Staff Col_StaR's Ask Me Anything!

[Dave]

Considering I've already met Chad and most of the Devs, I'd have to say I'd want to meet up with the rest of my Admin peers.
But if I had the option to meet up with anyone who is ex-staff: Dave and/or SixZoSeven. We worked together and got along great, and I just wish I knew them better on a non-professional level.

im planing on trips to the us soon

 

[Col_StaR]

What are your favorite websites? I'd be interested to know what kind of other sites you frequent.

Sites I check every day:

• http://www.cracked.com/ (Funny, informative, and offers some unique perspectives)
  
• http://slickdeals.net/ (Gotta get those deals. Or at the very least, know about them)
  
• http://camelcamelcamel.com/ (See above)
  
• http://www.escapistmagazine.com/ (I'm a fan of their hosted content, especially Zero Punctuation)
  
• http://www.newegg.com/ (Computer deals, bro. Once you know...)
  
• https://www.youtube.com/ (Of course)

Sites I would consider among my favorites:

• http://www.badassoftheweek.com/ (EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS SITE. IT IS SO BAD-DONKEY)
  
• http://lifehacker.com/
• http://www.metacritic.com/game (Great resource for gamers. Don't spend money on garbage games!)
• https://www.humblebundle.com/store (great deals on games, and good intentions too)
  
• http://www.mcgamer.net/ (of course!)

Fun fact: when I became a Brony, I Brony'd so hard that I checked http://www.equestriadaily.com/ religiously. I visited that site three times a day (once in the morning, afternoon, and the nightly round-up) for two months; it was my brony version of Salat. Nowadays I barely think about the site, and only check it when the occasional article piques my interest.

Can I buy it?

Can you buy it? Sure, I can toss the doc your way for a PayPal donation.

Should you buy it? No, it's not even worth your money or your time.

I could post it publicly, but I don't want to embarrass myself nor waste anyone's time/brain cells. (Then again, I previously linked everyone to a MLP fanfiction site, so maybe the damage has already been done...)

 

[Creper_face]

1. If you could change anything about the world, what would it be?
2. If you were Chad, what would you do in terms of changing/adding things?
3. What is your favorite anime and why?
4. Ten birds were sitting in a tree and a hunter shot one. How birds many were left in the tree?
5. What programing languages do you know?
6. What is your dream job?
7. If you could swap bodies with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
8. Which one do you prefer cats or dogs?
9. Can you say "Friendly fleas and fireflies" 10 times without saying it incorrectly.
10. Are you going to Minecon 2015 and if so will we be able to meet you?

 

[Col_StaR]

We're almost at the end! Just a few more questions!

Throughout all your experiences of interacting with other people, either online or in the physical world, what are some valuable lessons that you have learned and would like to share with other people?

What are some flaws that you notice among the staff members? Off the top of your head, what are some ways that you would like to see them put forth effort to improve themselves?

^ Same question, only for community members. Whether it be average players, big names like YouTubers/Streamers/VIPs, or prominent members in the clan/forums scene(s).

What were some of the qualifications that Chad took notice of when he hired you as Community Manager?
What are some skills that are necessary for your position?
(I'm primarily asking this because you're a large role model for me, as a person who has taken gaming administration to the next level. I'm personally interested in perhaps seeking to follow a similar path, and I would like to develop skills that would be useful for such work.)

1. Valuable lessons I've learned:

• Life a coursing river, and you will always struggling against its currents. The average person will stay standing where they are and wish the river would stop. The weak lose their footing and get swept out to tide. But the most successful people adapt to the struggle and find their way to calmer shores. Embrace the suck.
• Life will never be simple, and it will never go as planned. For that reason, the ability to improvise is more valuable than the ability to plan.
  
• Humility and compassion are two of the most under-appreciated traits around. Learn to embrace both, and you will live better. People like good guys over jerks.
  
• People can surprise you, good and bad. Expect people to change, for better and for worse.
  
