Guild Wars 2

I could probably post this on just about any gaming site, but I’m playing this game right now so I’ll post it here.

It’s a thought I’ve had for a long time and it may be a little right field but I’ll throw the idea out there anyways.

In so many games I play I’ve seen so much offensive behavior. And I’m not just talking about people swearing or trolling in chat, cause honestly I could care less about that kind of stuff. That’s what the mute button is for. I’m talking about people who are taking advantage of bugs and teaching it to other players, people who afk/throw pvp matches, people who are generally just a nuisance and are a toxic plague upon the gaming community.

What can we do about it as players currently? Report and hope someone does something about it. I mean it feels kind of like calling 911, then leaving a message. Maybe they will get around to it, maybe they won’t, and if they did ever get around to taking care of it you never even hear about the conclusion.

So I wonder why not take advantage of player base and promote some of them to some kind of GM status, or GM support. Obviously this would require a strong interview process and probably some form of agreement to sign. But wouldn’t it be great if maybe 1%, or even .5% of the players were able to possibly resolve in game issues themselves?

You would need good documentation, screenshots, chat capture etc… but I mean imagine if you were in a PvP game and some guy cries and AFK’s at the start of a match and BAM he gets smacked with a season ban from ranked PvP cause another player caught him. Or how about when you’re in a group and some guy is trying to show everyone how to take advantage of a bug to get more rewards from a fractal? SMACK, 1 week suspension from a player GM!

I can guarantee you people would be playing a lot differently and be way more cautious about their game play if they felt that anyone around them could be a hidden player GM.

It’s an idea, which could work, maybe not. I’d also probably put in that agreement somewhere that if you were a GM and caught abusing your powers your account would get suspended/deleted. But yah I think it would be pretty neat if something like this were around.

So you want to rule the community through annonymous fear like the Gestapo and KGB.

No ty.

If a player GM abuses their powers how would ANet make amends to the people that were sanctioned by the GM?

It reminds me the old batman with adam west.
SMACK
POW
BAM

I am some one who enjoys seeing self righteous people getting angry…

To the point they betray their public/online image of themselves of doing good and openly rave, frothing at the mouth because they are not actually the boss of everyone, and are in fact not even in control of themselves…

I think having visible “player” GMs only reinforces the power hungry and manipulative to seek the positions of GM…

Player GMs are a bad idea… how would you compel them to follow company policy across the anonymity of the internet? A suspension or ban isn’t that much of a punishment considering the potential credibility damage Anet could incur.

Anyone with that degree of power should be on Anet’s payroll.

STINKFISH.8791:

I am some one who enjoys seeing self righteous people getting angry…

To the point they betray their public/online image of themselves of doing good and openly rave, frothing at the mouth because they are not actually the boss of everyone, and are in fact not even in control of themselves…

I think having visible “player” GMs only reinforces the power hungry and manipulative to seek the positions of GM…

Meh like I said it’s just a thought. Not really sure if it would work or not. You would have to have a very strict interview process to be sure the right people were put into those positions.

In most games it just feels like there’s not enough policing and I always wondered what if someone decided to just advance some of the players to those positions of power.

I can tell you though I’d feel a hell of a lot better if I knew there were active playing GM’s who could be right around the corner ready to punish these toxic people at a moments notice rather than just reporting and hoping something gets done about it.

Stop promoting reports as useless people. You can stomp your feet all you want, but if there’s no record they can’t do anything. There’s no way to know for sure of course, but I’m almost positive the really bad eggs I’ve blocked and reported are either gone now or were warned.

You’re assuming a lot, and not helping your argument. I agree policing what people think is very detrimental, but those aren’t the kind of reports I make. Most of my reports are of gold sellers, back when they were a bit rampant. Now it’s just of the malicious trolls and people promoting hate speech.

Trolls fish for responses. Nothing about what they do should be supported. If you’re just talking about swearing, and bringing up dark things. I do that myself constantly in map chat. It’s what makes for the funny conversations.

I don’t think that turning a game into a military state is a good idea.
I think people should be able to have fun in a game, differing from work or the professional world, people should be able to let their hair down a little.
If what you suggest actually happens, the game will suffer from it.
If you see something that you think violates a rule, you can already report it. That’s the extent that I want players moderating each other.
One might say, for instance, that they report “malicious trolls and people promoting hate speech”. Good for you. Now leave it up to the game moderators to decide for themselves if the people have violated an actual rule or if they’ve merely offended one person (you).
Block people that bother you, report them if you think they’ve broken a rule, and move on.

