This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Is it August already? Man, this year has flown by. But fast or slow, our stalwart Bitmob community never misses a beat. (You know. A beat about games. A GamesBeat. Get it?)
(…I'm…I'm so sorry.)
Anyway, a new month means a new Big 10 list, where we check out the most popular community articles of the previous two fortnights. July's list was extremely competitive; we had a ton of great articles that in other months probably would have made the list. So huge congrats to these folks.
Here are the most-read community stories for July 2012:
10. The Nintendocalypse and you by David Graham
9. Don't be that guy: Noob vs. Pro by Daniel Castro
8. The 10 most rage-inducing weapons in multiplayer history by Jordan McCollam
7. The People of the North, the best Final Fantasy X song you never heard by Steven Sukkau
6. Grab these great PSP games before they're gone! by Mike Bracken
5. Game developers should focus on quality over quantity by Trevor Hinkle
4. Last year's games I said "f*** it" to by Stan Rezaee
3. Screw "realism" in video games by Nathaniel Dziomba
2. The high-horse audit: Top 5 games of 2012 (so far) by Tristan Damen
1. Why the decline of splitscreen gaming sucks by Trevor Hinkle
Do you want to be on next month's list? Here are some tips:
Catchy headlines: A great one goes a long way — you'd be amazed at how much this matters. If it doesn't draw people's attention, it doesn't matter how good your article is. You can easily double or triple your hits with a catchy and interesting headline.
Format your articles: Short, concise paragraphs and pictures go a long way. Check out our writing tips column, too.
Encourage comments: Ask your readers to share their opinions.
Promote your work: Share your links via Twitter, Facebook, message boards, N4G, Reddit, Raptr, and StumbleUpon.
Join in community events: Check out our community primer if you're new, and keep an eye out for things like Bitmob Wants You prompts, our monthly Writing Challenges, and more.