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« on: July 27, 2012, 12:15:47 AM »
In-game name: Mizushima Kyu
(Edit now that an application template has been posted.)
1. How young or old must a person be to comprehend the responsibilities of GameMaster?
If none, please specify why an age limit is then not required.
--I believe that age is not a factor nearly as much as maturity is. I have seen young (relatively to me, like...15 years old) people who are in fact incredibly mature in their decision making abilities. Likewise I have seen people much older than me act with a complete lack of maturity. For the role of Game Master I believe it's required that you be at least mature enough not to give in to the temptation of power of the role, but you still have to be able to have fun and provide a good experience for those you are supposed to be helping.
2. You notice a new member who is confused. The member, unknowingly, becomes bothersome when asking others too many questions.
What would you do (minimum 60 words)?
--Well, if the questions are answered on the wiki I would refer them there, or the FAQ on the site if applicable (once again it depends on the type of questions). If they cannot find their answers there I may simply tell them I need a short break from their questioning. Although, if I can be honest it'd be hard to ask me too many questions as I'm the curious type as well so I understand the compulsion to ask a series of questions. I generally try to help out new players when I can and point them in the right direction.
3. You notice some members breaking the rules, spamming, etc… How would you go about addressing this matter (30 words or more)?
--I would first issue just a warning to them, saying not to spam the board politely and tell them what was spam (if there is confusion, which sometimes there is) and why it's not allowed (if necessary, really). Beyond that, depending on how severe the spam is, see to having it removed. If the problem persists despite all of this it would be time to call in a moderator who has the power to silence players (but that's really only if it's a severe case of this).
4. A character with a higher “rank” decides to take command and causes others’ fun to lessen. What would you do?
--I would inform the higher ranked person through a pm to ease up on the other player. Basically simply explaining that what they're doing may be fun for them but they're causing the other person to have no enjoyment in the RP at all and try to get them to let others have some opinion and say in the RP.
5. A moderator disagrees with an action you have taken. The moderator treats you like any other member, as he/she should. How do you proceed when confronted (60 words or more)?
--Well, I would explain my position to them and why I did what I did. Just because I'm a moderator doesn't mean that I'm above scrutiny of any kind and my actions should have logic and reason behind them, so explaining myself to them/the community (the community should know why a mod does what they do.) just comes with the job.
6. You notice some members on the verge of starting a fight in the village or some public arena, what would be your action (also take into account another situation where the fight is occurring into your answer- 60 words or more)?
--I would first see if there is a way that I can help, see if they need help settling an RP dispute or something of the like. If it is something I cannot help with (such as just personal conflict) I would tell them to break it up. The boards should be kept free of OOC arguing as much as possible and if it's a disagreement about an RP they can discuss it via PM's so as not to stir up a gathering of people taking sides one way or another.
7. The Staff of ShinobiLegends are members of the game, like all others, and although you are volunteering your time for this position, what should the others expect from you (minimum 60 words)?
--Others can expect me to add to the RP as much as I can. To come up with interesting events for the community to take part in and help those who are new to RP to get settled in. I would also be available to judge fights for Bijuu and the like as I do try to be as objective as possible.
8. What do you think should be at the forefront of your “agenda” when role playing as a GameMaster?
--To help stimulate fun and interesting RP on the site, it's a mods main job to take care of petition and handle rule breakers where as a game master is supposed to help with other aspects (though they are still staff, and can remind others to follow the rules if they see rule-breaking occur). I would put RP as my main objective, try to stir things up in interesting ways to get people up and moving (so to speak).
9. What rules should GameMasters adhere to and what do you think might result in removal of the GameMaster ability- does not have to directly be about rule breaking (60 words or more)?
--Game masters should be impartial and fair, and try to include anyone who wants to participate in their RP events. They should not be exclusionary or act upon the 'elitist' mindset of one player being better than another for any reason. A game masters abilities may be lost by simply not following those rules I listed here, as well as if they tend to cause more arguments rather than fixing them, are not polite in their assertions as a judge (as they are sometimes called in to be nowadays), or abuse their power or status for personal gain.
