Read articles by Camilla Silva, the senior marketing executive, on live streaming, community chat, engagement, and product strategy. Explore practical guides and expert insights on the Watchers Blog

Camilla Maria Silva

What are the most popular community engagement platforms, and what can you use as  the best alternative for them.

We reviewed the 10 best community engagement platforms for 2025 and show how Watchers lets you build your community inside your product without external apps.



10 Best Community Engagement Platforms in 2025 — Compare Top Tools

Community engagement, as a process of connection and collaboration, is crucial for any brand. It helps keep members supported and involved, and contributes to achieving common goals. Let’s dive deeper into  strategies, and how they should be applied.

Community engagement explained: definition, types, methods and real examples. Learn why it matters, best practices, and how brands build owned in-app communities.

What Is Community Engagement? Definition, Types & Real Examples

Explore 10 of the best multiplayer games with in-game chat, from Roblox to Rust. Learn how voice, text, and proximity chat shape player experiences.

Talking, Teaming, and Thriving: How In-Game Chats Affect Players’ Experience

<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/You-Never-Game-Alone-Chats-and-Live-Streaming-to-Make-Gaming-Brighter">In-game community chats have become</a> the lifeblood of multiplayer titles. Beyond the action itself, players bond, joke, strategise, and sometimes clash through the chat windows or voice channels embedded directly in the gameplay. While moderation and design vary, these systems shape how communities grow. Below, we explore ten popular titles where the chat isn’t just a feature; it’s a vital part of the experience.Recently, Nintendo Switch announced and released in-game chat, allowing players to communicate during gameplay with voice or video. The news is stunning: Mario games are becoming even better than they used to be. There is a new chat creation feature, along with a list of chats available. So players can now literally be together on the road. Players can share screens and delete backgrounds from their videos, as in meetings. Let’s explore other game solutions that enable gamers to express emotions directly within the game.<h2 id="roblox">1. Roblox</h2>Roblox has a mix of text chat and console-style voice chat, depending on the game within the platform. Also, players can convert voice into text, which helps them stay on track. Players use the chat feature to coordinate in mini-games, roleplay, or just hang out. However, moderation <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gZ_DsIs4xaM">remains</a> a hot topic: many users note flaws in the system, where inappropriate language sometimes slips through. Despite this, Roblox’s in-game chat is still central to its identity, particularly for younger players experimenting with social play.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1947/978;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/d7094266-b24a-455b-a16b-693cb7a10768.png" alt="The best games with in-game proximity text chat - Roblox" width="1947" height="978"></figure><h2 id="сall-of-duty">2. Call of Duty (Modern Warfare III, Modern Warfare II, and Warzone)</h2>COD’s in-game chat is voice-first, with text channels supplementing lobbies. Recently, Activision integrated AI moderation (ToxMod) to combat harassment and hate speech. Some players welcome the reduction in toxicity, while others <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k9RLIV0B9J8">complain</a> that the filter also discourages free banter (you can find many discussions of this on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/COD/comments/1h6z0h9/down_with_ai_moderation/">Reddit</a>). Still, the immediacy of COD’s voice comms, whether for “smack talk” or tactical updates, remains a hallmark of its multiplayer atmosphere.<h2 id="dota-2">3. Dota 2</h2>Valve’s Dota 2 features team voice chat, party chat, and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flLahwS4kS4">famous “chat wheel,”</a> which is a radial menu of quick, often sarcastic, preset lines. This design lets players communicate instantly without typing, which is critical during fast matches. The community is divided: some adore the humour, others bemoan the saltiness. Still, the chat wheel has become a cultural touchstone in e-sports broadcasts.<h2 id="league-of-legends">4. League of Legends</h2>Like Dota, League of Legends offers team text chat and pings. Voice chat is limited to premade parties, which reduces random toxicity but also <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jWojvzeXyM&amp;t=5s">frustrates</a> players who want whole team comms. The typed chat system, meanwhile, is infamous: memes about “mid or feed” trace back to LoL lobbies. Riot has invested heavily in moderation tools, but the chat remains both loved and loathed.<h2 id="apex-legends">5. Apex Legends</h2>Apex stands out for its ping system, a smart contextual tool allowing players to “chat” non-verbally with markers. Players can press a button on PlayStation, RB on Xbox, or PC to place a contextual ping or send an "enemy here" ping. The game also includes squad voice chat, which fans say enhances immersion during firefights. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/12/apex-legends-review">Reviewers</a> and players note the community is more cooperative than in other shooters, largely thanks to Respawn’s clever blend of silent and spoken communication.<h2 id="minecraft">6. Minecraft&nbsp;</h2>The world of little Minecrafters offers a text-based in-game chat system that serves both communication and commands. Players can use the chat box to type messages and run commands. In Bedrock Edition, users enjoy more customisation within the chat screen itself, such as changing font, text colour, and size, as well as options for opacity and delay settings. Of course, Minecraft supports quite<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/360058605852-Understanding-Minecraft-Social-Features-for-Child-Safety-Online"> strict moderation</a>. Still, because of the extremely young audience, the constant <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cybersafetyguy.com/p/minecraft-a-parents-guide-7189228ba96c">argument</a> about the safety of the Minecraft community tools continues.