Guide for Community Management in Game Development: Channels and Best Practices

Does a tree really fall if no-one hears it? Is a game really a game if no-one plays it? Well, technically yes, but you get the idea. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a game developer yourself—and you know, as well as we do, that players are the heart and soul of our industry. What you might not know is that players aren’t just important when they play your game: they’re important throughout the whole journey, from pre to even post-launch. That’s where community management comes in.

Community management in game development is more than just moderating a Discord server or managing a Bluesky account (though those are important, too!). It’s about building a genuine connection with your players, fostering a supportive space for feedback, and leveraging your community to enhance your game. For indie developers, especially, a strong community can be the difference between a game that quietly fades away and one that thrives for years. And these days, with so many games out there, building that community takes a lot of hard work. It can take dedication and time to make a tree fall—and getting your game to players and building a culture out of it is the same.

Why Community Management Matters

Think about the games you love. Think about not just the memories you have playing them, but also the conversations you’ve had about them with other players—in real life, on Discord, wherever. Those memories are, probably, just as meaningful to you as the ones you have of the actual game. For me, for example, I can’t think of playing Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast without not thinking of the forums where others and I talked about it. That experience was one as meaningful as fighting and defeating the final boss, and I remember both just as fondly (maybe the community a bit more fondly, and defeating the boss took me ages!).

At its core, a game community is an extension of your game itself. It’s where players share their experiences, express their frustrations, and celebrate their achievements. Properly nurturing this space can cultivate passionate advocates who genuinely care about your project, amplify your reach, and provide valuable insights into player preferences. Players can, in summary, not just help others find your game—they can also make your game better.

For indie developers (like you, maybe!), community management is particularly critical because it can compensate for limited marketing budgets. Word of mouth from dedicated fans can have a more authentic impact than traditional advertising, particularly these days, when there are so many channels and communities where players can express their opinions. Moreover, your community can become a source of inspiration—unearthing new ideas, mechanics, and even potential fixes. 

Here at Codecks we take community management really seriously, both as game developers and also as a team creating a tool for the industry. Our Discord channel is a testament to that, and we’re proud of the community we’ve built. Along with that, there’s also the way we’ve built Codecks itself, with several features specifically for community management in game development. We’ve written a whole blog post about this titled Community Management for Games (Why and how to do it with Codecks) that goes into this in more detail. 

These days, players aren’t in just one place, and instead they’re… well, everywhere! There are many different channels you need to take into consideration for community management, each one with its specificities. And in this guide, we’ll go through each one, what they are and their needs. So, let’s get started!

Best Practices for Community Management by Platform

Discord—The big one! A popular real-time chat platform used by gamers and developers alike (we’re very active in ours, for example). It offers communication with text, voice, and also video capabilities. Here are how you should approach it: 

• Structure Your Channels Thoughtfully: Create designated channels for announcements, general chat, bug reports, and feedback. For example, Codecks’ Discord server has dedicated channels to streamline communication and reduce noise. We have one for people to ask for help with our tool, one for announcements, one for people to ask others for feedback, and more.
• Automate Moderation and Engagement: Utilize bots like our own Decky and Steamy to handle moderation, track feedback, and engage with players.
• Host Regular Events: Schedule weekly playtests, Q&As, or developer streams. These create regular engagement opportunities, and also keep people engaged and informed about your game..
• Daily Interaction: Spend 15-20 minutes daily responding to questions, acknowledging feedback, and engaging with players. Quick replies (within 24 hours) help maintain a strong, active presence. 
• Feedback Integration: Organize and take actionable steps on the feedback you get. This is something Codecks’ project management features can help with, making sure you organize and prioritize feedback from your community more effectively. Our bots on Steam and Discord can immediately create tasks for each piece of feedback you get, for example, and then everything is centralized in one tool. We even have a Unity plugin just for this, too!

Things you can do:

• Host Playtesting Sessions: Organize scheduled community playtests, allowing players to provide feedback in real-time.
• Exclusive Developer Chats: Offer special “ask the devs” sessions where the community can interact directly with the development team. You might’ve taken part in some of these: Bethesda famously did a Q&A session for Starfield, for example, and so did Bioware for Dragon Age: Veilguard.

