the official community representatives and who will be savvy enough to create a bullet-point list that will allow Pixonic to see the players’ side whenever an issue comes up.
Of course, it would be best if the council consists 100% of the stakeholders in the WR community with an actual, “consented” consensus or a unanimous voice. But we all know how broad the interests in WR can be, so it’s just not easy.
We must not forget that we should build our community on principles of friendship, camaraderie, sportsmanship and tolerance of other people’s opinions. In this way, we can be truly united and be able to amplify our voices on the issues that matter.
For those who don’t care? It’s okay. There’s no compulsion in not being a part of a greater voice and purpose. Just make sure that you are ready to bear the consequences of your actions.