10. Provided that you have broken the rules or have decided to get into an altercation with another staff member in the public, what consequences do you think you might receive (30 words or more)?
--If I have broken the rules I should probably expect at the very least a suspension of my position/abilities. It's a game masters job to help solve disputes and arguments, not to add to them.
11. You see someone chatting out of character (OOC) in a village. The role play that is occurring is off and on. What would you do? Are any rules broken? What would you do to handle any problems that arise between those in character (IC) and those OOC?
--This is a bit tricky, so I'll explain the best I can here. First of all, it is not against the rules to post OOC comments on the village boards so that is not an issue in itself. But if the roleplay is happening....fair consistently (as in, they still post every few hours or so) I would ask that the people posting OOC comments to please take it to the PM's as so they will not interrupt the flow of RP.
However if the RP has been broken for a day or more? (Which I have seen happen many times now) Then holding off OOC comments for that long isn't exactly fair to others, as they're not breaking any rules in having a chat.
If I know that the RP will be continuing soon, I would ask that the OOC comments again be taken to PM's.
12. One group decides to role play in the village, and another group of people also decide to role play separately in the same village as well. Again, this is against the rules? What would you do to calm any problems that might arise?
--It's not against the rules as long as they're not purposely seeking to interrupt the others RP. If any problems arose I would suggest that one group (whichever group came around second in this case) use an empty zone or a dwelling in place of the village board and to simply RP as if it was the village itself.
If both groups need access to members of the village (example: trying to talk to gate guards or attack the village) I would suggest a posting order so that both groups can RP simultaneously without the posts becoming confused and chaotic. OR it may be possible to arrange some of the villagers to RP with the second group in the zones or in a dwelling if that is agreeable.
13. GameMasters should try to encourage others to join role playing as well, not just attend to those already role playing. What are some ideas you have to encourage overall role play, and secondly, what ideas do you have to encourage new members to join in (of course, some may not simply not want to role play and that should be respected)?
--Well one thing I see that happens a lot now is a lot of happenings in SL are more geared for the 'higher leveled' role players with a great many abilities and whatnot. Attacks on villages may seem daunting to them as the powers being thrown around are out of their characters league so to speak. With the game masters ability to environmental post it is possible to add to such RP's to add in things for other players to do, add fires that need to be put out, escaped animals that need to be captured, or civilians that need rescuing. Everyone should feel as included as possible, and feel like they're helping out even if they can't directly fight.
For overall gameplay, one particular idea I've had is an event that spans over more than just one village. An NPC (or an actual character) that has stolen something of value but is jumping around from village to village, so it would require the coordination of more than any one village to pin him/her down and capture.
I would also lend my services to villages that need an NPC or something of the like for RP missions to give out to their members. A lot of the missions I've seen villages giving out are geared around RPing with oneself and handling both their character and any enemies/difficulties they have along the way. By offering my help to the villages, it'd be more spontaneous and fun to RP against another mind other than their own (if they so choose to accept my help, some people like to RP missions and the like on their own)
14. In your opinion, what is the role of a GameMaster (90 words or more)?
--The role of game master is one that borderlines between both child-like creativity and adult-like maturity; a balance of both is needed to fulfill the position properly I believe. They serve to inspire more people to join in the RP and help those to have fun while doing so even if they feel 'outclassed' by all those who have high resets. They bring helpful insight to RP discussions and know their way around dealing with people so they will not unnecessarily add to the conflict by accident, they have to put their personal beliefs of a person (if it's a conflict OR if they're best friends with an RPer in question) aside and be objective and fair to those they work for (the community).
Outside of RP they are helpful to players both new and old, can offer assistance to new players and guide them in the right direction so they may feel better equipped to deal with things on their own. They know their way around a good RP and are fun to play with not because they have the most interesting ideas, but because they respect their fellow players and will play fairly with any and all who wish to do so.
I hope that doesn't sound too preachy xD
