A Pinch of Moderation (A guide to being Staff)

Game Discussion Game Guides
1

During my time as part of the staff, I’ve been asked many questions about how to become part of the staff and what perhaps the job description of each position might entail? It is in my most sincere hopes that with this small (but hopefully evolving) guide, I can better answer these questions and offer a resource for all those who have either an interest or the dream of one day being a part of the PMU staff.

But what does it really take to be qualified as staff? There are many qualities that are shared by all positions, but unique properties exist for each position.

HOWEVER, before we get started on ANYTHING… I can guarantee you that it is not enough to become staff if:

  1. All you want to do is help other people

  2. Just want to make maps

  3. Want the position to show off to your friends or have special privileges

  4. You don’t have the time to commit to the position which you’re trying out for.

  5. Have a reputation for misbehaving or causing trouble in our community.

  6. You’re a zombie (Half zombies on the other hand are fully welcome though. :3 )

  7. You haven’t filled out the Staff application

  8. Don’t qualify to the requirements of Staff

It takes more than what is listed above to be part of the staff, as not only your ability to manage people and use of the game and the powers of your position will be under constant testing, but not discluding your dedication and commitment to the community as well as the game.

There are also tools used by all staff, and while some of these are not necessary, they will ultimately only help you in being a better member of the staff:

-Owning your own computer
-Having PMU7 Downloaded and running
-Having a working version and an account on Skype
-Having an account in the forums
-Having an account on Chatango
-Having a working account with Trello.com
-Having an account with Dropbox
-Speak English
-Knowing another language
-An ability to work with others as well as capable of working on your own
-Having an active presence both in game and in the forums

Now that sweeping generalizations are out of the way, we can get to the specifics:

For Scripters and Admin, a knowledge of the of the inner game’s workings and the ability to manage the game as well as make critical decisions is absolutely required, but ultimately the ability to trust and be trusted is vital, considering those in this position are in charge of the very code and development of the game (as well as our community), itself.

For Scripters specifically, a knowledge of C++ or Java is required and any other kind of coding language only continues to help you in coding (except visual basic, in which case you should be coding your own Eclipse game).

Many of the skills used as a mapper and moderator are also repeated here. Frequently.

Typically in order to become an Admin or a Scripter, you have to work your way up from a Dev first.

For Mappers, you have to have some idea of how to use the PMU map editor to make graphically immersive maps. However, just simply mapping is not enough… as knowing something about themes, color, and dungeon design is required. Take for example any commercially licensed game that has some kind of dungeon, play field, or level (Mario, PMD, and Mother games are great examples, but any game, either 2D or 3D, can be used as an example).

First look at the game
Then look to your map.
Look at the game
Now back to your map.

Sadly, your map is not that game, but with that being said… you can analyze the themes and sometimes the very ideas that went behind the creation of the said map in the game. Also remember, you’re not making a picture. You’re making and entire WORLD (or at least a dungeon), something with other people will experience and frolic in. Therefore, being able to use themes and ideas to create unique, fun, and deep maps full of meaning is important.

Unfortunately, the position of a Mapper is not solely one of mapping, as you will be required to moderate players from time to time or fix mapping bugs should they be found.

In order to become a Mapper, you have to both work your way up from a Moderator and provide the staff with many examples of your mapping skill (with the bare minimum being 4 maps… though the less you provide, it is expected that those maps will be ones of great quality).

Devs also have many of the same requirements as the mappers, but they are more focused on dungeon design, NPCs, and play-testing new features and dungeons.

Specifically, Devs work with :

  1. Placing and making items

  2. Placing NPCs

  3. Other stuff

  4. Numbers and equations

  5. Grunt work… maybe

Devs too also are expected to moderate (though to a lesser degree), map, as well as fix bugs when they rear their slightly flattened heads.

In order to become a Dev, you have to work your way up from a mapper and have some skills with numbers and the editor provided in PMU7.

Moderators! The defenders of justice (we think), the keepers of wisdom (we hope), the very people that know how to hide very well when the mobs are after them (though only the most courageous and responsible ones take on these mobs problems head on!).