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/843;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/cfadc216-3632-4e9a-a7ea-c0a39b076543.jpeg" width="1500" height="843"></figure><h2 id="sea-of-thieves">7. Sea of Thieves</h2>In Rare’s pirate sandbox, proximity voice chat is as important as the sword or cannon. Crew members coordinate their sailing, but nearby strangers can also be heard, leading to hilarious, tense, or chaotic encounters on the high seas. Many players say these unpredictable voice interactions are the game’s “secret sauce,” creating emergent stories that no script could match. Sea of Thieves &lt;a target=" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gamesradar.com/sea-of-thieves-is-pulling-voice-and-text-chat-between-crews-from-arena-due-to-toxicity/"&gt;faced problems with toxicity, and instead of shutting the chat, aimed to make the “criticism of other ships” constructive and polite. Now chat, voice-to-text, and Pirate Chat wheel are available in the game.<h2 id="rust">8. Rust</h2>Another survival title, Rust, relies heavily <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pcgamer.com/rust-review/">on proximity and party chat</a>. Players can shout warnings, negotiate trades or roleplay, though betrayal is always a risk. Reviews often <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/blog/rust-early-access-review-a-game-i-love-to-hate/#:~:text=But%20at%20its%20best%2C%20Rust,is%20an%20exercise%20in%20masochism.">highlight</a> how a simple “hello” over the voice can spark alliances… or ambushes. Rust’s chat is unfiltered and raw, which many see as part of its charm, but many players’ reviews highlight its connection with high-level toxicity and a potentially frustrating experience.“Everyone’s already playing with their friends, communicating with each other exclusively on party chat. I’ve only ONCE met a couple of friendly people via proximity/game chat. 99.99% of the time, this game just feels like Call of Duty with the addition of base-building elements. I like talking to randoms.” — <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thexboxhub.com/rust-console-edition-review/#:~:text=The%20animation%20on%20the%20characters,department%20can%20take%20a%20bow">TheBoxHub.</a><h2 id="fortnite">9. Fortnite</h2>Fortnite recently <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://gamerant.com/fortnite-text-chat/">introduced</a> a redesigned chat feature, which now includes three channels: game (all players), party (chatting with squad members), and direct messaging. Also, they improved the filtering system to provide stronger protection of personal data. Fortnite <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350314539_Fortnite_and_New_Kids'_Sociabilities">boasts</a> the largest community, and its internal social features are poised to take it to the next level.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1920/1080;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/bbda4eb7-9480-4b10-bf1c-4eadb0b2c9e7.jpg" alt="The best games with in-game chat feature - Fortnite" width="1920" height="1080"></figure><h2 id="warframe">10. Warframe</h2>Digital Extremes’ Warframe has a reputation for being one of the friendliest online communities. Its chat channels (region, clan, squad, trade, and private whispers) are well-moderated, with staff and players alike encouraging a welcoming tone. For newcomers, chatting in-game often leads to veterans gifting resources or tips. The chat feels less like a battleground, more like a lounge.“[The in-game chat] is a place you can go and say ‘I really have no idea what I’m doing’ or ‘does anyone have advice for this build?’ Warframe is a complex cooperative hard sci-fi world. For us that channel has been a necessity.” — <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/feb/28/in-a-toxic-online-world-warframe-is-a-refuge-for-my-son-and-millions-of-others#:~:text=But%20with%20Warframe%2C%20the%20experience,who%20regularly%20play%20with%20him">Guardian</a>.***From Roblox’s creative chaos to strictly moderated Warframe, in-game chat defines how we experience multiplayer worlds. While moderation, toxicity, and design all affect the mood, the chat window or mic button remains the digital campfire around which communities gather. Whether you’re shouting across the seas in Sea of Thieves or dropping a cheeky “Well Played!” in Dota 2, these interactions are what transform games into living worlds.<p style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.38;margin:0pt 0px;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">***<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">get in touch with us</a><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.***<h2>Sources</h2><ul><li>In a toxic online world, Warframe is a refuge for my son – and millions of others | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/feb/28/in-a-toxic-online-world-warframe-is-a-refuge-for-my-son-and-millions-of-others#:~:text=But%20with%20Warframe%2C%20the%20experience,who%20regularly%20play%20with%20him">Guardian</a></li><li>Rust Console Edition Review | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thexboxhub.com/rust-console-edition-review/#:~:text=The%20animation%20on%20the%20characters,department%20can%20take%20a%20bow">TheBoxHub</a></li><li>Rust Reviews | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pcgamer.com/rust-review/">PC Gamer</a></li><li>Early Access Review - A game I love to hate | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/blog/rust-early-access-review-a-game-i-love-to-hate/#:~:text=But%20at%20its%20best%2C%20Rust,is%20an%20exercise%20in%20masochism.">CyberPower PC</a></li><li>Sea of Thieves is pulling voice and text chat between crews from Arena | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gamesradar.com/sea-of-thieves-is-pulling-voice-and-text-chat-between-crews-from-arena-due-to-toxicity/">GamesRadar+</a></li><li>Apex Legend Reviews |<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/12/apex-legends-review"> IGN</a></li><li>You Never Game Alone: Live Chats and In-app Live-Streaming to Make Gaming Brighter | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://watchers.io/post/You-Never-Game-Alone-Chats-and-Live-Streaming-to-Make-Gaming-Brighter">Watchers Blog</a></li><li>Fortnite and New Kids Sociabilities | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350314539_Fortnite_and_New_Kids'_Sociabilities">European Journal of Social Sciences</a></li><li>Fortnite is finally adding the chat feature &nbsp;| <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://gamerant.com/fortnite-text-chat/">GameRant</a></li></ul>&nbsp;

Collecting user insights is vital for providing a personalised user experience. Gathering information directly from your target audience will help improve the user journey and content strategy.

