Staff Complaints: How to improve the whistleblower system

[Veselka]

Hi there,

Currently, Staff complaints have notoriously lead to the "thin blue line", where it is rare that any punitive action or corrective action is taken with a Staffer that is complained about. Staff closes ranks and explains why certain actions were taken and so on. It discourages players from speaking their mind, particularly if they feel they are being singled out by one or another Staffer. Likewise, a Staff complaint is visible to the entire Staff team, even though only Producers can respond to and resolve them. This also discourages filing Staff complaints, as it can lead to passive aggressive (or just aggressive) responses from Staff being complained about.

I would suggest the following, in light of Shabago's post and promotion.

-Change the nomenclature of "complaint" to "Staff Related Complaint or Discussion". It isn't always a complaint, it's a wish to discuss something with the Producers regarding how they are being treated. The same is true with a Player Complaint — I would say people avoid filing these sometimes when the behavior they notice isn't something they would necessarily complain about, but still want to notify Staff about.

-Make Staff Complaints only visible to Producers. If they want to solicit feedback from a specific Staffer (even the one in question), they can do so outside of the request tool. This will discourage retaliation (even subconscious retaliation) and keep things much neater for players, and reassure them IMHO.

-Pledge to resolve Staff related discussions and complaints within 2 weeks of them being filed, with exceptions made for RL busyness. These should be a top priority request, as they are directly related to the optics of the game and the staff that runs it.

—

I've noticed a trend of posts like Shabago's, and then my interaction with other Staff being just as bad or worse than in previous years. It's kind of disingenuous and just makes me think "same old, same old". I've spoken with two players that have left in the last 2 RL months due to staff interactions in the game and outside of the game. That's really discouraging.

Something needs to give and change with Staff accountability, and j would posit if that doesn't change, it will really be the nail in the coffin for our shared hobby.   

[Lotion]

+1

[Ender]

I do not think there is an easy answer to make the process feel more fair to the player.  It is very difficult to build and maintain trust that complaints are being handled in the most fair and thorough way possible.

I think one thing that can be done is to re-evaluate the staff complaint helpfile.  Currently 6 of the 7 staff complaint rules are basically framed as accusations against the player, with the 6th rule detailing out threats of banning against players who abuse to the staff complaint request, yikes.  I'm worried such a confrontational set of rules over the years has done more to discourage legitimate complaints than it has at calming down upset players to more rationally frame their complaints.

For example the second rule states:

"Be polite and mature. While you may feel that you have been wronged, communicate in a polite manner. Name-calling and demands are unnecessary. Bring facts and let the Producers determine what needs to be done."

A better way of framing this may be:

"We understand that emotions can run high. Please remember that we are all people and try to be polite and factual in your report."


It is also mentioned in the helpfile that a player can request clarification on the process.  It would be better if this was just part of the process.  That to close out and resolve any complaint players should be made aware of what went into that decision.  A lot can be done to mitigate hurt feelings if this process is explained to the player.  Many times the game can be harsh and actions taken can feel personal, but having the veil lifted enough to let the staff know they do understand and sympathize with player feelings can do a lot.  Even if an In Character action was harsh, the staff can help reassure the player that they are not out to get them.

[Veselka]

For reference, here is the Staff Complaint Helpful:

Staff Complaint                                                       (Rules)

   Staff complaints are reserved for complaints against the staff of
ArmageddonMUD.  All requests filed in the request tool can be seen by
all staff members, but some requests limit resolution/modification to
certain ranks or higher.  In this case, staff complaints can only be
resolved or modified by a Producer.  There are three Producers for
ArmageddonMUD.  Staff complaint resolution is handled as a consensus
response.  Consensus means that two out of the three Producers must
agree on the course of action.

   Staff complaints are taken seriously by the Producers, and as
such, they may take a week or longer to resolve, depending on the
content and nature of the complaint.  However, staff complaints
should be taken seriously by players, as well.  Please review the
following rules for staff complaints.