The duties of a moderator are simple, but the complexities which those duties bring are never-ending. The tasks are threefold:

  1. To uphold the rules and ToS of PMU

  2. To assist the community in times of need

  3. To get a hold of the right people so they can get an issue resolved quickly and without incident (Like when someone’s account goes missing or when Grumpig fly.)

But, it is advised to all moderators to brush up in some anthropology (specifically on how various cultures work), their people-skills ( Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a good place to start), and know all the game elements and happenings of PMU (Whenever possible).

In order to become a Moderator, you have to work your way up from a player and have some skill with people and commanding authority. References greatly help to getting a position, as showing your are responsible is vital to this position as well.

=================================================================================

Because of a bit of recent restructuring, these positions are not specifically staff-related positions like the ones posted above, but they are of VITAL importance to the growth of PMU. So for all sakes and purposes, we shall refer to this group as the Creative Staff.

Lets begin with Graphic Artists.
These people are responsible to creating the pretty pictures or the sprites which you see both around the site or in PMU itself. There is three subsections of PMU Graphics artists: Pixel artists (to make sprites for use in game), User Interface artists (to make the graphics that make it easier to navigate and use PMU), and Miscellaneous Artists (who can do just about anything else, including creating original content/banners for PMU).

Graphic artists are expected to:

  1. Be proficient in use graphics editing software in order create content

  2. Be able to TAKE and GIVE constructive criticism and advice

  3. Be able to take requests or directions of what is needed as well as create content on their own

In order to become a Graphics Artist, you have to work your way up from a player and have to have a portfolio of sample work. It is important that we see your ability to create a variety quality imagery.

And are the Composers!
Composers are expected to create sounds and music that help set the setting for locations and dungeons in PMU.

It is expected that Composers can:

  1. Create quality sounding pieces

  2. Have a proficiency with a music/sound creation software

  3. Be able to take requests or directions of what is needed as well as create content on their own

In order to become a Composer, you have to work your way up from a player and have to have a portfolio of sample work. It is important that we can hear quality sound that expresses a proficiency over a wide range of emotions and themes.

Side effects of Staff are as follows:

Dizziness, nausea, cookies, boredom, sore fingers, insomnia, seeing the game in a different light, stress, arthritis, flesh wounds, CLONES, concussions, late hours, explosions, ebilness, grades dropping, lack of free time, creepy things, bad interplayer relations, a liking for Mother games, craziness, SRS BSNSS, playing Risk, playing boardgame online, Fanart, a fanatical devotion to the game, rage, immunity to criticism (not), developing an ego, a history lesson of PMU, wondering where Luigidude went, an unreasonable fear of APPLES, ERRORS, BUGS, CHANGE, GLITCHES, increased awareness of whats new in pokemon, watching Doctor Who, impromptu chaos, becoming competitive in battling, a paranoid of INVASION, FURY!!!, doomsday scenarios, complaints about the server ALL THE TIME, an unexplainable attraction to anime, being stopped all the time, the subject to unexplained anger, Blips, maturity, Nukes, sheep, not being a player anymore, unwelcome nostalgia, uberfication, roleplaying, scheming, quoting “in” random places, knowing too much, drawing together in iScribble, and, in rare cases, death. In rarer cases, shiny death.

Should any of these effects surface at any time, consider them normal and move on. “Otherwise” consult your with your local Staff member for professional advice.

2

Now… what I covered above is but a basic overview of what each staff position does… but what about the qualities that ought to be expected? Surely there must be something beyond the call of duty that shape these staff members we know and call upon everyday?

Hence, I present to you… THE STAFF-IN-THE-BOX!

You may question why the name, but bear with me for a moment. Now… in my opinion, there are 6 basic attributes that any staff should possess and/or emulate at any one point in time (similarly to there being six sides of a box). These traits being (but not limited to)…
-Being knowledgeable
-Being just
-Humble
-Having language and communication skills
-Having problem solving skills
-The ability to handle (and tolerate), various kinds of people

So what exactly do these mean? Lets look at each one one by one.

On being knowledgeable
This one ought to speak for itself, but generally this consists of being knowledgeable in all the game and it’s mechanics (like where things are and how they generally work). HOWEVER, this is not enough.
Knowing also where to look when you lack information (thus a keen knowledge of how the forums work and knowing who to ask questions of), is ABSOLUTELY vital. This may mean you have to do your own research from time to time as well to keep up to date and in the know. You cannot be passive and expect knowledge to come to you. You must show some effort and peruse it yourself.