Learn how to collect first-party data with the right tools and why it matters.

How & Why Is Collecting Users' Insights Crucial for Your Business

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">Continuous development, driven by customer feedback, is a crucial component of any successful business strategy. But when it comes to identifying these insights, where do you turn? The easy answer is providing cusdev interviews, constant focus groups, or just voluntary surveys or interactions, but there is a tricky point.Firstly, people participating in such research can be, on the one hand, not sincere enough — trying to be polite or not to look critical; on the other hand, they try to be helpful and notice all potential problems and mistakes, while at the same time losing their real user impression. They can help to find some platform’s inconveniences, but being in an artificial situation, they can skip what is really important. Also, participants of any focus group or custdev present just a tiny part of your audience. But where to get insights from real users in satisfactory amounts?Continuous improvement based on user feedback is key to a strong business strategy. But when it comes to understanding user needs, where should you look?<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2410/1378;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/6a57aca0-b2be-49b1-b5cd-6960f8d1311d.webp" width="2410" height="1378"></figure>Obvious solutions include customer development interviews, focus groups, or voluntary surveys. Yet, these methods come with challenges. Participants might not be entirely candid, may overanalyse, or simply represent too small a portion of your audience. While these can uncover usability issues, they often miss the subtle behaviours that matter most. So, where do you get scalable, authentic insights from your actual users?One of today’s strongest approaches involves deriving real-time insights directly through your platform interactions. As digital marketing moves toward deeper audience understanding and AI-powered analysis, accessing meaningful audience signals is more critical than ever. But how do you translate engagement into strategic insight? And what tools make it easier?Focusing on users’ direct insights is one of the current digital marketing trends you can’t ignore, especially as the world heightens its focus on AI and datafication. However, many companies struggle to understand how to collect and utilise this information effectively. For example, why would you pick user insights over third-party data when the latter often comes cheaper? And what tools can you add to your platform to gather such primary insights?<h2 id="go-through-numbers">Going Through the Numbers</h2>Brands can obtain data from various sources. The most accurate information is acquired directly and consensually from the customer through surveys, questionnaires, reviews, social media engagement, and website interactions.Then you have second-party insights, which is very similar, except you’re using another company’s trusted first-party data. You interact with the company directly to obtain this information.Third-party data is different still. This is information typically purchased through an external data aggregator that has no direct contact with the customers. Third-party cookies, tracking details like browser history and time spent online, were once common in search engines, although companies like Apple and Google are already beginning to phase them out.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><a href="#go-through-numbers"><img style="aspect-ratio:1080/1080;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/c5d17a88-0299-418d-b5bc-b1f46e8cb28e.png" width="1080" height="1080"></a></figure>And lastly, zero-party data is a relatively new data type that is almost identical to first-party. This involves information voluntarily and explicitly given by the customer, such as purchase intentions and communication preferences.<h2 id="why-direct-user-insights-matter">Why Direct User Insights Matter</h2>Data benefits your business by providing reliable information collected directly from your target audience. That’s invaluable in a world where <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2024/04/14/the-personalized-customer-experience-customers-want-you-to-know-them/">81% of consumers prefer </a>a tailored experience. Brands must adapt their digital marketing strategies to offer more personalisation for their customers. From budgetary figures alone, we can see this trend taking shape. In 2023, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://admin.comviva.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Global-Survey-Report-The-Business-Value-of-Real-Time-Personalization-1.pdf">around 22% of a digital marketing budget</a> was allocated to personalisation. In 2024, that figure jumped to 40%. This highlights the significant importance of personalisation for both consumers and marketers.Direct users’ insights give you a deeper understanding of customer preferences and habits. You can identify which channels they prefer to interact with and learn about their browsing and purchasing behaviour in real time, what exact content they like and why. These insights then allow you to refine your marketing and content strategy to include personalised outreach and targeted ad campaigns, creating a more tailored approach and correcting the roadmap. And a more personalised approach brings additional benefits, such as brand loyalty and user engagement.