The Community Lounge

Steve McLeod
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The Community Lounge is a place where community managers from video games studios and publishers tell their story of how they got into the role, talk about the challenges they face, and share tips to help other community managers.

  1. "The industry is smaller than you think" ft. Community Manager Vicki Fieldhouse

    6D AGO

    "The industry is smaller than you think" ft. Community Manager Vicki Fieldhouse

    Today's guest is Vicki Fieldhouse, Senior Community Manager at Secret Mode. Vicki took an unconventional path into games, entering community management in her mid-30s after years of trying to break into the industry. Her journey involved customer service from running her own business, social media management, and streaming RPGs during COVID—all of which became the perfect foundation for her community management career. We chat about how Vicki landed her first games job by streaming Fighting Fantasy books on YouTube, why being genuinely passionate about the games you work on matters, and the challenges of taking a lead management role that led her back to hands-on community work. Vicki also shares insights about the differences between working for developers versus publishers, the importance of honesty when you can't fix a bug, and her work on Cozy Quest: Secret Mode's annual celebration of cozy games featuring nearly 300 developers. Games mentioned in this episode: - Fighting Fantasy (Gamebooks): https://www.fightingfantasy.com/ - Kingdom Two Crowns: https://store.steampowered.com/app/701160/Kingdom_Two_Crowns/ - A Little to the Left: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1629520/A_Little_to_the_Left/ - Loddlenaut: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1644940/Loddlenaut/ - Winter Burrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/ - Sqeuakross: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2871440/Squeakross_Home_Squeak_Home/ - Everything is Crab: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3526710/Everything_is_Crab_The_Animal_Evolution_Roguelite/ - Spore: https://store.steampowered.com/app/17390/SPORE/ - Split Fiction: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001120/Split_Fiction/ - Jurassic World Evolution 3: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2958130/Jurassic_World_Evolution_3/ Find Vicki on: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriasteele/ The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote—Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles: https://featureupvote.com/thecommunitylounge-newsletter Chapters (00:00:00) - Vicki's Journey into Community Management(00:07:09) - First Steps in the Gaming Industry(00:10:40) - Transitioning Roles and Responsibilities(00:13:03) - Understanding Community Management Roles(00:16:18) - Tips for New Community Managers(00:17:54) - Memorable Moments in Community Management(00:21:54) - Challenges Faced as a Community Manager(00:27:38) - Navigating Community Issues and Player Expectations(00:29:35) - What Vicki is Playing and Personal Favourites

    35 min
  2. "Players like to feel listened to" ft. Community Manager Joshua Mathews

    DEC 9

    "Players like to feel listened to" ft. Community Manager Joshua Mathews

    Today’s guest is Joshua Mathews, Marketing and Social Media Manager at Doborog. Josh has spent years in community and marketing roles across the indie games scene, working on projects ranging from Calvino Noir to Clone Drone in the Danger Zone and its VR successor Clone Drone in the Hyperdome. Before joining the industry, Josh built a following as a YouTuber spotlighting under-the-radar indie games — a passion that still fuels his work today. We chat about how his early experiences making trailers and talking with developers shaped his approach to community management, why empathy and gut instinct can be just as important as analytics, and how players often find unexpected meanings in games. Josh also shares insights on managing diverse communities across Discord, what to watch out for when your loudest fans don’t always represent the majority, and how he balances professional marketing work with his personal creative projects — from Warhammer storytelling to Vampire: The Masquerade cosplay. Games mentioned in this episode: Clone Drone in the Danger Zone Clone Drone in the Hyperdome Calvino Noir Still Wakes the Deep Battlefield 6 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Easy Delivery Co Find Joshua on: LinkedIn TikTok Instagram YouTube – Strange Adventures The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter

    39 min
  3. “That's my name! I'm in a game!” ft. Community Manager Charis Reid

    NOV 25

    “That's my name! I'm in a game!” ft. Community Manager Charis Reid

    Today’s guest is Charis Reid, founder of Cut Teeth, an ad-hoc community management agency. After unexpectedly being made redundant earlier this year, Charis turned a setback into an opportunity—launching her own business that lets her collaborate with multiple studios and projects at once. We chat about how redundancy pushed her to build something new, the challenges of setting boundaries when running your own agency, and the lessons she’s learned from juggling clients across the industry. Charis shares her unconventional path into games—from studying game art and dreaming of building environments to discovering her passion for connecting players and developers. She also tells a touching story about being honored in-game by a small indie team she supported, how an ambitious ARG campaign went hilariously off-script, and why knowing a community’s “deep lore” is the secret to succeeding as a new community manager. Games mentioned in this episode: Mechajammer Rainbow Six: Siege Pokémon Go League of Legends DEEEER Simulator Find Charis on: LinkedIn cutteeth.co.uk The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction and Agency Overview(00:02:12) - Navigating Redundancy and Starting Fresh(00:03:22) - Challenges of Running an Agency(00:06:15) - The Journey to Community Management(00:09:07) - Changing Perceptions of Community Managers(00:12:12) - Memorable Moments in Community Management(00:14:15) - Recognition in the Gaming Community(00:16:44) - Challenges in Community Management(00:20:26) - Learning and Adapting as a Community Manager(00:24:33) - Understanding Community Dynamics(00:26:48) - Balancing Work and Personal Life

    31 min
  4. When players take it too far ft. Community Manager John Lloyd

    NOV 11

    When players take it too far ft. Community Manager John Lloyd

    Today’s guest is John Lloyd, Community Lead at The Path, a UK-based games marketing agency. John’s journey into community management began long before his first professional role—he spent years building and nurturing player communities in games like Age of Empires II, RuneScape, and Guild Wars 2. His passion for fostering player connection eventually led him to a career at Ubisoft before joining The Path, where he now manages communities across multiple studios and titles. We chat about how early online experiences shaped his community philosophy, the emotional toll of working in highly visible roles, and how he’s learned to protect his mental well-being after facing severe community backlash—including receiving death threats over in-game balance changes. John shares how he handles these difficult situations, the importance of empathy in community work, and why open communication between players and studios is vital. We also talk about his involvement with Limit Break, a UK mentorship program helping underrepresented people find guidance and opportunity in the games industry, and his perspective on mentoring the next generation of community professionals. Finally, John explains what it’s like working at an agency versus a studio, and how he balances multiple clients while staying authentic and transparent. Games mentioned in this episode: Age of Empires II RuneScape Gwent Elder Scrolls: Legends (TCG) Guild Wars 2 Find John on: LinkedIn Limit Break Email: john@thepath.agency The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles.  Chapters (00:00:00) - John Lloyd's Journey into Community Management(00:08:19) - Challenges Faced as a Community Manager(00:22:20) - Mentorship and Community Support(00:28:07) - Working at The Path: A Unique Perspective(00:35:04) - Gaming Interests and Community Connections

    40 min
  5. "This job changed my life" with Dale Stiffell and Kallum Hoy

    OCT 28

    "This job changed my life" with Dale Stiffell and Kallum Hoy

    Today’s guests are Dale Stiffell and Kallum Hoy, the dynamic community duo behind Transformers: Earth Wars at Yodo1 Games. The two met while working together at Space Ape Games and have since become inseparable collaborators—often joking that they’re a “package deal.” Between them, they bring years of experience in community management, player engagement, and storytelling through live service games. Their journeys into the industry couldn’t be more different. Dale’s path began as a teenager running one of the internet’s biggest Habbo Hotel fan sites—an experience that taught him resilience and the foundations of modern community management. Kallum’s story started in the world of pensions and finance before a chance opportunity as a volunteer moderator opened the door to game communities like RuneScape and BattleBit Remastered. We chat about the emotional rollercoaster of seeing Transformers: Earth Wars nearly shut down and how the team found a new home at Yodo1, the importance of mental health and burnout awareness in community roles, and why empathy, transparency, and humor are the best tools for managing passionate fanbases. Dale and Kallum also share powerful lessons about teamwork, trust, and building communities that feel seen and heard—even during studio transitions and major updates. Games mentioned in this episode: Transformers: Earth Wars BattleBit Remastered RuneScape Habbo Hotel League of Legends Dofus New World Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 World of Warcraft Red Dead Redemption 2 GTA V GTA 6 Blue Prince Minecraft Find Dale and Kallum on LinkedIn: Dale Kallum The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles.