On being just
Undoubtedly, this is one of the key traits for any moderator, but also for any responsible person who sees a wrong being made. It is NOT ENOUGH to just charge in saying what is right and what is wrong, doling out whatever you believe is the proper punishment. Doing that only will make you look like a fool and ensure people to ignore and disrespect you.

Instead I offer you this, a compromise. The great contemporary leaders of the past made great strides and advancements in moral and economical progress with compromises that both sides could live with, and these compromises are still a major factor in our everyday life as it is currently… so why not make use of them when moderating what can be considered a wrong?

You may argue that not all problems can be solved with a compromise though, and to that, I agree with you… not all problems can be solved with a seemingly even result that both sides can agree with. Yet, the very process which you go about analyzing the problem and seeing what really lies at the heart of the problem can be better solved with a compromise-like approach, however… for it to work, you must remain IMPARTIAL to both sides till the end. It works like this…

-Player A and Player B are arguing over some wrong and you intervene.
-You let Player A tell their side of the story, presenting their facts uninterrupted by any other party involved.
-Then you let Player B tell their side of the story, presenting their facts uninterrupted by any other party involved.
-You then recap in whole to both players what you see happening in both player’s stories side by side and let each player clarify if that is what happened. (The clarification could go on for a while, mind you)
-After both players are satisfied with how the story is being represented, then you can make your verdict based on what happened and what the evidence proves.

What this does is it gives both sides the feeling of being properly represented and being fairly treated when a conflict does arise. It also provides for the best compromises as well as a result.

TL;DR: To be just means being IMPARTIAL and WILLING to make compromises. It also means to do the right thing and remain IMPARTIAL, even if a friend of yours is involved.

On being humble
No one likes a braggart, especially if they are in a position of power over someone else (like staff tend to be over players from time to time). Therefore, it is vital if you hope to keep your position of power and the respect of your peers to remain humble about your position or your possessions.

To prove the point home for those that do not understand… (and borrowed from the first line of the article on Wikipedia)
Humility (adjectival form: humble) is the quality of being modest, reverential, even politely submissive, and never being arrogant, contemptuous, rude or even self-abasing. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.

On having language and communication skills
In order to be able to talk with one another, it’s important to say what you want in a way that the other person understands, no? This especially becomes important when you’re talking over touchy or complex issues, which you have all the more reason to want to be understood in the way you mean.

So in order to do well with communication, you must have good skills in:
-Vocabulary
-Spelling
-Grammar
-Sentence Structure

To miss or lack on one of these makes it much more likely that you misunderstood or your message might be ignored outright because what you’re saying is so muddled up in errors that no one understands it.

However, being able to communicate what you want to say… or understand what others are saying isn’t just limited to communication fundamentals. Oftentimes, different words will have different meanings depending on the context of which the word is used.

An example of this occurrence can be seen when talking with your friends in comparison in talking with your teacher/boss/employer/staff. Among friends, a you’re more likely to be informal and free with what you say. On the other hand, when dealing with a teacher/boss/employer/staff member or in a more formal setting, you’re likely to pick your words more carefully and try to not offend people. In this way, being able to tell the difference is handy when trying to communicate properly.

However, context isn’t so simply black and white. There can be context based on different cultures, or context based on the place itself, or even context based on the different people we talk with. Therefore, if you want to be able to understand and communicate properly with other people, it is important to have good skills in:

  • Observing the context of the word
  • What the word might mean in that context

While these are skills we use on a daily basis, whether or not we realize it, it’s important to be able to frame what we say in the proper context so that we avoid being reticuled or outright ignored and better communicate what we want to say in the way we intend it.

Having problem solving skills
Undoubtably, there will always be some kind of problem out there that will call upon the person in question to figure out it’s meaning and attempt to solve it to the best of their ability. The most obvious of cases of this would be Math… where everyone knows 1+1=2 or X+Z=Y or any other more complicated string which follows. For the most part… this works when applied against inanimate and measurable objects… but as soon as you put a person… or even a person’s problems into an equation, finding that beloved answer becomes more and more of a complex issue, because if you solve the answer incorrectly or you misrepresent on of the values, you very well could offend someone or make the whole problem even more confusing than it is.