Staff complaint rules:

   1.  Recusing.  If you have a complaint against a Producer, that
Producer will recuse themselves from resolving the complaint; you do
not need to request this.  If you have a complaint against more than
one Producer, understand that you are submitting this to a consensus
ruling that will involve at least one of the Producers about whom you
are complaining.  Fishing for the "right" Producer to answer a
complaint will not be looked on favorably; any requests of that
nature may be ignored.

   2.  Be polite and mature.  While you may feel that you have been
wronged, communicate in a polite manner.  Name-calling and demands
are unnecessary.  Bring facts and let the Producers determine what
needs to be done.

   3.  Be concise, and format your complaint.  If you submit a wall
of text or unsolicited logs, the Producers may request that you
reformat/resubmit your complaint, and they may not address the
complaint until that is rectified.

   4.  Be reasonable. A staff complaint is typically the final step

[THERE IS MORE, PRESS ENTER]

in communication with staff about a particular matter.  In this case,
you are taking a complaint to the leadership of the game, leadership
that is likely already familiar with the situation in question.  When
your complaint is resolved, it will be resolved in what the Producers
of the game determine to be a fair manner, taking into account the
rules of the game, the rules for staff, the situation in question,
and the actions and intentions of everyone involved.

   5.  Appealing.  If you are dissatisfied with the response to your
complaint, there is generally NOT an appeals process.  There are two
exceptions to this.  If you have new information to bring to light
about a complaint after it has been resolved, please e-mail the
Producers directly at producers@armageddon.org.  One of the Producers
will respond and let you know what to do at that time.  The other
exception is for clarification.  If you wish clarification on the response of a complaint, you may
file a Game-Related: Question
request to clarify.  This type of request can only be resolved by an
Administrator or higher, and in this case, any Administrator+ can
provide more details.  However, they will await Producer sign-off on
the response.

   6.  Filing a complaint because you do not like or agree with the
results of your previous complaint will result in a warning and
rejection/dismissal of the request on the first occurrence.  On the
second occurrence, you will face a dismissal and week ban on the
game/General Discussion Board.  On the third occurrence, you will
face dismissal and a month ban from the game and the GDB.  On the
fourth occurrence, the ban will become permanent.

   7.  The process for #6 above will also apply for complaining via
other request types or on the GDB because you do not like or agree
with the results of your previous complaint.

See also:
   Rules

Delay:

[ShaLeah]

the staff can help reassure the player that they are not out to get them.

Sometimes, Ender, they ARE out to get/fuck them and THAT is the biggest problem.

I cannot tell you how many former staff have told me how "Staff" feels about me.

My latest staff complaint was because my karma was docked when I wasn't even playing. Without having broken a rule. 20 years playing for me to have a 1 karma. If it's personal against ONE player the likelihood that it could be personal against more than one player are pretty good. You don't see players saying their feelings against a particular staff AREN'T personal. They absolutely are. The way that staff treats me, is definitely in the 'out to get me' category.

I don't think changing the nomenclature is going to do diddly, Veselka - while some staff complaints fall under "can we talk about this?" I would dare say MOST don't.  I'd change this suggestion to adding a "Can we talk about this?" category.

I'm going to comment more on this but I want to re-read it and I'm not in a rush to get out of here.  I'm late!

[Wday]

It doesn't help to file a complaint with staff.  I in the past have learned if you do the staff in complaint will answer and respond sort of cold and rudely. Then afterwards will load up npcs or active npc in a area to run you off and stop the rp. So best if you get a staff against you just play WoW or do something around the house for a month and let them all get off the pissy mood it is a free game anyway and maybe their real lives isnt going well.. Like to add that Shabg is the one reason I keep easing back in game. More then once they have listen to me and wrote back in a more calming tone and wording.

[Gentleboy]

When I put in a staff complaint and staff was on my side,

they had told me I was right on the matter and that was all. I didn't get an apology and I just felt empty.

