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Welcome to the WGMI Gaming Newsletter,

where blockchain meets play, and every move counts!

Quests

1. How to Network and Make High-Value Connections in Web3

2. Quick Bytes & Alpha Of The Week

3. Vallarok: Fulfilling the Core Desires of Gamers with Category-Defining Genre

HIGHLIGHT STORY

How to Network and Make High-Value Connections in Web3

Why even network?

Since starting my content creator path in May 2023, I’ve DMed around 150 people, from which I got 70 replies. From these 70 replies, I onboarded 20+ that have a combined following of 500k+ to Vallarok’s Realm One community. Some of those people became close friends. We regularly discuss our progress, entrepreneurship, alpha, tokens, economics, etc.

In the past, you would need to either be born into the right family or go to the right college to be able to join a network of influential people. Nowadays, and especially in Web3, you only need your Twitter account and a Twitter Blue Subscription for $8 per month.

A common question I see people asking on Twitter is how to network in Web3. And it’s a very good question. The right network of people can open doors to opportunities that have never been reachable for you before. It can give you access to information that you usually wouldn’t receive. It can connect you with the right people to raise funds for your business, find the right employees for your project, or the right idea to solve a problem.

Let’s dive into it:

Be interesting

This one is tough, especially if you’re just getting started with your journey on Twitter. It can be hard to appear interesting, but there are a few things you could do to raise your chances. First of all, you need a clean Twitter profile:

1. A nice, approachable PFP

2. A readable, unique, and simple name + handle

3. A concise bio, keep it short here, and do not tag too many accounts (distraction)

If you don’t know what to put in your bio, it’s the first problem you should solve. Ask yourself some questions: Why are you here? What did you do well in the past? What are you obsessed with? People resonate with people who have obsessions. Is it a project you’re working on? Make sure to mention it. Why are you working on it? Include that as well. Shortly answering all of this will make you look interesting. The last thing you could do is copy other people's bios, this makes you less interesting.

Pro Tip: One thing I’m always paying attention to is the following-to-follower ratio. If it’s someone with 5k followers and 200 followers, I can’t take you seriously. And that applies to a lot of other people. There is also no need to follow that many people. You should narrow down your followings to the people you admire - the rest can be just looked up via a quick search.

Be a Reply Guy

Okay, this is drifting a bit into the growth tactics that everyone tells you in Web3, but hear me out. Replying to people, not only with a simple 🔥 or “LFG”, but with a sense-making, thought-provoking, and insightful comment MAKES YOU INTERESTING.

When I read an interesting comment, I reply to it and instantly click on that person's profile. When I like the profile, I follow it. When you do a good job with the tips from #1, you will greatly increase your chances of getting a follow.

Getting followers is a prerequisite to networking. I will go into details about this in the next sections, but just keep it in mind for now that you want to get followers. I mean, otherwise, you wouldn’t be on social media, everyone likes followers. Replying to people's posts is still the best way to get there.

Share value content

Okay, this is a taste-based tip, but in my opinion, it is the only way the right people take you seriously. Shitposting is cool, and it can work in the short term, but the good shitposters who might be influential nowadays shared a lot of value in between. If you’re on Twitter to only shitpost, you will not get far in terms of building a valuable network. You might build a network of shitposters, but will this open the doors for you to real opportunities? I don't believe so.

That being said, the only way to provide value to people is to show them something they didn’t know before. That can be tweets and threads that include early projects, lists of projects, airdrops, crypto news in general, tips and tricks on how to make money, etc. Many things would fit into this.

Just think of the content that makes you scroll and read, content that makes you think for a second, and content that teaches you something new. This is a good direction to investigate further. In the next step, start writing similar things. Write one post per day. This will set you on the right path and will eventually make you more interesting.

Start DMing people

So this is the point where the actual networking starts. The steps before are essential to make this step as successful as possible. Mastering 1-3 will lead to higher reply rates, trust me, this is like a universal law. We want to surround ourselves with interesting people, so you will also get replies when you appear interesting.

Before we dive in, let me warn you that you will get no replies sometimes, and it's normal. I DMed so many people, and 50% of them never replied in the beginning. It's normal. Just keep going.