• Some people deserve second chances. Many more do not. But a majority of people you meet will never fail that first chance.
• You'd be surprised by what you can accomplish from people by just sitting down and letting them talk. Some people just want to know that their voice is being heard. It's the concept behind hostage negotiators, and I've diffused plenty of high-stress scenarios this way too.
• In real life, the bad guys often win over the good guys. But even in their triumph, the bad guys will always be remembered as the bad guys. So be good, even in defeat.
• But above all else, everyone should learn to live towards something good. Too many times, life is squandered in pursuit of nothing. But those who strive for achievement will spend their lives making their impression on the world.

2. Flaws I notice amongst staff:
There's going to be the inevitable issues with performance, activity, and involvement, because that affects every community, Minecraft-related, Gmod-related, and beyond. I'd actually like to state that my time at MCGamer has allowed me to work with some excellent people whose contributions have really benefited a staff and community of our enormous size.

But if there's one issue that frustrates me the most, it's the typical high-school drama that affects all communities of this age demographic.

Spoiler: Rant Rant Rant

You won't talk with that group because you don't like a member of that group? Or you think that a certain decision was wrong so you're boycotting the entire staff? Or you just won't even be in a staff meeting with someone because you used to be in a relationship with them and you broke up?
I have one sentence: "GROW THE FOXTROT UP!"

I'm 23, I treat this as a professional environment, and I'm well versed in the attitudes and expectations of a work environment after several years of working in a small business. But even as a teenager, I didn't have any patience for drama. It's stupid, it's irrational, it's a waste of time, and it's ultimately destructive to the work environment (you're hurting everyone and the organization for some petty feud you have). You think this sort of stuff is important, or you get a high off of it, but it's all hormones, ego, and personality issues. Once you're my age- or heck, once you're just out of high school-, you'll realize how stupid all of that stuff was. But for now, I only hope you'll come to that realization early, avoid all the stupid drama, and do the job that we're all here to do.

But I will say that at least the drama we experience is shallow-level, high school stuff. Some of my previous Garrysmod roleplay communities were incredibly fierce. Everyone had characters that they were personally invested in, and so everyone was personally invested in anything/everything that occurred. You bet there were straight-up slugging matches and year-long grudges. After coming off of those to numerous-but-small drama here, I'd consider this a breeze.

3. Flaws I notice among the community:
Oh boy. Here we go...

Spoiler: With Apologies to Jesse Jackson

• VIP's/Youtubers need to remember that they are not the gods of the network, and that they are still adherent to rules and our staff's authority. 50k subscribers is not an excuse to develop a god complex. Poorly-behaving VIP's realize just how little influence they have once they break our rules and lose their rank because of it. We're happy to have you guys, we love working with you guys, and we are thankful for what you do, but you guys still have to behave yourselves.
• Competitive players need an injection of courtesy and sportsmanship. You can still be the best and NOT be a jerk about it. But to some people, being the best is an excuse to be a terrible person. It should not be like this. If I had the option to ban jerk players, I would. I'd personally prefer to have a small but polite server where everyone gets along, as opposed to a hugely-popular server of toxic players; at MCGamer, we try to walk the middle ground, encouraging good sportsmanship while maintaining our size.
  
• Clanners need to learn the above, and to learn the value of honest competition. Hacking, evading the rules, lying about scores, sabotaging other clans, abusing, flaming, trolling, and overall being nasty to each other is why clans have such a bad reputation (one that they're only now starting to overcome). Clans need to start enforcing their rules and punishing the bad apples (the Clan Staff is there to help), and they need to start holding themselves to the standards of the more reputable clans. Maybe then we can start doing fun stuff with the clan community, like official tourneys.
• Boosters need to remember that there's more to life than a number on a video game leaderboard. And it isn't worth the wasted time once we find you, punish you, and invalidate all the ill-gotten gains you've made.
• Hackers need to experience what it's like to play an unfair game where they're the victim. That's why I like the idea of hacking punishments forcing players to only be able to play with other hackers.
• Twitter-sphere needs to calm down. Seriously, even if we're announcing good news, everyone uses it as an excuse to use our tweet like a punching bag.
• Trolls just need to go somewhere else.
• And our playerbase... well, there the problem is that our playerbase is so varied that it's impossible for me to say just one thing. But if I could ask them to do something, it would be, "please try to work with us on what we can do, and understand why we can't do what we can't". Whenever we do things that people want us to do, there are always a contingent of nay-sayers who just have to bring it down, claiming that, "it will never work", or "it was actually my idea", or "this is stupid, you should focus on ___ instead!" We do good things, only to have it dismissed as a failure, thus discouraging the essential player-staff cooperation that could make the idea effective. On the flip side, people are always making suggestions/demands of us that the staff does not think is a good idea, and the staff is thought to be, "ignoring a good idea", "not listening to the players", or "just don't care anymore". Frankly, nothing is as simple as it appears to the players, who only have a skin-deep understanding of how the network operates. But to dismiss our opinions and assessment of an idea as purely malicious with intent to harm the community that we're working for... that's as ridiculous as it is insulting. Just because it's your idea doesn't make it flawless, and just because we remind you of that doesn't make us terrible people. The saying, "you can't please everyone" has never been truer.

