"It’s a full time job - and then some!" ft. Community Manager Ray Willmott

<p>Today’s guest is Ray Willmott, Social Media and Community Lead at Curveball Games and founder of Ready Mix Consult.</p><p></p><p>Ray’s path into games began after a decade working in local government before transitioning into games journalism and eventually community management through volunteer writing and moderation work.</p><p></p><p>We chat about how skills from public sector work shaped Ray’s approach to community management, why Steam reviews have become increasingly important for a game’s visibility and success, and how community managers can turn negative reviews into positive outcomes through thoughtful engagement. Ray also shares advice for aspiring community managers on avoiding burnout, building experience through volunteer work, and navigating the challenges of today’s games industry.</p><p></p><p>Games mentioned in this episode:</p><p>- Hades II: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145350/Hades_II/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145350/Hades_II/</a></p><p>- Blue Prince: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/</a></p><p>- PRAGMATA: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3357650/PRAGMATA/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/3357650/PRAGMATA/</a></p><p>- The Secret of Monkey Island - Special Edition: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/32360/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island_Special_Edition/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/32360/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island_Special_Edition/</a></p><p>- Tetris Effect - Connected: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1003590/Tetris_Effect_Connected/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/1003590/Tetris_Effect_Connected/</a></p><p>- Sente: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1005180/Sente/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/1005180/Sente/</a></p><p>- Planted: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3448000/Planted/" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/3448000/Planted/</a></p><p>Find Ray on:</p><p>- LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-willmott-90871054" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-willmott-90871054</a></p><p>- Ready Mix Consult: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.readymixconsult.com/" target="_blank">https://www.readymixconsult.com/</a></p><p>- Ready Mix Gaming: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyMixGaming" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyMixGaming</a></p><p>- Curveball Games: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/Curveball_Games" target="_blank">https://x.com/Curveball_Games</a></p><p></p><p>The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise.</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://featureupvote.com/thecommunitylounge-newsletter" target="_blank">https://featureupvote.com/thecommunitylounge-newsletter</a></p>