Clovis Communicates: GMs

[Clovis]

Greetings Ladies CotH,

So, I'm not normally big on this sort of stuff. I prefer to let the other GMs do the talking on these issues because, quite frankly, even though I'm undoubtedly the most studly and seductive of them all, I'm not good at these 'words' things. But here I go.



Most people on the server don't have an entirely clear cut view of what the GMs jobs are. Builder-monkeys, lore-nerds, realism aficionados, comic relief, Forum Helper slave drivers, ERP Specialists, and Ban Hammer wielding monsters.

But more than anything, a lot of us were chosen to be part of the team because, as gruff and 'abrasive' as some of them come off as, we're all pretty empathetic suckers. We don't like seeing people being pushed around, and we don't like seeing people pushing people around. It especially grates at me both ways, because I know people getting 'bullied' or 'harassed' on the server have the power to do something about it (Which I will get to in a moment), and that people doing these things to others have no reason to be such ding-bats.


So, I had said that people being pushed around on the server have the power to do something about it. You do. It's called, wait for this, hold your breath:

Talking to a GM


But GMs are scary scary people on power trips! All GMs sleep their way to the top so they can oppress us little people who turn the cogs of CotH's industry! DEATH TO THE BOURGEOISIE PIGS!

Spoiler:

Seriously though, the entire GM team is filled to the brim with losers who didn't get dates to the prom some of the most non-aggressive and 'All Bark no Bite' people I have ever met in my bleeding life.

But GMs are biased! They only do nice things for their friends!

As a GM, I've actually held back on doing things for my friends that I'd normally do for anyone else without a second thought, all because of this silly, silly suspicion here.

Guys, we're not stupid. We know if we did anything like this, Kretol and Grakor would demote or flat out ban asses faster than you can say "But I poop from there!"

"No they wouldn't-" Yes, yes they would. The admins don't view GMhood as something special. It's volunteer work and easily replaceable volunteer work at that. They would think nothing of demoting a GM for abusing their powers, because as far as they're concerned, demoting a GM is like telling an employee they can take a paid permanent vacation - GMship is -work-.

The GMs won't help me because my problem is with one of their friends!

1: How do you know who my friends are and are not?
2: What makes you think I'm so petty as to choose -mean friends- over -victimized players-?

This one gets at me the most. It's a catch 22. If GMs try to be friendly with other players, we're called out on favoritism. If we try to avoid interacting with players, we're considered aloof and 'mean'.

As I said, being a GM is work. We don't get to pick and choose. We don't get to say "Can we please not ban this person because they're my friend?" nor do we get to say "Can we please ban this person because they're not my friend?".

All GMs vote on disciplinary action for a player, and every GMs opinion is valid. You may be afraid that because one or two GMs are friends with a player who is bothering you, they're immune to punishment, but that's not the case. Hell, a player could be friends with the entire damn GM team (Hint, I don't know a single player who is friends with every member of the GM team) and we'd still slap them with the ban hammer if they were breaking the rules.


I think the point I wanna make with this last one is that the GMs are united, yes. But we aren't united against or for anyone. We're all different people with different feelings and outlooks on things.


We want the player base to have fun on CotH. We want players to feel comfortable here.

We don't care if you dislike us, the GMs. I mean, yes, we care, but we care as people, not as GMs.

We do care that you'd think we're unapproachable. Even if a player has an abysmal track record when dealing with us, if they come to us saying "So and So is harassing me and It's becoming uncomfortable for me", we're still going to help you.


Finally, a little side note. You can get in touch with us via:

Private Discussion
PMs
Ingame Tickets
Ingame Whispers
Skype
TeamSpeak (Srsly, we need less GMs on TeamSpeak and more players).


I hope you guys considered this post educational, or something.

[Dae]

Are you having problems with people not treating you as people because of the GM title?
That makes me sad. :<

But in a way... It is almost understandable. I mean, especially with CotH having a relatively young crowd, many users have likely never really been in a situation in which they are meant to view someone both as an authority figure and a friend. But with the way we teach, the job opportunities for young people, "I told you so parenting..."
Its just by chance that I wound up hanging with some moderators and staff on a pretty large website years ago that made me stop caring so much, myself.

Perhaps if anyone notices people made uncomfortable by authority, try inviting them to a game of TF2, or to a large CotH Skype call or anywhere else where they can really get a chance to see that GMs are people, too?

[Reigen]

Or encourage them to get on TS.

Seriously, spend five minutes on team speak with us and anyone will lose any fear us.

[Clovis]

Or encourage them to get on TS.