There's much more I want to say. But I get the feeling that if I said any more, I'd be stepping out of line.

3. What qualifications were noted of me for the Community Manager Position?

1. He knew me and trusted me.
2. I was local, so communication could be direct, immediate, and frequent.
3. I had 8 years of prior experience with online gaming communities. My leadership of and experience in said communities was of particular note.
4. I was familiar with Minecraft. Was not emphasized, since we were never expected to play many games to begin with.

Locality and experience were probably the biggest selling points for him. Chad was specifically looking for someone to help him run the network's community side while he could focus on development. The locality helped with trust and communication, and the experience ensured that I had the skills to help run the network.

4. Necessary skills for Community Manager/Admin?
Funny enough, I actually wrote a doc for a job description for this particular position. (Hidden message: sad announcement in two months)

Here's the entirety of the skills section:

Spoiler: Necessary Skills

Necessary Skills

• A basic familiarity and experience with the video game Minecraft.
• Basic familiarity with computers and the internet.
• Strong people skills, including the ability to diffuse tense social situations, negotiate agreeable terms between parties, navigate complex political issues, and persuade individuals through use of rhetoric.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to work in the face of adversity, discomfort, and personal attacks.
• Leadership ability and personal initiative.

Secondary Skills (Skills that would help improve the effectiveness of the new Admin)

• Experience and familiarity with online gaming communities.
• The ability to communicate effectively to a demographic aged 12 to 18.
• Familiarity and Experience with Google Docs
• Doesn’t mind paperwork or rote labor.
• Familiarity with using the Xenforo forums framework.
• Willingness and ability to research topics within the network to formulate policy from.
• The ability to analyze subordinate’s strengths and weaknesses, and assign them to appropriate tasks available.

Desired Skills (Skills that are not necessary to the position, but would nonetheless be helpful in other Admin-related matters)

• Artistic ability with 2D computer graphics.
• Multilinguality in a language other than English. Turkish, Romanian, Russian, and Japanese are especially in demand.
• Programming ability, such as the ability to code in HTML, CSS, or Java.

Dang, Mooclan, you got me writing novels over here.
I hope it's helpful- or at least interesting- to you. Thank you for your great questions!

 

[RC_4777]

We're almost at the end! Just a few more questions!

1. Valuable lessons I've learned:

• Life a coursing river, and you will always struggling against its currents. The average person will stay standing where they are and wish the river would stop. The weak lose their footing and get swept out to tide. But the most successful people adapt to the struggle and find their way to calmer shores. Embrace the suck.
• Life will never be simple, and it will never go as planned. For that reason, the ability to improvise is more valuable than the ability to plan.
  
• Humility and compassion are two of the most under-appreciated traits around. Learn to embrace both, and you will live better. People like good guys over jerks.
  
• People can surprise you, good and bad. Expect people to change, for better and for worse.
  
• Some people deserve second chances. Many more do not. But a majority of people you meet will never fail that first chance.
• You'd be surprised by what you can accomplish from people by just sitting down and letting them talk. Some people just want to know that their voice is being heard. It's the concept behind hostage negotiators, and I've diffused plenty of high-stress scenarios this way too.
• In real life, the bad guys often win over the good guys. But even in their triumph, the bad guys will always be remembered as the bad guys. So be good, even in defeat.
• But above all else, everyone should learn to live towards something good. Too many times, life is squandered in pursuit of nothing. But those who strive for achievement will spend their lives making their impression on the world.

