Game Development

Tips and Tricks: searching for information on the web and social media

First and foremost, figure out what you want to find before you start looking for it.

Current discourse on game development theories? Check out a Game Studies conference and look at their proceedings.

Breaking industry news? Explore the links in the "information hubs" box.

Insight into the videogame industry? Probe Statista. Try searching for "gaming" or "video games". Add "Canada" or any other country of interest to narrow the search results by location.

Check out the tabs for helpful hints on searching the web or specific social media channels.

Top Tips for Web Searching

  • put phrases into quotation marks, so you search "video games" rather than video games
  • focus your search on a particular site by combining a keyword with a URL search: gaming site:cbc.ca
  • find the advanced-search feature in your browser, and use it (in Google, this is found in the Settings gear after you do any basic search)

Searching social media doesn't have to devolved into doomscrolling. Check out the links for guidance on how to make these sites do at least some of the heavy lifting for you.

Looking for tips on searching a site that isn't included here? Try a google search for "best practices searching" and include the name of the social media site you're wanting to search. Something useful should pop up in the first few results.

Information hubs

Game Associations, Conferences, and Forums

Databases of Games