Seriously, spend five minutes on team speak with us and anyone will lose any fear us.

And fall into my seductive clutches.

Just as they all do.

[Caravan]

And fall into my seductive clutches.

Just as they all do.

Not this time, Clovis. Not this time.

Spoiler:

[Piken]

Or encourage them to get on TS.

Seriously, spend five minutes on team speak with us and anyone will lose any fear us.

Or will never want to speak to another living soul again. It can go either way. <3

[Psychyn]

As much as these posts will.. be written and pop up, and while I agree to the majority written; I think I'm personally the type who always 'has to try too hard' to get either an answer out a GM, or feel like they actually come across as a player themselves. I had a RP with a GM a day ago, for the first time in possibly a year. (granted, a absence was in between but even as I was active and around before the absence, I never had the opportunity to.)

Something just switched in my head, and the first emote I did when the GM ended up in a mix-match and terribly written and made no sense at all. Everything turned out fine in the end as hey; It happens but it still surprised me that after this time I still get nervous around most of you guys.

most non-aggressive and 'All Bark no Bite' people

That bark, is enough to scare away a silly nub like me. I don't got a lot going for me, rarely feel like I'm doing a great job and rarely feel like I'm actually am helping stuff to improve or what not despite trying to be generally helpful and 'fun' to be around with. Humour hides the nerves, right? Right! No matter how bad a joke is.

Iunno. I think it's just a reality to the position if I am honest, that GM's will always be feared in a sense, and people will get nervous around you guys. I think not even a handful of the current GM's are people I feel 'safe' with, or safe enough to actually not get nervous to. Several of you guys just scare me, even if it's over something silly as a PM being ignored or being told that a GM is 'busy' at the time when I whisper them in-game.

I suppose it doesn't help that in-game, I never know which GM I'm talking to as I got a really bad memory, and you guys got a ton of alts. .. Yeah, this post alone has my hands sweaty as I don't even know what I wanted to share apart from a 'honest' thought concerning GM's.

I'll just hush now.

[Dae]

As much as these posts will.. be written and pop up, and while I agree to the majority written; I think I'm personally the type who always 'has to try too hard' to get either an answer out a GM, or feel like they actually come across as a player themselves. I had a RP with a GM a day ago, for the first time in possibly a year. (granted, a absence was in between but even as I was active and around before the absence, I never had the opportunity to.)

Something just switched in my head, and the first emote I did when the GM ended up in a mix-match and terribly written and made no sense at all. Everything turned out fine in the end as hey; It happens but it still surprised me that after this time I still get nervous around most of you guys.

most non-aggressive and 'All Bark no Bite' people

That bark, is enough to scare away a silly nub like me. I don't got a lot going for me, rarely feel like I'm doing a great job and rarely feel like I'm actually am helping stuff to improve or what not despite trying to be generally helpful and 'fun' to be around with. Humour hides the nerves, right? Right! No matter how bad a joke is.

Iunno. I think it's just a reality to the position if I am honest, that GM's will always be feared in a sense, and people will get nervous around you guys. I think not even a handful of the current GM's are people I feel 'safe' with, or safe enough to actually not get nervous to. Several of you guys just scare me, even if it's over something silly as a PM being ignored or being told that a GM is 'busy' at the time when I whisper them in-game.

I suppose it doesn't help that in-game, I never know which GM I'm talking to as I got a really bad memory, and you guys got a ton of alts. .. Yeah, this post alone has my hands sweaty as I don't even know what I wanted to share apart from a 'honest' thought concerning GM's.

I'll just hush now.

I'm sorry these sorts of things give you such anxiety. One of the things that helps me relax when I'm nervous is to use my own behavior to unfound the fear.
I mean, with the examples you've given, when was the last time you ever scrutinized someone for their first emote? For PMing you a question? For whispering you when you're busy?
What you are fearing, for the most part, isn't real.

Now, this isn't to say that it doesn't feel real, and I don't think you're crazy for feelings. Everyone has anxieties which color our perception of the world. I get anxious over checking email.

These anxieties are a problem, and they are problems only because they cause you to suffer. I'm not judging you for feeling this. But dealing with anxieties does take time. For now, I can tell that I've dealth with being wronged by a lot of people in my life, and as an RP buddy on a WoW server, you're never going to do anything that I can't forgive. You could permadeath all of my characters and, though I'd likely question the IC liklihood of such a thing happening, I wouldn't hold you in contempt over it.
If it helps to think of it this way, I'm on your side, with you against the anxieties. And I bet I'm not the only one on CotH who could say the same thing.