Cryptic Studios Community Manager Q&A

Gamasutra continues their series of community manager interviews by chatting with Star Trek Online and Champions Online’s Nicole Hamlett.

I’ve heard from some community managers who can get overwhelmed by the responsibility of dealing with such a large group of people, who tend to be very dedicated. Any tips on how to avoid that, and keep the right mentality?

NH: When you deal with any large group of people it can become extremely overwhelming. There are thousands of people who depend on your ability to communicate effectively with them. There are some who border on fanaticism and there have been cases of stalking. It gets very hectic and the pressure is extraordinary at times.

Something that I have had to do is separate myself from my job. I go home and I don’t read my forums. I try really hard not to work once I leave the office. It allows me to come back the next day with a fresh perspective. With any job, there is absolutely going to be burnout. It’s just a matter of making sure you take a step back when it approaches. The world doesn’t rotate by the will of our words, after all.

Having an old-fashioned thick skin helps, too. I’ve had a player tell me that I should just do the company a favor and kill myself to save them from having to fire me. I’m pretty grateful that I can laugh that off. An extremely supportive management system helps, too. I think that without them, I would have a harder time with it.