What is it like to be the community manager of an MMO that was infamously called the worst PlayStation 4 game ever? That’s the question of the day for Emma S., the community manager of Wander.
Emma shares how she got involved with the Wander project as a volunteer and worked her way up to CM and social media guru. She describes jumping into the role at launch “beyond stressful” and “insane,” feelings complicated by a massively buggy and unstable release.
“Never underestimate the tremendous wrath of an immeasurable horde of irate gamers,” she recalls. “Within half an hour of launch, Facebook and Twitter had exploded with incredibly nasty comments. Though they were horrible, they were also honest. I hit the ground running. I read and answered every single post and comment as it came though. My stomach sank further with each passing notification. I felt was like I was being punched from the inside with every new comment.”
Emma did say that some fans rallied around her and the team to provide encouragement and even pizza. However, the toll of handling the launch and subsequent trials kept her working so hard that she got sick, had her car towed, and nearly went broke. She’s proud of the game, although she left the project this month to pursue her career.
It’s an interesting read that shows how much abuse and how many trials community managers go through. Read it and maybe consider being a little nicer to your CM today!