At this point, I’ll steer away from math… as if you want to treat a person properly, you must do it in a dynamic fashion rather than a linear one (trust me on this. No one likes being treated like a robot).

Now I’ve found two ways you can solve a problem. You can either perform it in:
-A question and answer session which you directly keep trying to find out what the problem is and respond to the questions specifically (this is especially good for more personal cases for the person in question but not exclusively so).
-To ask a bunch of various questions until you narrow it down to the core of the problem (especially good for trying to figure out whats wrong in the first place when the person in question doesn’t have a clear idea of what’s going on either)

There is probably others methods too, but generally if someone does not understand the question you’re asking, don’t saying the same question over and over and expect a different result. That’s the definition of insanity. Instead, try either explaining the question in detail or rephrasing the question differently so that it’s not asking the same thing, but still targeting what you want to know specifically.

The ability to handle (and tolerate), various kinds of people
There are so many various kinds of people in the world, many of which can be kind, helpful, friendly, and perhaps even loving. However, the same could be said that there are dishonest, emotional, argumentative, or straight up trollish at times. However, if you intend to be a successful member of any kind of staff or job, it is ABSOLUTELY VITAL that you can work with each different kind of person and treat them with respect, even if they willingly wrong you repeatedly.
This does not mean you should simply let them trounce over you without so much of a finger of opposition. Instead, should the wrong you, do not lash back with verbal insults, striking back, or witty comebacks. That tends to only make the situation worse. Instead, one should try to hold the person accountable to the rules of the place or the chat in question, and when those rules are violated… ONLY then should you take action against the offender in the proper manner of either reporting them to a person whom can do something about it or banning/muting/jailing/flagging them… but NEVER get upset at the person in question or gloat in their face about it, as that generally will only make the situation worse and for things to backlash right back at you.

There’s no simple way to handle people and their antics unfortunately, but being tolerant and fair in your dealings with them generally will help make you a better and more respected person in the community, let alone listened more often when important decisions or requests upon others are to be made.

And there you have it, 6 facets of the Staff-in-the-box what I consider are important attributes that should and must be considered and strives for when working as or applying for any position in the staff. These attributes are unfortunately… quite lofty and intentionally challenging, but with the guidance in this section, it should be considerably easier to realize these traits in yourself so you might be better qualified to be a member of our PMU staff as well as a better person overall.

3

In this section, I’m going to go into a little more detail into what is necessary to know about the staff app and the interview.

In general, the staff app is fairly straightforward in it’s purpose. It allows you to fill in a bunch of questions, send it to the admin, and then finally… wait. Maybe hope REALLY REALLY hard. But mostly wait for a response.

But what if you want to improve your chances? What if the staff app isn’t nearly as straightforward as it appears to be? WHAT IF I LIKE TO TYPE THE WORDS “WHAT IF”?
The cool thing is… there is some things you can do. Let’s analyze each question:

1. What is your in-game name?

This is really simple, but SUPER important. You wouldn’t want your staff app to be mixed up with someone else. That might be SUPER awkward and SUPER bad. So use your own in game name (and maybe any alts you use as well), so that the staff can come to a better understanding about how good you would be for the position you’re applying for.

2. How long have you been playing?

This is important in the fact that it gives the staff an idea of how involved you are with the community and the gameplay mechanics. It’s pretty simple, but shouldn’t be left out.

3. What job are you applying for?

This is important in the case that you want to be applying for the right position, as each position has different criteria that you will be judged by.

4. Why do you want this job?

I can’t begin to tell you how important this is. This is both your opportunity to mention why you want the position, but also what you think you can do for the community as a ______.

5. What previous experience/skills do you have that may be useful?

This may be the single most important question in the entire staff app, and with that being said… it would be worth your while to seriously consider your skills and experience. To put it simply, this is your opportunity to tell staff what you’re good at, and then relate it back to how those experiences/skills can improve your ability to perform well as in the position you’re applying for.

