CRC Press Mastering Community Management: Chaos, Compassion, and Connections in Games

Game communities are inevitable – in fact, they’re one of the main features of a game. How can our online interactions be better, kinder, and more productive conversations? How can community managers design online spaces with inherent kindness in mind and create places that encourage member growth and engagement? This book provides a step-by-step strategy for creating long-term, sustainable, and intentional online spaces that matter – ones that care, grow, and connect. Using real-world experience in multiple genres of games, this book covers the fundamental concepts of designing an online community from the core basics of what it is, and then the journey from pre-launch to post-launch. With a deep dive into the practical framework for building stronger communities, it reveals the advantages and reasons why positive, cohesive, and unified spaces are more productive than their less structured counterparts. Additional engagement tips, and why these positive communities drive both business and ethical value, will be explored as an extremely relevant topic for our ever-increasing online world. The content will focus mainly on game communities and independent games, but lessons may be applied to larger studios and industries. Consumers are more inundated with typical marketing schemes than ever, and social media has only become a more powerful, yet chaotic tool over the years. Leave the high-level concepts behind to dig deep and see how community managers can tackle ever-changing algorithms and an entirely digital world. The theories and summaries will also help this book remain timeless – no matter how much social media tools or the internet applications may change, the values and core ways people understand each other and feel belonging will not. Pre-launch to post-launch guide – specifically directed toward activities and strategies for each stage of development. Review activities in key sections to help readers reflect and actively engage with the material. Case studies, step-by-step infrastructure, and background theory will help solidify the framework more practically.