2. Flaws I notice amongst staff:
There's going to be the inevitable issues with performance, activity, and involvement, because that affects every community, Minecraft-related, Gmod-related, and beyond. I'd actually like to state that my time at MCGamer has allowed me to work with some excellent people whose contributions have really benefited a staff and community of our enormous size.

But if there's one issue that frustrates me the most, it's the typical high-school drama that affects all communities of this age demographic.

Spoiler: Rant Rant Rant

You won't talk with that group because you don't like a member of that group? Or you think that a certain decision was wrong so you're boycotting the entire staff? Or you just won't even be in a staff meeting with someone because you used to be in a relationship with them and you broke up?
I have one sentence: "GROW THE FOXTROT UP!"

I'm 23, I treat this as a professional environment, and I'm well versed in the attitudes and expectations of a work environment after several years of working in a small business. But even as a teenager, I didn't have any patience for drama. It's stupid, it's irrational, it's a waste of time, and it's ultimately destructive to the work environment (you're hurting everyone and the organization for some petty feud you have). You think this sort of stuff is important, or you get a high off of it, but it's all hormones, ego, and personality issues. Once you're my age- or heck, once you're just out of high school-, you'll realize how stupid all of that stuff was. But for now, I only hope you'll come to that realization early, avoid all the stupid drama, and do the job that we're all here to do.

But I will say that at least the drama we experience is shallow-level, high school stuff. Some of my previous Garrysmod roleplay communities were incredibly fierce. Everyone had characters that they were personally invested in, and so everyone was personally invested in anything/everything that occurred. You bet there were straight-up slugging matches and year-long grudges. After coming off of those to numerous-but-small drama here, I'd consider this a breeze.

3. Flaws I notice among the community:
Oh boy. Here we go...

Spoiler: With Apologies to Jesse Jackson

• VIP's/Youtubers need to remember that they are not the gods of the network, and that they are still adherent to rules and our staff's authority. 50k subscribers is not an excuse to develop a god complex. Poorly-behaving VIP's realize just how little influence they have once they break our rules and lose their rank because of it. We're happy to have you guys, we love working with you guys, and we are thankful for what you do, but you guys still have to behave yourselves.
• Competitive players need an injection of courtesy and sportsmanship. You can still be the best and NOT be a jerk about it. But to some people, being the best is an excuse to be a terrible person. It should not be like this. If I had the option to ban jerk players, I would. I'd personally prefer to have a small but polite server where everyone gets along, as opposed to a hugely-popular server of toxic players; at MCGamer, we try to walk the middle ground, encouraging good sportsmanship while maintaining our size.
  
• Clanners need to learn the above, and to learn the value of honest competition. Hacking, evading the rules, lying about scores, sabotaging other clans, abusing, flaming, trolling, and overall being nasty to each other is why clans have such a bad reputation (one that they're only now starting to overcome). Clans need to start enforcing their rules and punishing the bad apples (the Clan Staff is there to help), and they need to start holding themselves to the standards of the more reputable clans. Maybe then we can start doing fun stuff with the clan community, like official tourneys.
• Boosters need to remember that there's more to life than a number on a video game leaderboard. And it isn't worth the wasted time once we find you, punish you, and invalidate all the ill-gotten gains you've made.
• Hackers need to experience what it's like to play an unfair game where they're the victim. That's why I like the idea of hacking punishments forcing players to only be able to play with other hackers.
• Twitter-sphere needs to calm down. Seriously, even if we're announcing good news, everyone uses it as an excuse to use our tweet like a punching bag.
• Trolls just need to go somewhere else.
• And our playerbase... well, there the problem is that our playerbase is so varied that it's impossible for me to say just one thing. But if I could ask them to do something, it would be, "please try to work with us on what we can do, and understand why we can't do what we can't". Whenever we do things that people want us to do, there are always a contingent of nay-sayers who just have to bring it down, claiming that, "it will never work", or "it was actually my idea", or "this is stupid, you should focus on ___ instead!" We do good things, only to have it dismissed as a failure, thus discouraging the essential player-staff cooperation that could make the idea effective. On the flip side, people are always making suggestions/demands of us that the staff does not think is a good idea, and the staff is thought to be, "ignoring a good idea", "not listening to the players", or "just don't care anymore". Frankly, nothing is as simple as it appears to the players, who only have a skin-deep understanding of how the network operates. But to dismiss our opinions and assessment of an idea as purely malicious with intent to harm the community that we're working for... that's as ridiculous as it is insulting. Just because it's your idea doesn't make it flawless, and just because we remind you of that doesn't make us terrible people. The saying, "you can't please everyone" has never been truer.