    1h 3m
  6. Turning Player Anger into Advocacy with Jarvs Tasker

    OCT 14

    Turning Player Anger into Advocacy with Jarvs Tasker

    Today’s guest is Jarvs Tasker, Head of Communications at Happy Volcano. Jarvs has held several community and communications roles across the games industry, including at Raw Fury, where she worked on Dome Keeper and Blue Prince. She’s also an award-winning accessibility advocate, recently recognised at Game Dev Heroes 2025 for her work championing disabled and neurodiverse representation in games. Her journey into the industry was anything but typical—she began her career as a drama teacher before disability forced her to step away. That experience, along with her training in behaviour management, shaped her empathetic and people-first approach to community building. We chat about how those teaching skills translate into managing online communities, why listening and understanding can turn angry players into loyal ambassadors, and how setting clear community rules helps everyone feel safe and included. Jarvs also shares her joy at seeing the Dome Keeper community come together for a hilarious black-tie modding jam—and how that moment became one of her favourite memories as a community manager. Finally, we dive into her current work on Modulars, a colourful and creative factory automation game from Happy Volcano, and how she balances being a marketer, writer, and accessibility lead all in one. Games mentioned in this episode: Dome Keeper Blue Prince Modulus Death Stranding 2 Hades 2 Expedition 33 Find Jarvs on: LinkedIn BlueSky The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise. Subscribe to the Community Lounge newsletter and get notified of new episodes and articles.

    35 min
  7. "It's all about just being really curious" with Victoria Tran

    JUL 1

    "It's all about just being really curious" with Victoria Tran

    Today’s guest is Victoria Tran, Games Communications Director at InnerSloth, the studio behind Among Us. She’s also the creator of the Community Dev Newsletter, an organizer of the Wholesome Games Initiative, and the author of the upcoming book Mastering Community Management. In this episode, Victoria shares how she “accidentally” became a community manager—and ended up one of the most respected voices in the field. From moderating Discord servers to playing Among Us with politicians like AOC, her journey is packed with surprising moments and hard-earned wisdom. This episode is full of practical insights and real talk about what it's like to be the public face of a game with millions of passionate (and vocal) players. Victoria's book: Mastering Community Management Games mentioned: Among Us Blue Prince Find Victoria on: Twitter/X Bluesky Linkedin Community Dev Newsletter victoriatran.com Victoria’s book: Mastering Community Management The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise.

    34 min
  8. Why I started this podcast

    JUN 24

    Why I started this podcast

    Today’s guest is… me, Steve McLeod! In this special solo episode, I share why I created The Community Lounge podcast and how it connects to my product, Feature Upvote. I tell the story of how the podcast become a way for me to connect with community managers, learn how they work, and provide a space to share their stories. I talk about how it all started, the lessons learnt on the way, and how feedback from the games industry helped shape Feature Upvote into what it is today. And especially, how one person's help made Feature Upvote what it is today. The Community Lounge is brought to you by Feature Upvote – Painlessly collect feedback from your players. More insights, less noise.

    17 min
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About

The Community Lounge is a place where community managers from video games studios and publishers tell their story of how they got into the role, talk about the challenges they face, and share tips to help other community managers.

Information

  • Creator
    Steve McLeod
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Community Lounge