When Gamers Rant at Game Moderators: Is it Personal?
woobie on October 24th, 2007
In any game, pRO in particular, players may be seen ranting against game moderators (GMs). These are the people who are directly in the line of fire when things go wrong in a game just because they are the ones directly in contact with the players. The rants range from light taunts to outright jeers and even lowblow attacks. If so, what line is crossed between professional and personal? Does such a line exist? Read on for my opinions…..
To a gamer, the one major thing of concern is the game. GMs are there to assist the players and make sure that a modicum of order is present in any game-related situation. Gamers rant at GMs during the times when their game is compromised or disturbed; or when the implementation of rules get in the way of their gameplay.
Think of it as an enraged customer calling the hotline and shouting at the customer service representative (CSR). The irate person knows that the CSR is not the one directly responsible for the glitch in service but he “blames” the reps because they are there to provide a portal for his concerns. However, as soon as the concern is dealt with, and the customer can enjoy the service again, the reps or even the hotline number itself take a backseat in the customer’s memory.
GMs are faceless to players, they are merely the representatives of the game provider that can be talked to when things are chaotic. In this light, it is safe to assume that a love-hate relationship exists between the player and the company, and not between the player and the reps themselves. So to answer the question posed in the title: NO, it’s not personal.
GMs risk their anonymity and facelessness only under the following conditions:
- when the GMs reach out a friendly hand to the community by introducing himself to several cliques inside the game.
- and, when the GM decides to take the lowblow rants to heart and decides to take matters in his own hands i.e. confront the person ranting and express his own personal frustrations by saying “what the hell is your problem with me?!?”
The second clause is more dangerous than the first because the gamer, who wants nothing more than to continue his fun, will stop, look at the GM in the face for the first time and ask “and, who are you again?”.
I understand that GMs are humans who also reach a breaking point, and that they themselves need a venue for their own rants when the pressure from the gamer mobs becomes too much to handle. However, as long as they maintain the “I’m-a-GM-and-you’re-a-player” stance, they are relatively safe from personal attacks.
Every gamer knows the rules, even that one who acts like he can bend them. A GM is the faceless sentinel of the gaming company who call out the rules over and over, and herd everyone to the right direction. Fairness in rule implementation will keep things normal (regardless of the general outcry from those rebels who don’t want to follow).
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GM = Game Master
GM = Guild Master
GM = Game Moderator
GM = General Motors
GM = Greenwich Meridian
I hate that acronym =(
Sounds like may pinatatamaan ka, Polgie! But in most honesty, I’d rather not know who.
GMs are only human? True. But let me share my short(daw) not-so-relevant(LOL) opinion on this.
GMs (still called Game Masters in my vocabulary) are hired by a game publisher not just to enforce policies. They are the front liner. The mediator. They express the opinions of the company to the players and vise versa. Aside from that, they are meat shield that is put there to absorb all these attacks, cusses and what-not from irate players too.
Hindi naman ito isang parte ng trabaho na sinikreto sa kanila when they applied for the job. Imposibleng niloko sila ng LU (loyal pa rin no?) telling them ?You?re gonna be a superstar!? tapos mamumura lang pala sila. LOL.
One of the questions GM Praetor asked me when I had my interview to be pRO?s GM was ?How well do you handle irate people??. And I answered ?I run to the bathroom, scream my heart out and face them again with a smile.? Working for a call center months before that helped me a lot. The next day, I?m GM Phage. In short, alam ng mga GMs what they?re getting into. In fact, the next batches after the pioneers had training pa nga.
Hindi naman ako nagmamalinis, sis. I admit that there are times I snapped. One time at a BTA for pRO in Leyte. (GM Anael was there that time and a witness to this very embarrassing moment. In the end naayos naman kasi face to face to.) Another one was in the pROSE boards a long time ago. I suddenly became sarcastic (amidst composure) which is so not me and I admit I don?t agree with what I did. Those are the only ones I remember kasi most of the time, I?d control my emotions and try my best to keep my sanity. Kaya siguro nagka-hypertension? (Nah? too much eating too. LOL!)
As an employee of a gaming company, GMs are expected to maintain their composure (in the game, in the forums and events) at all times. Kahit magtatalon ka sa inis at sambunutan mo ang sarili mo sa harap ng PC mo, ok lang yan. Basta wag nila papakita sa kahit anong media where people can take screenshots, pictures, videos na nag-snap sila. One thing I taught vRO GMs na natutunan ko sa LU is whatever happens, smile and be sweet like you mean it. You?ll get better reviews. :P
It’s part of the job. I’m not just talking about Game Moderators - it’s the same for everyone else in the industry because it’s a service oriented business. If people can’t take the heat, then they should get out of the company because it will always be there. ^^;
We admire you gm phage. for being brave enough to admit your mistakes. well acceptable naman ang rason na “tao lang din kami” pero kung nagmamatigas at pilit itinutuwid ang mali attitude problem na yan. good luck and more power sayo sa vietnam.
at least si GM Phage e alam kung ano pinasok nyang trabaho bilang GM. di tulad ng iba dyan na feeling mas edukado daw sila sa gamers(customer) kaya ndi sila dapat sila ang pag tuunan ng reklamo o murahin nga mga customers. Lols^^
Kaya nga I told an RB mod once to talk to Phage kasi alam ko ilang beses nang namura yan sa pRO nung GM sya. In my mind nagmura na din ako sa GMs especially when I lost my slotted shoes during the first ever pRO rollback. Grace under pressure.
It’s just work, mods, lighten up.