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367128795_The_Impact_of_Personalization_on_Customer_Loyalty_and_Retention">In his recent publication,</a> “The Impact of Personalization on Customer Loyalty and Retention,” Shezan Ahmed notes that “customers are more likely to make additional purchases and remain loyal to a business that personalizes their experiences.” Meanwhile, user engagement through first-party data is another benefit of increased personalisation. Customers are more likely to engage with your platform when you know exactly what they wish.By contrast, third-party data offers limited scope for personalisation. It does not come directly from your target audience, which means it provides little insight into the genuine wants and needs of your customers. This is why gathering first-party data is crucial.<h2 id="making-the-most-from-first-party-data">Making the Most of User Insights</h2>All sorts of companies can benefit from gathering first-party data. For example, sports apps, due to such insights, establish and sustain a likeable brand reputation — an important metric for clubs looking to cater to a diverse customer network.Another example? Fitness apps that use live streaming feeds for at-home personal training (like Peloton) can adjust staff schedules to accommodate busier times, thanks to insights on when users like to train and what kind of instructor they prefer.It’s evident that all of this is vital for companies in the entertainment industry. However, obtaining user insights can be difficult without adequate channels for user engagement.Collecting user insights helps companies identify the following user metrics: · Engagement levels · Busiest traffic times · Preferred communication channels · Most popular film and TV genres · Favourite sports to watch and bet on · Overall opinionsEntertainment businesses can then use these metrics to refine their offerings and enhance user engagement through the use of first-party data.<blockquote>User engagement is crucial for sports betting companies like Sky Bet and Paddy Power, where competition is fierce. If a sports betting app learns that its customers prefer to bet on tennis but have little interest in badminton, the site can then look to increase its coverage of tennis games (if it offers live streaming features) or broaden its betting markets for the most popular tournaments (like Wimbledon and the US Open). This data-driven marketing will likely increase customer retention and brand loyalty.</blockquote><h2 id="five-ways-to-collect-user-insights">How to Collect User Insights in Five Ways</h2>Implement a range of user insights collection strategies to gather a broad and varied scope of information from your customers.<h3>Use AI for Insights Collection and Tagging</h3>AI tools are on the rise. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work">More than 92%</a> of businesses are looking to increase their AI spending over the next three years. Fortunately, AI and analytics combine well. You can use AI tools to gather vast troves of data, including customer purchase history and frequency of communication, at once. Automated algorithms track these metrics and record each time a customer interacts with your brand. They then collate this first-party data to build a profile of every customer, allowing you to personalise the experience for each user.<blockquote>Tools like Bardeen use natural language to implement workflows that can scrape and enrich data in bulk. Other apps, such as Databricks, facilitate data analysis by learning your analysis habits and preferences.</blockquote>But you’ll need somewhere to store the masses of data you collect from AI tools. That’s where data lakes come in. An alternative to the rigid structures of data warehouses, data lakes are more fluid and flexible. They can house large amounts of data and allow analysts to compare and extract insights more easily.<h3>Send Out Surveys &amp; Questionnaires</h3>Of course, there are other manual methods of collecting first-party data. Surveys and questionnaires are classic examples of obtaining primary data right from the source. You can learn lots from your customers if they complete the form, helping you identify what aspects of your site are under and what are overperforming. Incentivise your users to complete the survey by offering a reward, such as a discount or a free in-app item.<h3>Integrate community in-app chats</h3>Chat rooms provide a unique setting for data collection. They allow app users to engage with your brand directly, offering unfiltered views on your services and voluntarily divulging preferences. Plus, the time stamps from each message tell you the busiest communication times.<h3>Add Comment Sections</h3>Similar to live chat rooms, companies can retrieve valuable information from comment sections. For example, a broadcaster could learn when users are most active via the number of comments over a given period. This would then allow them to show targeted ads at the most advantageous times.<h3>Second Screens</h3>Use the stunning experience of La Liga and use second screens to offer a space where users can engage with others without leaving your platform. Instead of losing valuable data to messaging sites like X and WhatsApp, you can gain insights into customer behaviour by recording the interactions on your integrated second screen.<hr> You’ve learned how to collect first-party data and why this process is crucial for your business. This is not one of those digital marketing trends that will fade quickly. Start implementing it in your customer success strategies now.<hr>Please fill out the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08">Get in Touch form</a> if you'd like to integrate community chats and other tools for gathering user insights into your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</div>