If you’re having trouble thinking of anything applicable, use examples of events you’ve hosted in the community, times which you’ve had to lead and how you went about doing it, or cases which you work with a group of people to complete a common goal. The important part afterwards is to tie it back to how your skills/experiences will make you more effective in the position which you’re applying for.

6. What other things do you like to do in your free time?

THIS question is easy. Really, it’s just a quick way for staff to get to know you a little better, like what your interests might be like outside of PMU or something.

7. What other personal information do you think we ought to know (age, gender, etc.)? (optional)
This question isn’t nearly as important as the other questions in the staff app, but this section SHOULD NOT BE SKIPPED OR TAKEN LIGHTLY. This is one of the few chances which you can mention anything you feel was not covered in the other questions, but should be used when considering whether or not you would be a good fit for the position.

8.Have any sample works you wish to share? (for visual or music positions)[4+ examples needed for mapper position or graphic designer or music composer]

PLEASE don’t leave this blank! If the staff app was a quiz, THIS WOULD BE EXTRA CREDIT. For mappers, designers, and composers… this is straightforward, but to everyone else… there’s ALWAYS something to put here.
Do you have a guide you made? PUT IT IN!
Have you made a contest? POST A LINK!
Posted your work up somewhere for critique? SHARE IT WITH US!

This question really lets us know if you are the kind of person to go the extra mile.

From this point, I’m going to cover what is likely the most feared and the least covered part of your journey to becoming staff… wait for it… wait for it… THE INTERVIEW.

Wait… what? An interview for becoming staff? Shouldn’t just the staff app be enough to prove my qualifications after everything else above you already posted? Surprisingly… no. While the staff app helps find out if you’re actually willing and able to take the time to apply yourself to the position, the interview is designed to find out everything else about you that the staff might need to know for the position.

SO…the idea of an interview is simple. It’s a one on one/many conversation where you essentially get to stroke your own ego. Or at least, make further known your qualifications for the position you’re applying for.

What isn’t simple is the suggested amount of preparation and the stress of stage fright that comes before the interview actually happens.

However, I’ve you’ve managed to fill out your resumestaff app, you’re practically half way there.
To prepare before the actual interview though, you first want to do a little bit of research into the position, why is it open, and what is expected.
So you should know:

-What do they do in that position? (chances that if you read anything else in this guide, you probably have a good idea. If you don’t, go back to start, do not pass GO, do not collect 100 Poke)

-the contents of your resume staff app and remember what you wrote.

During the interview:

-Introduce yourself. This doesn’t just have to be what your name is and info, but for you to also tell the staff conducting the interview who you are and what you are about.

-Be early/on time. Even if your excuse is about the zombie apocalypse or how you got stuck in some dungeon trying to etch out that last bit of oh so sweet glory for all of PMU to revel in. Being late just doesn’t look good, so be sure to arrive early or on time. The zombies and glory can wait till afterwards.

-Be yourself and keep your integrity. Nothing is worse than if you’re trying to act like someone else or you losing your cool and starting to yell or get angry.

-Don’t be afraid to stroke your ego during the interview. This is your moment to make everything you feel that the staff needs to know available to them. In doing so, they’ll get a better idea of what kind of product you’ll be able to bring to the position.

-Don’t lie. Simple and sweet.

Be ready to answer the following questions during the interview:

-Why are you applying for the position?

-What do you think you will gain from the position?

-Where do you see yourself in # of years?

-What do you have to offer?

-What is your best quality?

-What is your worst quality? (this is a tricky question, as you can easily shoot yourself in the foot with what you say. Try to have at least three things in mind that will try to turn a undesired quality into something that can help you or you can change.)

-Describe an incident where you solved a problem. (Simple enough, but try to keep it relevant to what you’re applying for)

If you don’t get the position, don’t beat yourself up over it. Like in any good video game, you can always continue and try again later. Also, if you feel that the question isn’t being asked in a way that won’t help you answer it positively, you can always rephrase the question and then answer it.

In doing this much, you’ll be prepared not only for the interview, but your confidence and enthusiasm in your answers will also be a lot more noticeable.

                                                        Extra information

========================================================================================
Wait. Extra information? On being Staff? Are you serious?

Yes. Yes I am serious. Mostly. But yes.

