We’re always keen to hear your ideas for new Just About communities as we continue to grow the platform. If you'd like to suggest a community for us to launch, please drop your thoughts into our dedicated discussion post.

Although Just About is initially launching in the video game space, we've plans to very quickly expand into other topics and fandoms. Feel free to suggest topics that go beyond gaming.

To help you understand what we look for in a new community, we wanted to share a few of the criteria we consider when it comes to games.

A game doesn’t have to tick every box to be included, but things like creativity, collaboration, and lifespan will always be important when we explore other topics.

#1 Lots to see and do

In very simple terms, the more there is to do in the game, the more there is to discuss and collaborate around.

That helps to ensure a healthy, active membership that lasts far beyond the excitement of the game's launch.

That doesn’t just mean epic, open-world adventures from the biggest publishers, either.

Any game that lights a fire under its community, encourages replayability, and provokes long-term passion is a good candidate for Just About.

#2 Creativity

Some games like Minecraft are creative at their core, while others are associated with a thriving fan art scene.

This sort of creativity provides fantastic opportunities for communities to collaborate in-game, as well as celebrate individual members' achievements and creative efforts.

#3 Collaborative

Games built around teamwork naturally lend themselves well towards a community that wants to work together outside the game.

That might be a competitive title, for example, where players of a similar skill level want to find new teammates to climb up the ranks with.

Alternatively, the game may be non-competitive but provide other ways for players to collaborate, hang out, or complete challenges together.

#4 Live service

Games that receive continual updates in a live-service model can be very good candidates for Just About communities.

They work so well because when new content is released for them, or the game is updated in any other way, it introduces new topics of discussion, new strategies to optimise, new discoveries to make, and fresh opportunities for community collaboration.

#5 Epic franchises

Some games continue to captivate us, even if it’s been years since the developers have released an update.

Skyrim’s a great example of a game that falls under this category. There are endless ways to play it long after release, and the modding scene has kept the fires burning too.

In this sort of scenario we’ll look at how popular the game is right now, and what its future potential is too. Healthy communities need a constant influx of new members, after all.

In this example, it might make more sense to build an Elder Scrolls community. That way we can build a home for existing players who would like to enjoy Just About’s unique features now, while also leaving plenty of room to grow as Elder Scrolls 6 approaches.

#6 Commercial partners

To reward our communities for the contributions they make, it’s vital that we find the right commercial partners to help fund them.

In the simplest case, that might be a games publisher who wants to help nurture a new community.

We’ll also look at the information needs of the game. Titles that are deep and complex naturally invite questions that the community can contribute their collective expertise to.

Creating these articles not only increases the advertising revenue available to each community, but also helps attract new members. This kind of virtuous circle benefits everyone.

Ultimately, we want every community to have the best chance of growing its membership, while maintaining a sustainable source of income. That way it can continue to reward its members long into the future.

Hopefully that’s given you a good overview of what we look for in a community that we think can grow, and that we can help become truly self-sustaining.

If you’ve got a game or topic in mind that ticks at least some of these boxes, we’d love to hear your suggestions over on our Just About community discussion space.