Introduction
I know some debate is swirling around whether you should reply to a negative review or not. Although no one answer is necessarily right or wrong here, in my years of customer relations, game development, marketing, and PR, I’ve come to believe that you can realize certain benefits if you respond the right way. Whatever your role in game development is, perhaps this blog may offer a deeper insight into the nature of responding to negative reviews.
Before becoming a full-time game developer and finding my passion for video games marketing and PR, I was a professional painter and decorator in the UK for over 10 years. I had a reputable business that was known for quality and high-end customer service. Over the years, I met some wonderful customers and of course some not-so-pleasant ones. I learned a lot about people management and overall customer relations. One of the lessons I learned was that in life, no matter how amazing the service or product you provide is, you simply can’t please everyone.
With that said, the most important thing I learned from customers is that we can’t control what they say or feel, but we can control how we react. A big advantage I had back then when dealing with customers was that our interactions were all in person, meaning I could physically see the customers’ faces and hear their tones, so I could gauge how upset, angry, happy, or frustrated they were. I’d get a deeper understanding of how I should react to such emotion(s). Now, however, I deal with customers online, and it's a vastly different world out there in Cyberland. In this blog, I hope my experience, combined with my current profession, can give you a deeper insight into how to best respond to Steam reviews.
Contents
1. Customers and developers are people
2. How do you respond to a negative review?
3. Why should I respond to a negative review?
4. What are the benefits of responding to a negative review?
5. What are the disadvantages of responding to a negative review?
6. How many negative reviews should I respond to?
7. Who sees my response?
8. Reviews serve customers
9. Tips
10. Conclusion
1. Customers and developers are people
The biggest advantage we have when responding online rather than in person is that we have more time to plan our response. However, what makes responding to online criticism difficult is that you can’t see the person’s face or hear their tone, which can tempt you to forget that behind the keyboard is an actual person. A lot of emotions are in play that could be taken out of context. For example, let’s say a customer writes a negative review that's constructive about your game. Very possibly, this customer may have brought up some valid criticism that would be helpful for other Steam customers and your game. However, because you can’t hear their tone and see their expression, you take what they say personally and inappropriately respond in the heat of the moment. I find reminding myself that customers are people helps me construct my response on a more personable level. After all, we’re all human! This being said, I would like to note that developers are also people, and the above go hand in hand. Developers have actual feelings, too. And just because they are the customer, doesn’t mean they should throw a tantrum and shout absurd profanities at you. It’s not cool. By all means, they should let you know about bugs and their overall experience about why they didn’t like your product, but do so politely. If you should face toxic and abusive reviews, my advice is to report them to Valve, or ignore them. They don’t deserve your time. This blog is primarily about focussing your energy towards negative reviews that are constructive, so that you and your game might benefit from them.
2. How do you respond to a negative review?
Customers will perceive your game in different ways. Remember, you’ve spent countless hours learning your game’s every mechanic and know it from top to bottom, but for someone playing it for the first time, it’s a brand new experience. They’re likely to find new bugs and have ideas about certain features that you may have never considered. Take a step back and try to look at their feedback objectively (the valuable ones). Believe me; I know some reviews are extremely harsh, unhelpful, and off-topic. I get it.
Still, it’s very important not to get into a heated argument with a customer. Remember, the customer isn’t the only one reading your response. Be kind, and most of all, don’t be passive-aggressive. It doesn’t look good and doesn’t help anyone. Finally, make sure you’re calm and clearheaded. If you can’t reply without being overly defensive or rude, it’s best not to reply at all. Remember, stay away from the clearly toxic reviews. With that said, here are some made-up examples of negative reviews similar to those you may sometimes come across and how I choose to respond to them:
Customer Example 1 (Likes the game, leaves some constructive feedback)
Customer Example 2 (Doesn’t like the game, leaves very little info why)
Customer Example 3 (Aggressive and unhelpful)
Customer Example 1
“The game is too hard. I couldn’t even get past the second level, mainly because the tutorial doesn’t explain that you can double jump and power slam at the same time! I wasted so much time trying to figure this out. The giant slayers don’t even take critical damage from my sword. It would also be neat if your character had some sort of dash move to help avoid some attacks. One big thing that bugs me is the way weapons just swing, but that could just be me. Also, the movement needs to be more responsive; it's quite sluggish. Oh, and if you’re a swordsman, you can’t block with your sword; you have to be a completely different class. Let all classes have a blocking move. Overall, the game is fun but could do with a few tweaks."
Response:
Hi Customer Example 1,
Thank you for purchasing the game and taking the time to write a review.
"The tutorial doesn’t explain that you can double jump and power slam at the same time!"
I’ve just checked the tutorial and you’re right. It doesn’t mention the double-jump power-slam. I’m really sorry we missed that. We’ll do our best to implement it in the next update.
"The giant slayers don’t even take critical damage from my sword."
So, any sword deals critical damage to every enemy type. You just have to make sure you hit their weak spot, which is highlighted after your first attack.
"It would be neat if your character had some sort of dash move to help avoid some attacks."
I love this idea! The team and I have actually discussed it in the past and hope to add something similar in the future.