Some considerations before you hit send:

1. DM people who follow you: This increases your reply rate by 80%. The reason is simple: If people don’t follow you, you will land in the “spam” folder, which is the message request. Many people don’t read this folder because it’s full of scammers and nonsense.
   
   Only a minority of accounts read it, in most cases, those accounts are service providers who live from cold DMs. Instead, focus on the people who follow you. Follow them back and then write to them.
   

2. DM people with a similar following: This one is rough as it’s human behavior. On social media, your personality gets reduced to the number of followers you have. It’s normal, just deal with it. DMing people with 200k followers with a 1k followers account will most probably not work. In rare cases, you will get a reply, but my advice is just don’t do it. Instead, focus on people in your follower range.
   

   Let’s say you have 200 followers, only DM people with up to 5k. If you have 1k or more, you can go up to 20k. The more followers you have, the higher your chances of getting replies. Those numbers should give you an idea and are not set in stone.

PRO TIP #1: DM people who just recently interacted with either your reply or your tweet. People who follow you and have interacted with any of your tweets are perfectly primed for receiving a DM. This is where your chances are extremely high. They know you already, they are familiar with your PFP and name, and your DM in their inbox will stand out immediately. In addition to all of that, when they just engaged recently, it means they could be online right now.

PRO TIP #2: DM people while they’re active on Spaces. This works even better because people on Spaces are usually not just listening but also scrolling through their feeds at the same time. When they’re active and they see you in the same Twitter Space, they're most likely to reply to you. This works for listeners but also for speakers. Do not DM the hosts as they’re busy managing the Space, this won’t work.

Write meaningful messages

Now that we've talked about all of that, let’s cover the last part: What to say when you want to DM someone. There are a few rules you should respect when writing. Keep in mind that it’s an intimate thing, you’re writing 1 to 1 with someone, so you’re taking away time for that person to do other things in their life. Just be mindful of that.

That being said, here are a few quick tips to take into account:

1. Be extremely short: Never write a novel as your first message. No one will read that and it will get turned away. Your first sentence should fit a maximum of 2 lines but prefer a one-liner if possible.
   

2. Never, never ask for something: Your first message should NEVER ask for a favor. It means the person needs to invest in you without even knowing if it’s worth it. Even if someone is just taking 20 seconds of their time to read something you’ve sent, they’re investing in you.
   

3. Give more than you take: Other than that, you should know it's common sense in Web3 and business that you should give before you take. Gary Vee is a great example of that as he says you should apply to Give > Give > Give > Give > Take. You should always give more than you ask for. If you don’t like this, then networking is nothing for you. You should go and lock yourself into a shelter and forget humanity.
   

4. Start with a compliment: If you don’t have anything great to give at the start, one simple way to start is with one compliment. Just tell someone why you find them interesting. Remember to keep it short. Don’t write a letter to someone. The person might think you're a stalker.
   
   Write one thoughtful compliment about why you find the person interesting. That’s it, that’s your starter. And if you pay attention, a compliment is something you give. Everyone likes to be complimented, no one would say no to a compliment. So just do it. But do it in an honest way. If people see that you just want something from them, they will get turned away pretty fast.
   

5. Wait for a reply: Do not, I repeat, do not send a follow-up before the person replies. You don’t want to appear too needy at this point. One message is enough to lure a reply. Sending too many messages will turn people away.
   
   You can of course send one message with "Hi [name]", then a second one "I stumbled over your tweet and liked the way you wrote it" - that works. But then wait for a reply.
   

6. Do not send follow-ups: If people don’t reply to you it’s because they’re too busy to do so. I know some people who don’t use the DM feature from Twitter at all. You will never get a reply from them, no matter what you do.
   
   In case you don’t get a reply, just don’t follow up. In most cases, it’s not worth it, and this is not email marketing where you would usually send a sequence of emails until the customer buys.

   
   If you need the person to reply and it’s extremely important to you, do the following:
   

7. Ask to check DMs: This is an exception to the previous point and should only be done if it’s urgent. Otherwise, you look needy. The only way this can work is when the person liked or replied to one of your replies.
   
   In that case, they see you and you have their attention. When they reply to a tweet of yours, simply ask them "Please check DM :)" That's it. In most cases, you will get your reply. If not, forget about it.
   