Discover why gaming is better with a community. Explore features like in-app live streaming and real-time communication to improve engagement and keep customers coming back

Learn how to enhance engagement on your site through innovative features like in-app live streaming, chat widgets, and real-time communication. Integrate these tools into your platform to build a gaming community hub full of happy customers.

You Never Game Alone: Live Chats and In-app Live-Streaming to Make Gaming Brighter

How to use interactive consumption content pattern to boost the platform usage?

Boost content engagement with integrated community chats and interactive tools. Audiences of all ages now seek interaction through mobile devices, gaming, and second-screen strategies. Increase retention with live chats and gamification features.

​​​​Who enjoys the interaction while consuming content? Spoiler: Not just Gen Z

Who enjoys the interaction while consuming content? Who finds classical TV broadcasting a bit outdated and struggling for interaction while watching news, shows, and sports, applying to their smartphones and other mobile devices? Who adores interacting with a gamer before gaming themselves? The popular answer to this question is Gen Z, but this answer looks a bit outdated.&nbsp;When Gen Zers became a goal of entertaining companies, patterns with high levels of engagement and interactions appeared. However, patterns quickly spread around users and viewers of different ages and generations. As discussed during the ‘The Future of Content Viewing’ talk at the IBC summit this year in Amsterdam, talking about YouTube users as only young people is a mistake. That’s just a cliche; if you use it, you just avoid statistics and big data provided quite widely.Yet, if the cause differs, conclusions stay the same and even become more critical. Suppose such a pattern is widespread and applied by various people. In that case, services and brands must meet these needs through communication strategies and product development.Let’s look at various cases of such content viewing to realise how platforms can use this new habit for the greater good of both the business and the users.<h3>Boost games with social interaction</h3>There are different ways for games: from video games to iGaming, from single-player games to group and public ones. All of them can be enhanced with a high level of interaction while gaming, if we are talking about group games, and observing other players’ games, or between games, considering single-player games. This player can comment on their actions with audio or video, while other users comment on a chat with text, stickers, emojis, and gifs. Twitch, it seems like a video stream with commenting actions is a more customary and convenient approach, but we can argue that audio is much simpler. Streamers don’t need to prepare much for the technical part or, for example, their appearance; if the game is simple, they can play and comment from any place they locate in a moment. Also, their audio won’t distract users from the game when the video stream is too complete, content itself and sometimes can be very distracting from the main content we want users to pay attention to. At the same time, they can like, share, comment and respond to the streamer and the game process; this is engaging and sticky: users share their emotions here and are more likely to come back to your platform/app as they used to come back to Twitch and YouTube.&nbsp;How to do itYou can add audio or video streams with a chat to your platform with any type of game. Your gamers will provide streams to their gaming process, which will accumulate more users. Particular gamers can gather communities with the habit of consuming gaming content on your platform.<h3>Enhance watching of sports with dynamic interactivity and after-messengers habit</h3>Mobile-first and mobile-only audiences are growing, at the same time, the same audience watches programmes on TV because of traditions, habits, collective watching, and coverage. For example, some significant sports games and popular reality shows are broadcasted exclusively on TV. Such viewers lack attention to the TV screen and consume mobile content while watching TV. So, the goal for such an audience is to ‘keep their attention to the main content. It can be achieved with several tools. The first and primary is a second-screen approach: if viewers want to use their mobile phones while watching TV, you can provide them with this opportunity with a link to the main content. They can chat and discuss what’s going on in the main content; in this case, the second screen will be used as a community-building tool. Also, the second-screen approach helps to provide additional content for viewers, such as polls, quizzes, trivia, and bots that enhance the watching experience and focus the viewers’ attention on the content even when they would love to be distracted by their phones.How to do itThere are simple and more complicated ways. The easiest one is to connect a big screen to a mobile phone by scanning a QR code. So, users can scan QR on a TV screen and get into the chat as a specific mobile page or into your main app with additional features, polls, and tools for communications. The next level is to connect these devices in both directions: when users get into mobile by scanning something on the big screen, then they can send something to this screen: it can be some moderated messages, stickers, or emojis, which will be shown as a feed, or poll results.<h3>Grow retention with specific tournaments and rewards</h3>When users play on your platform, watch something, or use your app in any other ways but regularly, spending much time there, they wish to be noticed, and they wish to be entertained. Such a desire is also connected with gaming as it is: people get used to getting rewards even for the activities they like. Because of that, you can use gamification mechanics for users by assigning them different badges and achievements. But what does it mean if they can not show off with their rewards? It returns us to the talk about the community. Even achievements work better and give more joy to their owners if other users can see them and comment. Also, users value specific and exclusive things like special stickers, emojis, or new opportunities, with the usage of tools unavailable to most other community members. Users become sticky to the service if they get something there—you don’t want to throw away something you achieve.How to do itYou can add an opportunity for users to communicate in community chat, show their achievements there, and reward them with specific stickers. When you award users with badges, it is necessary to show the others how to get such a badge and stimulate them to take the target actions.*There are many opportunities to give users tools and ways to communicate how they got used to doing so. Variants depend on the type of content on your platform and the results you want to achieve. However, you should remember that retention is a crucial metric for almost all platforms, and successfully integrated community-building solutions grow it in any case.***<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">Connect with us</a>&nbsp;if you plan to integrate or develop in-app social tools for real-time communication. We will help you find the most suitable solution.

FIFA Pro and Matrix Threat provided the last report on how they protected female athletes from online abuse during the Women’s World Cup. This report showed many significant conclusions and one big gap.

AI moderation tools work differently for integrated chat solutions and traditional social media. Which experience is more successful? 

The ways AI tools protect social media users and sports fans… If they really do that