Why would you want people to be ‘cautious’ about their game play? Freedom, even to push boundaries and be a bit of a kitten, is a good thing.

I don’t have an issue with anyone apart from gold sellers and account thieves.

what you are suggesting is turning a game into a military state and that is NOT a good idea!! that is just as bad as letting other things come into the game that anet will ban you for already !!

that is not what guild wars 2 is at all about .and something guild wars 2 can do with out fully . not only that but this is what gives the game a bad name and egg on the player base as a whole when people make these most foolish topic suggestions !!

let anet do the policing and them handle the game they are doing a good job for it and need no help in that matter

but if you see some one cheating or you think they are cheating report them and move on .

the day anet even thought about a foolish idea like this the player base I am sure will make it more than clear on how they feel about that idea !!

I think you all wasted to many words on a really silly subject. Well intended words, but wasted.

Oh yeah, everyone loves a Narc/Vice cop. And even more people love the idea of how to “police the police”. It already goes over so well in society as it stands. /sarcasm

Seriously, though this is the dumbest thing I’ve seen suggested. Anet already has this/does this with their employees to some degree.

wrathmagik.3518:

So you want to rule the community through annonymous fear like the Gestapo and KGB.

More like through actually enforcing the rules. There’s nothing to fear if you don’t break them, after all.

Still don’t think giving such power to players is a good move. Any their decision would have to be revieved anyway, so it wouldn’t really save any time or work for Anet. And might in fact increase it.

That’s without even considering the possible loss of prestige caused by even a few of bad apples in the mix.

Anet has poor coverage already. I would not trust this “community” to do anything related to moderation.

Other games have gone the route with player GM/Forum mods, etc. with varying degrees of success. However as others have pointed out, as unfortunate as it is, too often that little bit of power goes straight to their head.

id prefer anet not to give power to the ppl

There a reason why mods do this and not a random player. Yes, Pictures can show the misdeeds of another player however they also can be created in a way where it’s more favorable to the creator of the image by them leaving out things they may not wish others to see. An actual mod has the tools to check an whole conversation or even what happens within a pvp match.

Captain Obvious.6951:

I can guarantee you people would be playing a lot differently and be way more cautious about their game play if they felt that anyone around them could be a hidden player GM.

While I’m 100% against giving players GM authority, I’m not opposed to the idea of having players aid in things like this. (Think Everquest guide program), any disciplinary action would have to come from an actual GM and not a player. Some how playing a game where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone “might” be an “undercover GM” that will ban you because hes had a rough day and doesn’t like what you are doing really would not be fun.

Why not just hire some more GM’s ?

You know gms cost money right?

Were do you want them to take it from? less raids, less fractals, less open world content, less story?

Drecien.4508:

Why not just hire some more GM’s ?

Anet has already hired all the GMs in the world. They are currently moderating the forums to the best of their ability.

Linken.6345:

You know gms cost money right?

Were do you want them to take it from? less raids, less fractals, less open world content, less story?

oh really gms cost the game money ???? if that is the only problem . which is really not a problem that can be easy fixed . not only that but not at the cost of the game its self as you suggest . keeping and improving the game would be easy for the right person .and finding the money to make it all work well . lets say on that part with the right person money be the least problems the problem would be with the right people in the right spots and how long it take them to clean up the messy spots . before they could show improvements . with out saying a word at all . and the player base making posts

like wow when did this get fixed and how did that new thing get add to the game.

a post like that would be when you know you got the right persons doing their jobs well to the point they say noting at all and the player base makes forum posts like I just said

Putting the inmates in charge of the asylum is never a good idea.

WARIORSCHARGEING.2637:

oh really gms cost the game money ???? if that is the only problem . which is really not a problem that can be easy fixed . not only that but not at the cost of the game its self as you suggest . keeping and improving the game would be easy for the right person .and finding the money to make it all work well . lets say on that part with the right person money be the least problems the problem would be with the right people in the right spots and how long it take them to clean up the messy spots . before they could show improvements . with out saying a word at all . and the player base making posts

like wow when did this get fixed and how did that new thing get add to the game.

a post like that would be when you know you got the right persons doing their jobs well to the point they say noting at all and the player base makes forum posts like I just said

Of course GMs cost money, and for most solvent companies cost vs profit is a pretty important thing. So money isn’t really a problem at least not as long as the books aren’t in the red.