There's much more I want to say. But I get the feeling that if I said any more, I'd be stepping out of line.

3. What qualifications were noted of me for the Community Manager Position?

1. He knew me and trusted me.
2. I was local, so communication could be direct, immediate, and frequent.
3. I had 8 years of prior experience with online gaming communities. My leadership of and experience in said communities was of particular note.
4. I was familiar with Minecraft. Was not emphasized, since we were never expected to play many games to begin with.

Locality and experience were probably the biggest selling points for him. Chad was specifically looking for someone to help him run the network's community side while he could focus on development. The locality helped with trust and communication, and the experience ensured that I had the skills to help run the network.

4. Necessary skills for Community Manager/Admin?
Funny enough, I actually wrote a doc for a job description for this particular position. (Hidden message: sad announcement in two months)

Here's the entirety of the skills section:

Spoiler: Necessary Skills

Necessary Skills

• A basic familiarity and experience with the video game Minecraft.
• Basic familiarity with computers and the internet.
• Strong people skills, including the ability to diffuse tense social situations, negotiate agreeable terms between parties, navigate complex political issues, and persuade individuals through use of rhetoric.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to work in the face of adversity, discomfort, and personal attacks.
• Leadership ability and personal initiative.

Secondary Skills (Skills that would help improve the effectiveness of the new Admin)

• Experience and familiarity with online gaming communities.
• The ability to communicate effectively to a demographic aged 12 to 18.
• Familiarity and Experience with Google Docs
• Doesn’t mind paperwork or rote labor.
• Familiarity with using the Xenforo forums framework.
• Willingness and ability to research topics within the network to formulate policy from.
• The ability to analyze subordinate’s strengths and weaknesses, and assign them to appropriate tasks available.

Desired Skills (Skills that are not necessary to the position, but would nonetheless be helpful in other Admin-related matters)

• Artistic ability with 2D computer graphics.
• Multilinguality in a language other than English. Turkish, Romanian, Russian, and Japanese are especially in demand.
• Programming ability, such as the ability to code in HTML, CSS, or Java.

Dang, Mooclan, you got me writing novels over here.
I hope it's helpful- or at least interesting- to you. Thank you for your great questions!

I wish I could like this post once for every section. Very smart and very true, especially in the two "flaws" section. I always enjoy reading your insight on topics like this and I fully agree with it.

 

[Atu]

Who do you think will be #1 on the leaderboards in 3 months
*Wink Wink* *Nudge Nudge*

 

[ALL1DO1SW1N]

Who do you think will be #1 on the leaderboards in 3 months
*Wink Wink* *Nudge Nudge*

Way to self center yourself xD?

 

[Beavis]

What do you think the future of MCGamer will be like?

 

[Joey]

But Col ;-;

 

[Col_StaR]

I SWEAR THAT ALL THOSE WHO HATH ASKED A QUESTION SHALT RECEIVE THEIR ANSWERS.

can u trickshot? please support ur answer with evidence.

And I totally look like that guy, too.

Would you like to play Paintball or Air soft with me?

I gave up paintball and airsoft a long time ago after an airsoft match I had with a bunch of my friends ended up getting the cops called. An airsoft gun doesn't feel so cool when cops with real guns show up.

Thankfully, I didn't lose my interest in airsoft or guns, and I didn't foster a hatred for police. Instead, it further reinforced an understanding an importance for gun safety and responsibility, one of the most important things that we- as an armed society- should always remember.

That's also the reason I can't won't FPSRussia. Is he even a thing anymore?

