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In times gone by, there would be little or no need for a Community Manager within a games company. A game in development would be made with more or less no input from the general public. It would then be released, and the company would move on to the next project, with only the most casual of glances at reviews.

This is no longer the case. The gaming community is more intelligent, more clued-up and far more particular about the content of their games. Another, and possibly more important factor, is the current popularity of online gaming. Whether it be multiplayer modes in console games, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games(MMORPG), the real-life people populating the game world are now an integral part of the game itself.

This is where the role of Community Manager comes in. Community Managers are often mistaken for something that they are not, and their role in game development should not be underplayed. Many people think that they are simply forum moderators, people employed by the company to simply sit on gaming messageboards all day, occasionally posting the odd news story about new games in development.

Although this is one of the roles of a Community Manager, it is far more complex and important than that. Their role is essential, especially in online gaming, to the continuing development and improvement of the gaming experience for the community. They will spend literally hours of a day on the Internet on forums and communities, collating information and feedback on the game from the players themselves. This information is vital to the development team, because most MMORPG's are constantly being patched and improved upon, and information that is received from the reports put together by the Community Manager are used to make improvements to the game that are wanted by those that play it the most.

Community Managers will also spend time maintaining an open monologue between developer and community. They will consistently respond to issues on forums that people may have, and report bugs that users have found within the game. Because the gaming worlds of online games are often incredibly large, it is more or less impossible for a regular Quality Assurance (QA) team to spot all issues. Only with the help of the Community Manager will these issues be passed on to the staff and get fixed promptly.

The role of Community Manager does not stop online. They will often be required to attend gaming conventions and expo's, and co-ordinate the companies presence at such events. They must present a friendly and welcoming front to the general public, in a sort of PR capacity, and create a positive impression of the company that they represent.

It is unfortunate that this job is often misunderstood amongst the community that it tries so hard to help. The way that they are presented in online communities can sometimes mean that they are misconstrued as not being a "proper" employee of the company. Because of this, they are not always taken seriously and therefore may not get all the information that they would like to. However, this is simply a consequence of conducting business online. With no face to face interaction with someone, not everyone will trust that you are who you say you are.

Whether taken seriously by the gaming community or not, there is no doubt that the role of Community Manager must now be taken seriously by the game developers themselves. Their role in computer game development may be fairly new, but it will only get more important as the popularity of online gaming grows larger.

Learn more about this author, Roisi Proven.
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