Engagement/Developer Engagement/Games Plan
This plan supports the product plans defined by the Program Management, Engineering, Community Engagement and Product Marketing plans. It defines how the Developer Engagement team can engage Web developers in Mozilla initiatives. It’s not to get contributors for Mozilla Games but to get web developers using and engaged with the project.
Summary of Mozilla Games
As it stands, Mozilla Games is a combination of many different teams, projects and interests that span both the Corportation and the Foundation. The shared vision is one that would see the Web become a viable and thriving platform for the development and enjoyment of games created with open technologies.
Aside from encouraging games created with open technologies, there is also a desire to see the creation of games that encompass the hackable, customisable nature of the Web. This will help encourage a community of game makers who might not normally see themselves as developers.
On a platform level, the technologies involved in games are tightly connected to those that are required for our other initiatives; like Firefox, Boot to Gecko, and Web Apps. A focus on games is important because they are universally popular and allow us to improve, demonstrate and show off our products to a large number of developers in a very engaging way.
More information can be found on the Mozilla wiki:
Target audience
There are multiple target audiences for Mozilla Games.
Web developers and those on board with HTML5
This includes both website creators as well as game developers already using JavaScript and related technologies.
- Found within the existing JavaScript and HTML5 communities
- Strong presence in all the major continents
Non-Web game developers and those unfamiliar with HTML5
This includes developers who wouldn’t normally consider themselves as Web developers. For example, game developers from desktop and mobile backgrounds who are used to programming environments like C++ or Objective C. Flash and Unity game developers would also fall into this category.
- Found outside of the existing JavaScript and HTML5 community
- Flash community
- Unity community
- Desktop and mobile community
- Strong game developer presence in North America, Canada, Europe and Japan
Deliverables
- Launch a Mozilla Games landing page that acts as a funnel to everything game-related within Mozilla
- Proactive press releases to both tech and game outlets relating to our new APIs and projects, with separate releases for:
- Consumers of games and how these technologies will provide better, faster, customisable, cross-platform games for them to play
- Developers of games and how these technologies will help them reach out to more people and make more money
- Multiple series of documentation on MDN and posts on Hacks that cover the various aspects of game development, with a focus on open technologies
- Documentation on MDN and posts on Hacks that help normal front-end developers learn how to create games using the same programming languages they use to create websites
- Regular “State of Gaming” updates posted to Hacks and the W3C Game Community Group that outline the current status and future progression of open Web game-related efforts within Mozilla
- More blog posts on Hacks from project developers that explain, educate, and answer questions about our efforts related to open Web games (Gladius, Gamepad API, Pointer Lock API, Emscripten, etc)
- More game-related demos (like BrowserQuest) showcasing both the technologies that we’re working on as well as the ones that we already support (Full Screen API, Gamepad API, BrowserID, etc) Targeted attendance and participation in game-related events
- Prioritising events with an audience not already aware of the idea of game development with open Web technologies
- However, still including “safe” events where the audience are already receptive and using them to educate, demonstrate and to drum up discussion within the community
- Sending the relevant developers to events as well as or rather than going as Developer Engagement
- Hack days and tutorials in Mozilla spaces and community events that foster our message on games
- A new Game On competition that is tightly aligned with the Mozilla Festival in London (November 2012)
- Regular interviews with game developers to share their experience and advice for building games on the Web
- Video interviews with speakers and attendees from game-related events with Mozilla attendance
- Live-blogging and/or social media output from game-related events with Mozilla attendance
- Regular tweets for game-related events and product announcements
- Maintain an active presence in game-related IRC channels
- #bbg on Freenode
- #games on irc.mozilla.org
Developer messages
- JavaScript is a viable technology for performant games
- Games created for the Web can and should embrace the limitations and nature of the Web
- Games that can be played across devices but that might not necessarily be the same experience on each device (eg. on the desktop you get a full-3D FPS, while on the mobile you get a 2D overview and command of the battlefield)
- Hackable, customisable and extendable games that utilise the shareability of content on the Web
Ways the community can get involved in Mozilla Games
- Bugs to tackle
- Other ways to help
- Writing about game development on Hacks and MDN
- Extending BrowserQuest
Speaking opportunities
Ways to get others speaking/teaching for us
- Event in a box (hardware, materials, promotion)
- Gamepads
- Mobile devices (B2G, Android mobile and tablet)
- Identify, encourage and support regional speakers for your product, either staff or contributors
- Evangelism Reps Program
Speaking/presentation materials
- Past presentations archive
- Slide toolkits for re-use by reps
Resources & Communication - where does devengage get the newest information without having to be in each meeting
- Are We Fun Yet?
- Overall product plan/roadmap
- Weekly calls/check-ins with product owner/contact
- Mailing lists, forums, GitHub repos
Event sponsorship
- Active involvement in non-HTML5/JavaScript events
Goals
- Number of developers by which date
- Metrics, e.g. number of apps submitted, number of sites using Persona, number of SDK-based add-ons
Timespan
- Ongoing
Individuals responsible
- Rob Hawkes is the DevEngage contact for games
- Martin Best is the platform and Engineering contact for games