1. If you could change anything about the world, what would it be?
2. If you were Chad, what would you do in terms of changing/adding things?
3. What is your favorite anime and why?
4. Ten birds were sitting in a tree and a hunter shot one. How birds many were left in the tree?
5. What programing languages do you know?
6. What is your dream job?
7. If you could swap bodies with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
8. Which one do you prefer cats or dogs?
9. Can you say "Friendly fleas and fireflies" 10 times without saying it incorrectly.
10. Are you going to Minecon 2015 and if so will we be able to meet you?

1. I'd change certain aspects of humanity, especially some of the more primal natures that cause us issue in today's world. What's the point of in-group thinking, hormonal aggression, opinions-over-facts thinking, and the spleen anyways?

2, Honestly, if I were Chad, I don't think things would be much different. Everything that Chad can directly influence is basically as good as it can currently be, I believe. Everything that would/should be changed rely on other people to get done, but even in those situations Chad and I would most likely agree.

Now, if the question was, "If you were those people, what would you do?", the answer would be, "hurry the foxtrot up! The sooner, the better!"

3. I am not a fan of anime. The last thing I watched was High School of the Dead because a bunch of my friends were egging me on to watch it, and I straight-up walked out on them.

However, I was hoping to look into Cowboy Bebop, which has supposedly elevated beyond mere, "classic anime" status into something that everyone should watch at least once. My goal for the summer is to finally break into that series.

4. There are no birds left in the tree. The birds would have flown away from the gunshot.

Alternative answer: it depends on how many birds are struck and killed in the tree, but are caught in the tree as they fell. Depending on the proximity of the birds and the shot pattern, you could have quite a few birds stuck up there. It's happened.

5. I'm proficient in C++ and Java. I have some experience with Lua and SQL. I know the bare minimum of HTML.

I've actually got a summer project of mine with Java and SQL. I want to gather a bunch of information online about a certain site and its stories, push all of the data into a SQL database, and then run some statistical analysis on the data to determine statistics about the site and stories. It's my first steps with data analytics, and it involves MLP fanfiction (Considering how often I have brought that up here, I think have a problem. Or a morbid fascination...).

6. My dream job used to be a Community Manager with an internationally recognized gaming community.

Now that I've done that, I'd like to get into something related to computers and statistics; based on my work with the Hacker Recidivism Study, I realized I quite enjoyed both of those fields. Perhaps I'll get into data analytics for a company, though I'd like to work for the government too.

However, I've always wanted to work with the military, either within their ranks or as part of their operations.

Fun Fact: a sister's roomate's brother, whose family we stayed with in Seattle, is working on a real-life ammunition counter for firearms. He has a working prototype that he continues to develop with input from ex-military consultants, and the opportunities of his tech really excites me. Did I mention he's only 24?

7. I'd probably swap bodies with someone who is wealthy, highly influential, and has a permanent place with power. Give me some time to research my person.

However, what I'd do with that body would be obvious: use their amassed wealth and power to do some good in the world. Too many of the wealthy and powerful live to just be wealthy and powerful; the people whom they should aspire to be are the wealthy and powerful who use their wealth and power to make a positive difference in the world.

8. Dogs. Cats can be cute, but I realize that I enjoy their company a heck of a lot more if they behave like dogs.
So a cat that behaves like a dog is ideal, but if I can't have that, cut out the middleman and just go with a dog.

9. Yes I can, just did to get this answer. And it's honestly not that hard.

10. Unfortunately, I do not have plans to attend Minecon this year. Sorry.
If you want to meet up, however, stay tuned for an SF meet-up whenever we get around to doing it.

 

[Col_StaR]

THE LAST QUESTIONS!
THE END IS NIGH​

Who do you think will be #1 on the leaderboards in 3 months
*Wink Wink* *Nudge Nudge*

croe97 (How he is doing both gaming AND his Sr. Mod work is beyond me...)
Edog (He's back, and he's the last of the Top 3 players to still be playing. DO IT BRO!)

Realistically, however, if I were to bet money on who will be #1 soon, I'd need to do a lot more statistical analysis than pulling out names of people I know who are good. Maybe I can make a database program that tracks certain players' win likelihood over time, map their tendency to win over time to a function, and then use that data to extrapolate who would have the greatest number of wins after 3 month's time. (Statistics is for fun and profit!)

