Community: The Magic Force

A lot has been said about MMO games, their design and the so-called "features" that marketing and product guys harp about.

But through my many years of experience in this industry, I have learned that there is an "X-factor" to managing games and keeping players happy and playing.

It's this thing called "Community".

To some, it means a lot of things. It could be the sum total of all players logging in and playing the game or it could be the hardcore players who keep on paying... or it could be fanatic players who are almost cult-like in their loyalty and belief in the game. For me, these are just parts of the totality of the definition of the word.

Whatever the case may be, it is IMPERATIVE that the people who run games have a good working relationship with the Community, the players. Ergo, the Community Manager has a tough job ahead of him. He (or she) is the "bridge" between the company and the gamers. His job is to wear several hats at the same time, his "gamer" hat - where he has to look at programs or plans from the gamer's perspective, his "marketing" hat - where he has to analyze trends and current user preferences and also his "G.R.O" hat - where he has to deal with community concerns and work with the players to resolve key issues that bog down the game. Lastly, it is often their job to inform players about what's going on inside the game and out.

In short, the Community Manager has to keep information flowing so that management can make key decisions.

Some think that being the admin of the forums is the end-all and be-all of the Community Manager. It is not. It's just one of the many aspects of their responsibilities to ensure that players are informed and issues are resolved ASAP.

And I kid thee not when I say to you that we truly value the people behind our Community Teams. We strive to share ideas between different games and maintain a high-level of training programs to make sure that everyone is kept "on top of their game", so to speak.

I'd like to take this opportunity to THANK and CONGRATULATE each and every LU Community Manager for their dedication to their jobs and their many contributions to the games that they handle. (yup, they often go home at midnight and work weekends).

And we plan to improve our relationships with our players by involving them in key programs that would benefit them (hence the Vanguard programs in RF and the various guild-leader meetings that we hold regularly).

Again, to our Community Managers - a million thanks! Keep up the good work!

Strength and Honor!