<h2>Sports organisations' approaches to protecting athletes with or without participation of social media platforms</h2>Two years ago, FIFA and FIFA Pro presented the AI tool to protect players on social media after the European final between the UK and Italian national teams, which was full of&nbsp;abuse issues. This&nbsp;tool works as an integrated solution that athletes or clubs can turn on and link to&nbsp;their accounts on the leading social media platforms. All comments and posts with tags to this account that can be perceived as abusive or hateful will be hidden and reported, and the information on&nbsp;the author’s account will be gathered to de-anonymise them.FIFA uses this tool during significant international events. After two years, it’s possible to compare results and the level of&nbsp;discrimination during male and female football tournaments and make common conclusions on what is happening in sports communities on social media and how the social media platforms react to the reported issues.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/994;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/4c1a3008-c939-477b-b0ab-4524e7c647d7.jpeg" width="1500" height="994"><figcaption>©FIFA</figcaption></figure>According to the last reports after the Women’s World Cup 2023 and its compartments with&nbsp;World Cup 2022, the level of&nbsp;discrimination, abuse and hate speech is higher for female tournaments than male ones.<blockquote>“0.14% of posts and comments captured for analysis during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 by the monitoring system were confirmed to be abusive (7k out of&nbsp;5.1m). 0.10% of&nbsp;captured posts and comments during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were confirmed to&nbsp;be abusive (19k out of&nbsp;20m).“</blockquote>Also, the types of hate speech have changed. If during the World Cup Qatar, the most popular hateful comments were linked to racism, the most popular types of abusive comments during the Women's tournament are sexism and homophobia. The report even shows separate graphs for different countries, so we can see that haters worldwide find their own reasons to hate. All of&nbsp;this information is useful and significant, and this system can help athletes and other sports representatives avoid direct hate speech. However, we should remember that there is much more hate on social media outside&nbsp;official accounts, and authors of such comments do not so often tag the persons they address. So, while protecting just athletes’ and teams’ accounts, we don’t protect users, fans, families and friends of these athletes, as well as the unofficial accounts of these people.This latest report highlights a crucial point: X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram could ignore half of the reports until moderators intervened directly.&nbsp;<blockquote>“X has by far the highest volume of dentified, targeted discriminatory, abusive or threatening content, with initial takedown rates of&nbsp;39%. Where there was additional escalation to X after failure to act on immediate automated reporting, a takedown rate of over 95% was recorded—highlighting the value of&nbsp;direct platform engagement. The ability to escalate was not made available by all platforms.”</blockquote>Abusive comments on social media are a pervasive issue for various sports organisations. To tackle this problem, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) offered free access to the Bodyguard AI social media monitoring software during the Roland Garros tennis Grand Slam tournament. Similar to the FIFA tool, participants in the tournament could use this tool to moderate comments in real time. It also analysed responses in less than 200 milliseconds.<h2>What can you do to protect your audience?</h2>While AI-powered moderation tools are impressive, we must acknowledge that they only treat the symptoms of online harassment, not the underlying problem. Organisations have taken steps towards a solution by launching investigations and penalising those responsible for cyberbullying. Still, this approach is impractical for regular users who simply want to follow sports media accounts or engage with other fans.So, problems that are not solved:<ol><li data-list="bullet">If it is not a team's or player's official account, protection doesn’t work.</li><li data-list="bullet">Regular users are not protected.</li><li data-list="bullet">Social media platforms themselves do not participate in the process of protection.</li></ol>Because we provide public community chats, we see the importance of fast and furious moderation tools for all participants. We are developing tools that can detect all abusive and hateful comments and messages, regardless of who or for whom they were intended. We have three ML models, each more suitable for different cases. These tools can recognise various languages and check every message based on the particular language dictionary.Also, Watchers AI tools can be set to a specific topic of messages, because chats about horror movies and sports betting should be moderated differently. Our models aim to determine the optimal approach for each type of chat. Partners can also set the model's strictness level, depending on the particular platform’s policy or the average age of the users.So, abuse issues can be addressed in separate social media spaces, but what about the gigantic social media platforms? Will the number of such cases be increasing from tournament to tournament, from day to day? Will see.***<a style="background-color:transparent;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">Connect with</a> us to discuss real-time AI-powered moderation that protects your users and viewers, and builds a trusted and healthy space for them in live public and private chats.

How can content platforms increase user retention? Kinda easily. Spoiler: they need to stay in touch, catch feedback and engage users.