The comment that hurt me and embarrassed me is still on that clan forum to this day, so everyone can see it too.

I have felt unheard a lot of times in the past. But, in reports and requests and questions I mention to staff that I am sensitive. And I try to put that across and they've been very respectful about it. I think sometimes our tone can also be pretty abrupt and cold. But, when I have been genuine and tried to state that, staff seems to appreciate it. I am a very gentle boy, you see.

[Strongheart]

I too have experienced dismissive, nowhere requests even when I use a polite or civil method of getting something across. It's unfortunate that only recently have I been snippy with my textual tone to staff due to the more than of a handful of occurrences that were just plain rude responses. Sometimes I get responses from a staffer who didn't actually read what I was talking about (that's actually the most common response) the worst part is having a request closed by a staffer before you get to even discuss anything.

So pretty much just a +1 to those above me.

[Dar]

I am kind of curious on how this will go. Had my share of disagreements as well. Old and new. It is my hope that the recent threads regarding grievances and the like have been heard. Now we'll need to give it a bit of time to see if there is an actual effect.

[Is Friday]

I would feel more comfortable with returning to the game if I could select my staff if I happened to be in the sphere of someone I don't want to do business with. People do this in other games and I don't see why not here. I think being apologetic is great for both staff and players who have acted inappropriately or made mistakes - but that doesn't change how someone feels about another party automatically. There are staff who do not want to work with me and there are staff I would choose not to work with. Having this option as a matter of policy would be beneficial to everyone.

It would alleviate a lot of problems to have built-in flexibility like that for leaders or reporting players.

[Shabago]

We'll start off the the OP.

Currently, Staff complaints have notoriously lead to the "thin blue line", where it is rare that any punitive action or corrective action is taken with a Staffer that is complained about.

While this may or may not have been factual before my rejoining the team, this assessment is defunct at current. I know this, as two staff members have outright left the team after having action taken against them. Further, there have been the same "bans" on staff that players incur when they're out of line and carry the same warning from me. If some unwarranted nastiness takes place, I have no issue revoking a staff members ability to deal with that player(s), stating an apology is needed, having them leave the game for a day or two to cool off from their own frustrations - or all of the above. So, I'd ask - per my post - that the hand that was extended is taken and we move forward, in place of assuming the worst in one another and/or dragging up the past that can't be fixed.

Staff closes ranks and explains why certain actions were taken and so on.

I'd be happy to discuss if this happened to you, directly, in a request. Otherwise, hearsay, inability to see either side or what was actually done or said by 3rd party accounts and so on is once again, assuming the worst and or lacking the facts from either side. Which, if 3rd party, no one has a right to know or see. Yes, we're aiming for transparency, but not at the cost of individual player privacy. Ups and downs to each of this, with one of the biggest downs being exactly this sort of belief. Staff have no recourse to public what took place and why in almost each case and thus - whatever it put out by an angry party is default truth.

It discourages players from speaking their mind, particularly if they feel they are being singled out by one or another Staffer.

Perhaps the pre-held belief that the above two things were true (when not) is discouraging. Again, assumptions. This sort of belief or posted statement by one player, claiming knowledge of all players, already handcuffs both sides of the divide. Seeing as the wording here is "Being singled out", the conclusion is already made before I've even touched it. Not very fair, while attempting to give anyone and everyone that fairness, back.

Likewise, a Staff complaint is visible to the entire Staff team, even though only Producers can respond to and resolve them. This also discourages filing Staff complaints, as it can lead to passive aggressive (or just aggressive) responses from Staff being complained about.

The help file needs updating - both because of Enders post below and because it's not 100% accurate any longer.

- Admins can resolve complaints over Storytellers.
- Producers resolve complaints over Admins, or when a complaint is elevated by an Admin on a storyteller.
- Producers may also step in when anyone on the team recuses themselves by bias or involvement.