What? Were you expecting another answer?

What do you think the future of MCGamer will be like?

Oh man, this is a good question. And I can think of no finer question to end this AMA on.

Truthfully, I think the future of MCGamer really depends on how we, as a community, choose to act. Some people think that they are so small and insignificant that their actions do not matter; they are wrong. Other people think that they are popular and important enough that their opinions must be obeyed by sheer influence alone; they are equally wrong. But what neither side realizes is that their actions, if malicious or neglectful altogether, will define what happens to the network they play on now.

I may be an Admin with considerable power and influence, but I'm still one guy with a bunch of responsibilities on his plate. The Developers may be a team of highly skilled individuals with massive technical prowess, but they are still powerless to address many issues. Chad is the unquestioned owner and authority on MCGamer with absolute power, but his power is not infinite as it is checked by influences within the network, outside of it, and beyond Minecraft in general. And the playerbase, made up of players big and small from around the world, wield a tremendous power over this community, and yet they never seem to agree in how to wield it well.

On their own, none of these people or groups of people would be able to accomplish anything good: the network would simply splinter and wither away as neither group cooperates with the other. At the same time, if groups of people conspire to behave in a malicious or fool-hearty manner, then their actions will only hurt the community (maybe to their own benefit). One of the quickest ways for a community to die is to kill any semblance of community, be it through negligence, apathy, or malice.

If we let such poor behavior overtake us, to continue unabated without good conscience or action, then you can expect to see the life expectancy drop faster and faster with each passing minute.

But wherein disunity and malice will lead to ruin, unity and cooperation will lead to salvation.

In my eyes, the key to a successful community is to make sure that everyone and everything is working in cooperation for the benefit of each other. This is not a matter of, "you give me what I want because I'm of a specific role", this is a cooperative agreement between all strata of the network that says, "I will work hard for you just as you work hard for me, and we will both share the benefits".

• Administrators: we have to be ever-vigilant, perpetually listening, and always working towards a unified vision of what MCGamer deserves to be. Lift yourself out of the day-to-day grind to find a higher-arching goal that you wish to attain, and then start working moving heaven and earth to attain it.
  
• Developers: you guys need to keep up the good work, no matter how much it hurts nor how difficult it will be. You guys are the most professional group in the entire network, and as such everyone will hold you and celebrate you to such a standard as well. And never be afraid to innovate.
• Staff and Sr. Staff: we have a massive network and one of the largest staffs to boot, but we shouldn't let the numbers allow us to get complacent. The staff needs to be cooperative, receptive, and helpful to the players whom we all agreed to serve. But we also need to be cooperative, receptive, and helpful to each other as well, on top of making sure everyone is willing their fair share of work. Continued events and projects are great, too.
  
• And the players: you guys need to get yourselves together and behave yourselves. There are many good players who are beneficial of their own whim, but plenty more who put their own enjoyment over anyone else's. The greatest failure I see from the players is apathy and cynicism, where people will complain to legitimate issues, demand that something be done, and yet refuse to do their part in addressing the very issue they're complaining about. Whether it's toxic players, poor behavior, hackers, or technical issues, any good player should be expected to do their part alongside the staff to tackle the issues that affect us all; dismissing the issue as, "that's the staff's job" is the equivalent of seeing a small fire and refusing to put it out until the firefighters arrive (and by that time, the fire will likely be blazing out of control). Take some accountability, expect the same of each other, and understand the larger context of everything that's happening in the network. You have power, but you must find a way to wield it well.

If we can do that, if we can get all strata of our network working in unison for each others' benefit, then the future for MCGamer will be bright.

When I'm gone, that's what I hope to leave behind.
-----

I guess that's all for questions from my AMA page.

Thank you to everyone for participating, and I hope you all learned something about me, about the network, and maybe even about life in general.

 

[Edog]

THE LAST QUESTIONS!
THE END IS NIGH​

croe97 (How he is doing both gaming AND his Sr. Mod work is beyond me...)
Edog (He's back, and he's the last of the Top 3 players to still be playing. DO IT BRO!)