8. Keep working on it: Keep DMing and providing value to the person. After some time, you will be able to ask for a favor. If it’s something easy and you think they might like it right away, then you might as well do it in your second or third message.
   
   But if it’s something they need to invest time into, you will need to build rapport first. It’s impossible for me at this point to give actionable advice as it’s really up to your goals. Just keep in mind, that the higher their investment might be, the higher you need to invest in the relationship.

Get on a call

Getting on a call with someone makes your relationship even more intimate. Many people in Web3 are open to that, but keep in mind it’s not something for everyone and not everyone likes calls.

I find it extremely valuable to get to know someone deeper. You learn much more in a short amount of time from someone when on a call vs. DMing with that person. It also shows you how people are in real life. That is why it’s so intimate to speak to someone.

Some people even share their video on a call which opens the possibility for an even deeper connection. My tip in terms of video is when people are on a call already and their camera is turned on you should do the same.

No matter if you’re doxed or not, it’s just respectful in that case. If people are not with their cam turned on you should do the same. Besides that just talk about the things that interest you both and make a deeper connection.

Conclusion

In summary, my journey since May 2023 as a content creator & builder has taught me the invaluable skill of networking in Web3. By reaching out to so many individuals, I've built a robust community with influential people and made lasting friendships.

The modern era of networking, accessible via platforms like Twitter, demands an engaging profile, thoughtful interaction, valuable content sharing, and strategic direct messaging.

These approaches, grounded in authenticity and a spirit of giving more than taking, have opened doors to opportunities and connections once thought unattainable, showcasing the transformative power of social media in building influential networks.

QUICK BYTES

• AI Arena raises $6 million for their AI game

• Immutable shares well-funded 200 games building on IMX

• Huner Solaire on why AI x Web3 Gaming is a big narrative

• Mocaverse token MOCA might be coming

• Star Atlas play test goes live on January 17 at 12 PM ET

• Play Ember is a casual game dev and pretty hyped

• Storm Warfare launches a free mint with 1000 supply

• Raiden with 3 Play to Airdrop events, it is the next meta

• Kinetic on 3 projects to watch this week

• Pixelmon announcing their token $MON

BUILDING IN PUBLIC

Vallarok: Fulfilling the Core Desires of Gamers with Category-Defining Genre

Since diving into the creation of Vallarok, our team of seven has been relentlessly pushing the boundaries of Web3 gaming. Our goal? To craft a game that not only stands out in the crowded space of blockchain gaming but also resonates with the core desires of gamers.

Crafting the Fusion RPG Prototype

We've recently hit a major milestone in developing our prototype. It's not just about coding and designing; it's about breathing life into our vision of a game that combines the best of Action, Adventure, RPG, Strategy, and Survival Simulation. These are the genres we love, and we're determined to fill a gap we've long noticed in Web3 gaming. Altogether we call it the Fusion RPG genre.

Bringing Vallarok's Heroes to Life

Our main characters, Thorvald Stormbringer and Svana, the witch, are now fully integrated into the game's environment. But it's not just about characters; we're crafting a world that's rich, dynamic, and constantly evolving. Our team's current focus is on fine-tuning the combat mechanics and developing challenging, intriguing enemy creatures. This is where the adrenaline rush of action meets the strategic depth of RPGs.

Building Vallarok's Immersive World

Simultaneously, we're expanding our game's environment. This isn't just about bigger maps or more levels; it's about creating a world that's immersive and believable. A place where players can lose themselves, exploring, battling, and strategizing.

Crafting Vallarok's Game Trailer

What's really exciting is our work on a new trailer. We're not settling for just any trailer; we're talking about something epic that showcases our stunning environment and gripping gameplay. This trailer is more than a sneak peek; it's a statement of what Vallarok is all about.

More Than a Game, A Passion Project

In conclusion, Vallarok is more than just a game; it's a passion project fueled by our love for gaming and a desire to innovate in the Web3 space. With every line of code and every design choice, we're moving closer to bringing you a gaming experience that's intense, engaging, and unforgettable. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this thrilling journey.

LINKS

Thank you for reading.

Until next week,

Aiem.

PS: I would greatly appreciate it if you send this newsletter to a friend: WGMI.GG