The one thing EVERY store needs to build to stay viable is a strong, loyal player community. And while it may seem slow at first, the real benefit comes from this community once it reaches a critical mass. So here’s a few tips to help you build that community in your own store.
Set the ground rules
Having a strict list of rules for regular players in your store to follow is a must for any fledgling community. It not only outlines your expectations of the community while they are in your store, but also gives you something to point at when someone breaks those rules.
It also helps if you expand who collaborates with you to make those rules. After all, everyone holds their own biases and experiences that can affect the end result, so don’t be afraid to reach out to those that don’t match your own race, gender, or sexual orientation to help you craft those rules. Which leads into the next point…
Employ staff (or have event volunteers) that are a little different than your regulars
Come on. We know what I’m talking about right? There’s a stereotype that pervades through this industry that we all know. The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons? And it’s easy to employ or volunteer from that pool as, after all, those are the people that end up in stores. But hear me out here… you don’t have to only hire them.
Spread your search wider than just who’s in your store every day. I mean, sure, those people know your current community and your event processes enough that it minimizes the training, but if your goal is to add viewpoints and identities to expand your community, you’re not going to get that from your existing community.
Monitor the community… always
Some owners are happy creating the community and then just letting it ride, but this can be dangerous. As people move in and out of the community, toxic players may find a home in your store, or you may just end up with a cascade of unhappy players leaving. So you need to be present in the community itself.
Whether thats using online tools like Facebook Groups or Discord, or having a presence at the events themselves, whether that’s handling pre-event announcements or first-round pairings, having your face shown as part of that community, and staying in touch with your community members, allows you to deal with any issues quickly before they spiral out of control. And make sure you are reminding new players about the community’s rules on a regular basis (eg. every few months at an event).
Find your community champions
Provided you’ve started this open and welcoming community, there WILL be members of that community that you genuinely can trust with that community’s health. But it’s up to you to find them.
For example, with Commander becoming this almost unwieldy behemoth at my store, it grew to a point where I couldn’t monitor everything about the community, or the members were unable to reach me to let their issues be heard. In response, we formed The Commander Council, a group of three different community members, the team member that runs the events, and myself, to become a way for the community to provide the feedback it needed to let us know in a way that was comfortable and easy. Those three different community members are all long-term community members from a range of backgrounds that all love the game, the store, and the community they’re part of. They became the natural choice to be our Community Champions, and we’ve seen an improvement to our events and community since.
And finally, Don’t tolerate toxicity… ever
This can be a hard step to take as sometimes, it’s a player that buys two or three boxes every release, or a constant presence at your singles cabinet, but trust me when I say this… You’re going to make a lot more money from a full house than you ever will from that one toxic player.
If a player is presenting any form of toxic behaviour, you need to pull them aside and let them know as this is on YOU to police. The community isn’t going to police itself (or it will try to but will likely be ineffective) and this is YOUR business. If potential players (and customers) are turning away from your store because of this player, YOU are the one losing out the most.
You can speak to them about their behaviour, or outright ban them if its egregious, but either way, you need to do it quickly and strongly. Combine that with the previous steps, and you’ll never need to worry about your community. Either the toxic players fix their ways, or they never come back, cause they know that you will always be there to put an end to their behaviour.
Those are just some of the steps you can take to foster a strong, loyal, and welcoming community in your store. If you have any more suggestions, throw them in the comments on teh Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bgindustryaunz.
All artwork from this post is from the MTG Unstable set.