-----------------------------------------------------Trello--------------------------------------------------------------------
Trello is a free service that lets you visually plan, manage, and track the progress of any project. It can be managed so that only you can view, edit, and manage it’s contents, or that a group of people can view, edit, and manage, it’s contents.

Why is this important? And furthermore… why in Arceus’s name did I include this description in a guide to being staff?

Because the PMU Staff use it!

PMU has grown so large and the ambitions of what we as a community want to accomplish has risen, it was important to be able to keep track of all the projects, bugs/errors, and reports that crop up, and be able to have the right people work on each one with the hope that not only will everything run more efficiently, but also each challenge can be visibly met faster.

-----------------------------------------------------Dropbox--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dropbox is a free service that lets you easily store/backup any file to the internet and allows you to both access (and share), your files from anywhere on many of today’s devices (Computers, Tablets, Smartphones, ect…).

Why is this important?

Because the PMU Staff use it! (are you sensing a pattern?)

Dropbox has been a handy tool to sharing screenshots, information, and even updated clients of PMU for players and staff alike.

A note on sharing: Files that you want to share should be placed in the “Public” folder. Once there and uploaded, you can grab the link from the Dropbox options by right clicking the file. Then it you should be able to paste the link to the file to wherever you desire.

If you’re thinking of getting Dropbox yourself, you might want to consider signing up through this referral link below. On signing up for the service normally, you start with 2GBs of space to use, but using the referral link below, you get an extra 500MBs of space as well (there are more ways to get space too, but every little bit helps. Especially when you have lots of screenshots to share).
http://db.tt/69OZuoN

Hopefully this ever growing guide prove helpful to our growing community!

4

Now it makes “sence” what Pika was doing “earlier”. Great guide, Chaotix.

5

[1/22/11] Amended the second post to cover the 6 attributes which I generally expect from any staff or aspiring staff member.

6

Thank You Chaotix ^^
I love reading this :D

7

I see a possible future…in a few months I will let you know…

8

i have to wait like 2 years to apply for staff…darn…but that gives me time to uh… meet the qualifications for being staff (aiming for moderater someday :D)

9

I meet all the requirments exept for Skype -_-

10

Cept skype is pretty much optional… but it makes staying in contact with other staff members… especially if you need something or need to talk to another level in staff about an issue a lot easier. Not required, but immensely helpful (and I am saying this from personal experience. Being out of the loop makes doing your job a little harder).

11

Thanks chaos… hope to be a mod someday lolz… :)

12

same for me :0

13

Why am I putting “random” quotes in places? I’m “only” a normal player.

14

I plan to update this again pretty soon/add another section. Is there anything anyone wants me to explain or go into further details on?

Also, no idea why this topic was locked, so unlocked.

15

Hm… I can’t really think of things to add. This is already surprisingly in depth!

16

It may be in depth, but it’s by no means complete. There is without a doubt, something else that needs to be added in order to not only better the average player’s chances of being staff, but also raise the bar to help make better staff overall. Or at least provide a basis to advise the actions of the staff to help bridge the gap between players and staff. Either way you look at it, it’s a tall order.

I’ve added on the language section a bit about the context of language.

17

That’s true, giving advice on subjects such as Applications and ways of behaving, there is always more to be said.

I feel as if this guide is more than a guide to being a good staff member and how to become one, but its also a guide to being a good person. It is full of great advice on life in general.

I did enjoy what you added to the language section; I have a question though;

Because you stated that you would speak more formally to a staff member, would you say that for the applications the answers should be more formal, rather than being open and being yourself?

18

Great guide Chaos! Hope this will help the players who are interested in being staff!

19

Updated again. Added a section about the interview process and how to prepare for it.

Because you stated that you would speak more formally to a staff member, would you say that for the applications the answers should be more formal, rather than being open and being yourself?

Ideally, they should be more formal in the application process. That way you are more likely to get to the point of what you want to say a little faster… which to the admin reviewing the apps… will greatly appreciate.

However, even when being formal in your language, you can still be open and yourself. Language is language, just because you’re speaking a certain way doesn’t separate the fact that it’s still you behind your words.

20

Very informative, Blu! I commend your effort.

… Wait a second… Did I just give… A compliment?! What’s happening to me?!