The real issue with getting “people in the right place” is.. Players WOULD ask for more; more of this more of that, you can’t please everyone all the time. So no matter what A-net does with GM staff, and new content, at least some portion of the player base is going to be unsatisfied.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Putting the inmates in charge of the asylum is never a good idea.

True, but we aren’t patients in an asylum, we are players in a game… Big difference. As I have said, I’m not a big fan of the secret police style of enforcement, but player assistance could be useful, like volunteer emergency service members.

Miku.6297:

IndigoSundown.5419:

Putting the inmates in charge of the asylum is never a good idea.

True, but we aren’t patients in an asylum, we are players in a game… Big difference.

LA map chat and the PvP lobby sometimes suggest otherwise, lol.

Captain Obvious.6951:

What can we do about it as players currently? Report and hope someone does something about it.

I once reported a trio that kicked me out of a dungeon at the end, before the final reward was given, just for the sake of gloating, even when they were all laying in the dirt at the feet of the final boss and I had to save the day by myself. What a grateful behavior (they were probably mad that I didn’t help them back up, but alas, you cannot rez three people while the ceiling is collapsing on top of you!).

Nothing was done about it, or at least that’s what the support’s answer suggested. So yeah, there need to be more options for in-game reporting. You can’t always go through the pain of taking screenshots etc., then open a ticket for this sort of issue.

We already sort of have hidden player gm’s. As the arenanet staff does play the game and don’t always rep their special tag. I’m sure we all have played some form of the game and have played with them and not even know it. I know i have in wvw.

Anonymous GMs exist in many mmo’s. It does not discourage poor behaviour

Player based GM is a recipe for disaster. I have seen it implemented before in an older mmo, but they were more used for advice rather than enforcement. Only an employee of the company should be dealing direct with unwarranted behaviour and issues in games

I don’t think it would be a good idea to give player GMs any actual power, any actual abilities to impact other player’s games. I do, however, see a space for player filters, players who are authorized to look through incoming player reports, and then sort them, flagging the ones requiring immediate attention so that official GMs get to it right away, flagging the ones that are worthwhile but not immediate (like a player is AFKing, he can be punished for that later), and flagging ones that seem unwarranted (so GMs wouldn’t deal with those unless they had nothing better to do).

They could also “clean up” the reports a bit, not erasing them or anything, the original should remain intact to prevent abuse, but adding “tr;dls” to some, or clarifying the original intent, maybe tracking down some context on a vague issue so a GM doesn’t have to.

Basically the paid GMs would be making the actual decisions, the player-support could accomplish nothing on their own, for good or ill, but the players could help to speed up what needs immediate action, and save the GMs a lot of time in parsing each request.

Odin the exiled.5764:

We already sort of have hidden player gm’s. As the arenanet staff does play the game and don’t always rep their special tag. I’m sure we all have played some form of the game and have played with them and not even know it. I know i have in wvw.

?

So…

Really?

So basically you are talking about corruption…
Good luck finding a solution to the worlds oldest vice.

People might think it is paying for a piece of the action if you follow me but really it is corruption.

People that allow weakness to crop up in their lives are often sources of corruption. You get enough in one place and it can get ugly.

It is up to those of us who are not weak to live in more equitable ways. You have a choice citizen.

You can live in the way you know is right and the way that is best for you and inclusive of others exclusive of them. The strong protect the weak against the tyrant where I come from, they do not become the tyrant.

Justine.6351:

Odin the exiled.5764:

We already sort of have hidden player gm’s. As the arenanet staff does play the game and don’t always rep their special tag. I’m sure we all have played some form of the game and have played with them and not even know it. I know i have in wvw.

?

There’s at least one video floating around with a cheater that tried to cap a keep in WvW using invulnerability/movement hacks, and found out that an Anet employee was inside, playing there.
Yes, some of the devs/gms are out there playing the game. It’s just that there aren’t that many of them (and most play in US)