Building Self-Sustaining Online Communities

When establishing a community, it's essential to consider the eventual goal of stepping back and allowing the community to thrive on its own, according to Playstack community manager Emma Smith-Bodie. The foundation of a respectful and engaged community should be built on platforms like Discord and Reddit, with the ultimate aim of giving players more autonomy and investment in the community and the game. To start, community managers should define their objectives and consider what they want the community to achieve. The primary goal of any online community is to generate excitement for a game, but it can also provide valuable feedback on games in development. Establishing rules and setting the tone from the beginning is crucial, as it helps to create a respectful environment. The tone and personality of the community should be aligned with the game and the community manager, and it's essential to attract like-minded individuals. Issues can arise when opinionated posters dominate the conversation, and community managers should encourage passionate individuals to share their enthusiasm while listening to others. Simple actions like utilizing Steam settings and news posts can help engage players and increase exposure. Posting behind-the-scenes news, quizzes, polls, and competitions can start conversations and encourage community participation. When a game is in early development, community managers can start discussions about the game's genre or theme. Using data to evaluate the success of community engagement efforts is vital, and community managers should track quantitative data to compare activities and identify trends. A community is considered self-sustaining when its members share news, create activities, and provide suggestions for improvement. Appointing head moderators and splitting responsibilities can help the community become more independent. Factors like the game's development stage and the publisher's attention requirements can influence the decision to let the community run itself. However, it's crucial to be prepared to let go and ensure that the community understands what to expect. Playstack's experience with the Balatro community on Reddit, which has grown to over 500,000 members, demonstrates the importance of relinquishing control and allowing the community to thrive on its own.