Reddit—A massive online forum divided into niche communities (subreddits) where gamers gather to discuss specific games or genres. To make the most out of it, you should:

• Engage Meaningfully: This is important! Participate in relevant subreddits, answer questions, and engage genuinely rather than focusing on promotion. Engage 1-2 times a week to stay consistent. Each subreddit has its own rules, so always make sure you read them before engaging. Those mods aren’t playing around, believe us!
• Create a Subreddit: If your player base grows, consider a dedicated subreddit for your community.
• Run AMAs (Ask Me Anything): Once your audience grows, host AMAs during significant updates or launches—once a quarter works well, for example. These can be promoted on other channels, like Discord, for maximum exposure. Game devs do AMAs all the time in other subreddits, too, like gamedev, gamemaker and games. Maybe you were at the Balatro AMA, last year!

Things you can do:

• Share Developer Logs: Post regular dev diaries in relevant subreddits, showcasing progress and behind-the-scenes development.
• Moderate Discussion Threads: Engage in conversations, clarify game mechanics, and respond to community concerns to maintain a healthy subreddit.

Steam Forums—The go-to platform for PC gamers, where discussions are often centered around game updates, troubleshooting, and feedback. Here are its best practices:

• Be Present: Set a schedule to check in twice a week for an hour. Respond to technical issues, acknowledge feedback, and guide players to resources.
• Pin Key Topics: Pin FAQs, community guidelines, and update announcements. Revisit these monthly to ensure they remain relevant.
• Feedback Threads: Refresh feedback threads with each major update.

Things you can do::

• Community Challenges: Host gameplay challenges where players share screenshots or videos of their best moments.
• Bug Reporting and Tracking: Maintain a dedicated thread for bug reports and periodically update the community on fixes. CD Projekt Red is really good at this, for example!

Bluesky—Microblogging platforms ideal for real-time updates, direct communication, and engaging with a broader gaming community. We’re quite active there ourselves!

• Share Consistently: Schedule 3-4 posts a week, mixing game updates, community spotlights, behind-the-scenes content and also some gameplay snippets. Keep an eye on replies and reposts to identify peak engagement time (typically midday, 12 PM–3PM, but it really changes).
• Create a Branded Hashtag: Create a hashtag like #YourGameNameFeedback to track player responses. This is good for both tracking and branding.
• Engage with Industry Peers: Engage with other developers, influencers, and industry leaders. A like, reply, or retweet can extend your network and your reach. It can also spark some good conversations, too!

Things you can do:

• Daily Developer Updates: Post bite-sized insights about game development progress, upcoming features, or funny development moments. Videos 
• Community Spotlights: Repost fan art, cool gameplay clips, or player feedback to show appreciation.

YouTube and Twitch—Popular for video content and live streaming, excellent for showcasing gameplay, hosting developer talks, and collaborating with influencers.

• Developer Streams: Stream bi-weekly for consistency. Share game updates, conduct live playtests, or discuss design choices. Streams are one of the best ways to directly engage with your community. Ubisoft are really good at this, for example, and so are Obsidian, who did it a lot when making Avowed, providing tons of insights for their players.
• Collaborate with Content Creators: Partner with mid-sized influencers for mutual growth, and try bigger ones as you grow more popular (and as your budget grows, too!). Coordinate collaborations during major updates or marketing pushes.
• Highlight Community Content: Feature fan-made content monthly to encourage creativity and deepen community ties. You could organize contests and reward the best fan-content, too!

Things you can do:

• Behind-the-Scenes Videos: Upload short videos showcasing how assets, levels, or mechanics were created.
• Live Q&A Sessions: Stream a live Q&A where players can ask about game development, updates, or company culture.

All these channels and tasks might seem a lot… and it is, but once you start building a routine around each one, things get a lot easier. Just plan and organize efficiently, creating different tasks for each channel, and keep an eye out on metrics. This is something Codecks can help with, and something we had specifically in mind when we created our decks and cards structure.

A Note on Handling Criticism Gracefully

I’m a player. You’re a player. You know, just as I do, that we can be quite… vocal.

When engaging with your community, criticism is inevitable, and you should be ready for it. Address it professionally, distinguish between constructive feedback and toxicity, and avoid getting defensive. Sometimes the loudest critics can become your most loyal supporters if their concerns are genuinely acknowledged, and they can lead to some radical improvements! 

Conclusion

Community management is not a box to check—it’s an ongoing, evolving effort across different fronts. It’s hard work, yes, but by nurturing a dedicated community, you can create a lasting impact that extends beyond your game, and maybe even onto the next. With the right strategies and tools (like Codecks!), you can foster a community that doesn’t just play your game but becomes an integral part of it.

There are hundreds of studios around the world using Codecks specifically for this—so why not make a free account and learn why?