Today’s guest is Ray Willmott, Social Media and Community Lead at Curveball Games and founder of Ready Mix Consult.

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.

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.

Games mentioned in this episode:

- Hades II: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145350/Hades_II/

- Blue Prince: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/

- PRAGMATA: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3357650/PRAGMATA/

- The Secret of Monkey Island - Special Edition: https://store.steampowered.com/app/32360/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island_Special_Edition/

- Tetris Effect - Connected: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1003590/Tetris_Effect_Connected/

- Sente: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1005180/Sente/

- Planted: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3448000/Planted/

Find Ray on:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-willmott-90871054

- Ready Mix Consult: https://www.readymixconsult.com/

- Ready Mix Gaming: https://www.youtube.com/@ReadyMixGaming

- Curveball Games: https://x.com/Curveball_Games

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