The Ultimate Guide to Boost User Retention 

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#shared-values">Shared values help keep users</a>&nbsp;<a href="#fast-feedback-tools">Fast tools for getting feedback</a>&nbsp;<a href="#part-of-the-service">Let users be part of the service</a>&nbsp;<a href="#prizes-and-achievements">Give them prizes and achievements</a>&nbsp;<a href="#cross-platform-experience">Build a seamless cross-platform experience</a>&nbsp;<a href="#engaging-activities">Add more engaging activities</a>&nbsp;<a href="#analyse-and-listen">Analyse and listen</a>&nbsp;<a href="#get-in-touch">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;">During the last few years, users of different services have noticed that brands spend a lot of time attracting new users with marketing offers, sales, promo codes, and other benefits. However, users who are actually brand lovers and dedicated to the platform often get nothing to support their loyalty. Sometimes, it can lead to disappointment and even disillusionment with other services, because people like to be noticed and not like to be invisible, especially for the brand they pay for.How can companies increase users’ retention and loyalty without a global pivot of the marketing strategy?You can find a lot of straightforward advice on how to work with customers, help them retain, and keep them longer, but sometimes, these tips and tricks need to be revised. For example, if you have an OTT service, sometimes it is not so easy to show users that you share the same ideas because you usually don’t have a direct dialogue with them. So, we have decided to adopt retention tricks for digital content platforms.<h2 id="shared-values">Shared values help keep users</h2>But how do you show users that you share the same ideas? Of course, it can be part of your design, UX, and content, but it’s an implicit way. How do we make it more explicit? How to come into the conversation with users? With special tools.When you have a place to communicate with users and convey the company’s ideas, the easiest part becomes sharing these ideas and having a dialogue. You can tell users what you think about, or show it through special tools, or just tone of voice.Sometimes, it’s possible to show ideas even through restrictions. So, if you have conversation tools on your app or website, you can, for example, restrict them from being intolerant or rude so users will get that their comfort is crucial.As customers grasp and align with your principles, it fosters a sense of resonance, allowing them to establish a connection and feel connected.<h2 id="fast-feedback-tools">Fast tools for getting feedback</h2>Sometimes, people face an unpleasant experience using a service, but often, they hold off on writing or calling support, their loyalty decreases, and they exit from the service. How can it be prevented? Primarily, if they don’t text the support team.If users have tools to communicate with each other, they can share their experiences—stunning or awful—there. It is a first step when users try to understand if it is a problem on their or the service’s side. If this issue is solved at once because the service cares, users notice or ignore it, but even ignoring will be a part of seamless, comfortable usage. You can answer them on the issue description or work as a magical creature, invisible and helpful—the result will be great. So, give users tools for sharing, but don’t forget to listen to them and catch their troubles and pains.<h2 id="part-of-the-service">Let users be part of the service</h2>Encourage users to think more about the service, of course, in a good way. Sometimes, people don’t have any reason to return to apps or websites more frequently because they have their routine on messengers and social media or something like Reddit. If you add the opportunity to spend more time on service, staying habitually, and just hanging out at the service, that will be a new part of their daily habits. Users will be part of the service, and your service will become part of their everyday life.<h2 id="prizes-and-achievements">Give them prizes and achievements</h2>Incorporate gamification elements like rewards, badges, and progress tracking to make the user experience more interactive and enjoyable. Humans are inherently competitive, and these elements can encourage users to keep returning to your platform to achieve new milestones. It also helps to make returning to your service a habit. Yesterday, I opened an app to check my badge mark. Today, to level it up, I will open it tomorrow because I will get used to opening it daily.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1301/1304;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/1967ae27-07d7-41a0-8299-85c5f0d944ae.jpg" width="1301" height="1304"></figure><h2>Force users to be part of the community</h2>Achievements and chats are exemplary separately as well, but they are beneficial when combined with one big thing—building a community—which boosts retention and loyalty. When you foster a sense of community among your users through chat tools, comment sections, and user-generated content elements, users tend to return to engaging with other like-minded individuals and sharing their insights, experiences, and opinions.<h2 id="cross-platform-experience">Build a seamless cross-platform experience.</h2>In today’s multi-device landscape, ensure a seamless experience across various platforms and devices. Users should be able to transition effortlessly from a desktop to a mobile device without losing progress or functionality. If your users have other devices, like a Smart TV, link them. It is especially crucial for video platforms and classic broadcasters with linear TV. Often, users are distracted by content on social media. Implementing social media experience into watching can become your product's killer feature.<h2 id="engaging-activities">Add more engaging activities</h2>It doesn't matter what type of content is located on your platform. People like to be engaged, and if you add some polls, quizzes, and other fun things, people will like to participate as much as they want to write reviews in stores. If they know they can find a new poll or quiz daily, they will be motivated to check your service even if they have nothing to do with it today. Their choice between your service and any similar competitor's service without fun tools and games will be obvious.<h2 id="analyse-and-listen">Analyse and listen&nbsp;</h2>It’s crucial to continuously monitor user engagement metrics, such as time spent on the platform, bounce rates, and returning visitors. Use these insights to identify areas that need improvement and fine-tune your user retention strategies accordingly. But sometimes numbers are not enough. If you have a lot of user-generated content like conversations, comments, and reviews sent to your chats and other special sections, use it—explore them and find insights. Often, people share tremendous ideas, and your job is to catch them. Remember that sometimes direct interviews can give you less helpful and less honest feedback than just casual conversations between two users about your product.<h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in touch</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">Please feel free to book a call with us</a> if you want to integrate live chats, audio or video in-app streaming, or other community-building tools to your platform. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</div>

Building communities around the brand or platform is a reliable way to increase retention and revenue. 

Discover the best in-app chat solutions in 2025. Compare top community chat platforms, SDKs & APIs to build real-time, branded communication inside your mobile or web app.

10 Best In-App Chat Solutions for Businesses: Top Community Chat Tools 

What are the advantages of integrated community chat, and how can extra tools, such as engagement widgets, achievements, audio and video streaming, help your content platform keep users and boost transactions? Let's discover.

