Mastering Community Management

Chaos, Compassion, and Connections in Games

Victoria Tran

$221

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

CRC Press
18 July 2025

Digital animation; Games development & programming

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.

By: Victoria Tran
Imprint: CRC Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781032555218
ISBN 10: 1032555211
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 18 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Victoria Tran is an award-winning community professional, speaker, and writer in the video game industry. As she puts it, she achieves success through shenanigans. She is the Communications Director at Innersloth, creators of the hit game Among Us, and co-runs Outersloth, their indie game fund. Her other game credits include Venba, Unpacking, Boyfriend Dungeon, Dwarf Fortress, and more. Additionally, she has been featured in media such as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, IGN, Forbes, VICE, and BBC News. She shares her knowledge on how to create more empathetic, practical, and kinder communities on her Community Dev Newsletter and website www.victoriatran.com.

Reviews for Mastering Community Management: Chaos, Compassion, and Connections in Games

""As someone who has led community for some of the world's spiciest games, there is one person I trust more than any other for advice on managing community, and that's Victoria Tran. Mastering Community Management distills her hard-won wisdom into a definitive guide that every community leader should study."" -- Ryan K. Rigney, Marketing Partner at a16z ""Victoria is a veritable encyclopedia of well-thought out knowledge into how game communities work, what makes yours happy, and how to sustainably work with the lovable-ish hordes that make up 'the gaming public'."" -- Simon Carless, founder, GameDIscoverCo ""Victoria has not only been a friend, but a major inspiration in the community space since she took the scene by force through Among Us. She facilitated the astronomical growth of a worldwide community while keeping it fun and reminding the industry that a little bit of backstabbing is entirely OK. I could shower her with buzzwords and accolades, but seriously, the proof is in the pudding."" -- Dylan Gafner, Global Community Lead, Bungie