Realistically, however, if I were to bet money on who will be #1 soon, I'd need to do a lot more statistical analysis than pulling out names of people I know who are good. Maybe I can make a database program that tracks certain players' win likelihood over time, map their tendency to win over time to a function, and then use that data to extrapolate who would have the greatest number of wins after 3 month's time. (Statistics is for fun and profit!)

What? Were you expecting another answer?

Oh man, this is a good question. And I can think of no finer question to end this AMA on.

Truthfully, I think the future of MCGamer really depends on how we, as a community, choose to act. Some people think that they are so small and insignificant that their actions do not matter; they are wrong. Other people think that they are popular and important enough that their opinions must be obeyed by sheer influence alone; they are equally wrong. But what neither side realizes is that their actions, if malicious or neglectful altogether, will define what happens to the network they play on now.

I may be an Admin with considerable power and influence, but I'm still one guy with a bunch of responsibilities on his plate. The Developers may be a team of highly skilled individuals with massive technical prowess, but they are still powerless to address many issues. Chad is the unquestioned owner and authority on MCGamer with absolute power, but his power is not infinite as it is checked by influences within the network, outside of it, and beyond Minecraft in general. And the playerbase, made up of players big and small from around the world, wield a tremendous power over this community, and yet they never seem to agree in how to wield it well.

On their own, none of these people or groups of people would be able to accomplish anything good: the network would simply splinter and wither away as neither group cooperates with the other. At the same time, if groups of people conspire to behave in a malicious or fool-hearty manner, then their actions will only hurt the community (maybe to their own benefit). One of the quickest ways for a community to die is to kill any semblance of community, be it through negligence, apathy, or malice.

If we let such poor behavior overtake us, to continue unabated without good conscience or action, then you can expect to see the life expectancy drop faster and faster with each passing minute.

But wherein disunity and malice will lead to ruin, unity and cooperation will lead to salvation.

In my eyes, the key to a successful community is to make sure that everyone and everything is working in cooperation for the benefit of each other. This is not a matter of, "you give me what I want because I'm of a specific role", this is a cooperative agreement between all strata of the network that says, "I will work hard for you just as you work hard for me, and we will both share the benefits".

• Administrators: we have to be ever-vigilant, perpetually listening, and always working towards a unified vision of what MCGamer deserves to be. Lift yourself out of the day-to-day grind to find a higher-arching goal that you wish to attain, and then start working moving heaven and earth to attain it.
  
• Developers: you guys need to keep up the good work, no matter how much it hurts nor how difficult it will be. You guys are the most professional group in the entire network, and as such everyone will hold you and celebrate you to such a standard as well. And never be afraid to innovate.
• Staff and Sr. Staff: we have a massive network and one of the largest staffs to boot, but we shouldn't let the numbers allow us to get complacent. The staff needs to be cooperative, receptive, and helpful to the players whom we all agreed to serve. But we also need to be cooperative, receptive, and helpful to each other as well, on top of making sure everyone is willing their fair share of work. Continued events and projects are great, too.
  
• And the players: you guys need to get yourselves together and behave yourselves. There are many good players who are beneficial of their own whim, but plenty more who put their own enjoyment over anyone else's. The greatest failure I see from the players is apathy and cynicism, where people will complain to legitimate issues, demand that something be done, and yet refuse to do their part in addressing the very issue they're complaining about. Whether it's toxic players, poor behavior, hackers, or technical issues, any good player should be expected to do their part alongside the staff to tackle the issues that affect us all; dismissing the issue as, "that's the staff's job" is the equivalent of seeing a small fire and refusing to put it out until the firefighters arrive (and by that time, the fire will likely be blazing out of control). Take some accountability, expect the same of each other, and understand the larger context of everything that's happening in the network. You have power, but you must find a way to wield it well.

If we can do that, if we can get all strata of our network working in unison for each others' benefit, then the future for MCGamer will be bright.

When I'm gone, that's what I hope to leave behind.
-----

I guess that's all for questions from my AMA page.

Thank you to everyone for participating, and I hope you all learned something about me, about the network, and maybe even about life in general.

I gotchu homie, already topping daily leaderboard, now onto weekly, then to the big one.