Boost Engagement with Integrated Live and Community Chats

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#seamless-chat">Convenient, Seamless Chats</a>&nbsp;<a href="#clear-features">Clear and Intuitive Features</a>&nbsp;<a href="#safe-and-trusted-space">Safe and Trusted Spaces</a>&nbsp;<a href="#real-time-messaging">Real-Time Messaging</a>&nbsp;<a href="#rich-tools">Rich Conversation Tools</a>&nbsp;<a href="#integration">Personalised Integration</a>&nbsp;<a href="#extra-engagement">Extra Engagement Tools</a>&nbsp;<a href="#next-steps">Next Steps: Make Your Platform a Community Hub</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;" data-end="450">Great content alone doesn’t guarantee user engagement. Today, people consume content while chatting, sharing, and interacting—whether on social media, YouTube, or Twitch. The secret to their success? They don’t just deliver content—they create connection.When your platform enables users to chat, share emotions, and discuss what they love, it transforms from just another app into a sticky, loved brand.<h2 id="seamless-chat">1. Convenient, Seamless Chats</h2>A chat feature should feel as natural as breathing. If users need to struggle with menus, search for settings, or wait for messages to load, they will quickly disengage. Convenience means:<ul data-start="1215" data-end="1517"><li data-start="1215" data-end="1307">Replies work smoothly, so users can easily involve others in conversations.</li><li data-start="1308" data-end="1400">Settings like muting are accessible with just a few taps.</li><li data-start="1401" data-end="1517">The entire experience runs without noticeable delays or glitches, making real-time conversation truly real-time.</li></ul>When chats are seamless, users stay longer, interact more, and naturally build habits around your platform.<h2 id="clear-features">2. Clear and Intuitive Features</h2>Nobody wants to stop mid-conversation to figure out how to reply, react, or share content. A chat system should be simple enough to understand instantly, yet powerful enough to support dynamic interaction.<ul data-start="1878" data-end="2137"><li data-start="1878" data-end="1954">Core actions (reply, react, etc.) must be visible and self-explanatory.</li><li data-start="1955" data-end="2046">The interface should reduce cognitive load—users shouldn’t have to learn how to chat.</li><li data-start="2047" data-end="2137">Onboarding should feel invisible; the product teaches itself through intuitive design.</li></ul>The easier it is to use, the more likely users are to explore and engage actively.<h2 id="safe-and-trusted-space">3. Safe and Trusted Spaces</h2>Engagement thrives only in environments where users feel respected and safe. Without trust, people hold back. A healthy chat space requires:<ul data-start="2403" data-end="2629"><li data-start="2403" data-end="2488">Strong moderation tools that act instantly against harmful or offensive messages.</li><li data-start="2489" data-end="2558">Clear reporting systems so users can flag issues with confidence.</li><li data-start="2559" data-end="2629">Transparent rules and consistent enforcement to maintain fairness.</li></ul>Creating a secure environment isn’t just a technical task—it’s a promise that your platform values community well-being.<h2 id="real-time-messaging">4. Real-Time Messaging</h2>Nothing kills excitement like delay. Real-time messaging ensures conversations flow naturally, especially when paired with:<ul data-start="2914" data-end="3165"><li data-start="2914" data-end="2995">Read receipts and presence indicators, so users know when others are engaged.</li><li data-start="2996" data-end="3059">Synchronisation across devices for a consistent experience.</li><li data-start="3060" data-end="3165">Stability during high-traffic moments, like live sports, trending shows, or real-time market updates.</li></ul>This instant interaction is what keeps users glued to the platform, making every moment feel alive.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1000/1000;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/34f1966e-14d4-425b-9d5c-5e4d44260730.png" width="1000" height="1000"><figcaption>Compare chats without rich tools and with them</figcaption></figure><h2 id="rich-tools">5. Rich Conversation Tools</h2>Words aren’t always enough. Users want to express themselves quickly and visually. That’s where rich tools come in:<ul data-start="3425" data-end="3649"><li data-start="3425" data-end="3480">Stickers, emojis, and pictures add personality and fun.</li><li data-start="3481" data-end="3569">Reactions allow users to show support, agreement, or disagreement with a single tap.</li></ul>These small touches turn ordinary chat into something vibrant, emotional, and addictive.<h2 id="integration">6. Personalised Integration</h2>Chat should never feel bolted on—it should feel like a native part of the platform. This creates continuity and strengthens brand identity.<ul data-start="3923" data-end="4200"><li data-start="3923" data-end="4004">Customisation and adaptable layouts that match your product’s design.</li><li data-start="4005" data-end="4089">Smart integration so users can switch between content and chat without friction.</li><li data-start="4090" data-end="4200">Personalisation options (like nicknames, avatars, or profile badges) that make each community feel unique.</li></ul>When chat feels like your chat, users associate the positive experience directly with your platform.<h2 id="extra-engagement">7. Extra Engagement Tools</h2>Not every user wants to type messages—but they still want to be part of the conversation. Engagement tools give everyone a voice:<ul data-start="4476" data-end="4682"><li data-start="4476" data-end="4543">Polls that capture instant opinions, even from passive readers.</li><li data-start="4544" data-end="4610">Interactive buttons that let users participate with one click.</li><li data-start="4611" data-end="4682">Quizzes, challenges, badges, drops, and gamified elements that reward interaction.</li></ul>These features activate silent users, increasing participation and community vibrancy.<h2 id="next-steps">8. Next Steps: Make Your Platform a Community Hub</h2>By combining these elements, your platform won’t just compete with familiar social media—it will replace the need for it.<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;" data-end="450"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book a call </a>with our team to discover how easily you can integrate community chats and transform your platform into a thriving, connected space.</div>