As to the rest of this point; could it lead to some manner of hurt feelings on the team? I suppose, if it was a particularly nasty attack rather than anything constructive. (They do happen, emotions are had on both sides). The portion of passive aggressive or aggressive responses is false. The staff member being complained about is not permitted to address their own complaint. Further, these things are tracked in the request tool TO hold staff to account. They are very easy for producers to review and, if any sort of behaviour is observed that isn't appropriate from the team at large, step in to address it.

The premise that we're all going to hate on you because you (general you) put in your take on a situation is frankly sad to even hear. We don't. Simple statement, which is open to everyone to believe or not and if 'not', I'd encourage you to try and see what sort of result you get, in place of more assumptions. Lastly, on this point, it's an open request so a team consensus can be had. Certain storytellers may have seen something that a producer has not, and bring that to our attention. This way, we get the most informed, complete picture of what has occurred, before making any decision or taking action.

I would suggest the following, in light of Shabago's post and promotion.

-Change the nomenclature of "complaint" to "Staff Related Complaint or Discussion". It isn't always a complaint, it's a wish to discuss something with the Producers regarding how they are being treated. The same is true with a Player Complaint — I would say people avoid filing these sometimes when the behavior they notice isn't something they would necessarily complain about, but still want to notify Staff about.

I'm not a web coder, so I can't promise this will happen. Do I see the merit in it? Sure. I get it. I can also reassure the player base at large that the team simply doesn't read requests "that way" - it's a title. A means to filter where it goes in the request tool. I don't see a "Complaint" in the tool and default to "Oh, god, now who did what? - It's feedback. That's it. Player or staff "complaints" just don't carry that automatically bad vibe for us. So, please, if that is a reason you're avoiding submitting something - put it in.

-Make Staff Complaints only visible to Producers. If they want to solicit feedback from a specific Staffer (even the one in question), they can do so outside of the request tool. This will discourage retaliation (even subconscious retaliation) and keep things much neater for players, and reassure them IMHO.

Addressing above, but to point form on this portion:
- Not codedly possible at present.
- Not conductive to getting all the facts and the big picture from everyone, as Producers aren't on or see it all.
- The person accused has a right to justify their actions, just as any player would when we open a request to them on something seen that is considered inappropriate.
- Any sort of retaliation taken is painfully obvious and easily tracked by the nature of the tool and will result in consequences to the staff member.

-Pledge to resolve Staff related discussions and complaints within 2 weeks of them being filed, with exceptions made for RL busyness. These should be a top priority request, as they are directly related to the optics of the game and the staff that runs it.

Agreed on priority and optics. I'll do my best to meet that time line, or even sooner, as they come to "my desk".
—

I've noticed a trend of posts like Shabago's, and then my interaction with other Staff being just as bad or worse than in previous years. It's kind of disingenuous and just makes me think "same old, same old". I've spoken with two players that have left in the last 2 RL months due to staff interactions in the game and outside of the game. That's really discouraging.

Vaguebooking and impossible to address and thus, a bad faith argument that only serves to hurt the community at large. That was in my post, as well? I have said and will continue to say that if there is any issue, please report it and it will be given a proper review. This is from the individual - in this case, your own observations. "Other players" is 3rd party and further impossible to address. If they want their concerns heard, submit and it will get a proper and fair review. The wish for a better, positive community is still the goal and will continue to be the goal - but I can't do that by "I heard" or "I noticed" without any sort of details or facts to go on. This is akin to staff going. "I heard you broke a rule while I was off. I didn't bother to check the logs - you're now karma docked." - Not really fair?

Something needs to give and change with Staff accountability, and j would posit if that doesn't change, it will really be the nail in the coffin for our shared hobby.

It has. That's why I posted. Defeatist attitude, pre-held belief of outcome based on years old conduct, blind faith in 3rd party hearsay, failure to even give the staff team a chance to address concerns and continued vague-booking on how bad things are or will be without even trying to work with me (and the team) on the directive given is what will lead to no change for the players that do so.

I can't fix something broken if I don't know it's broken. So, in closing, I again ask that the honest attempt is given to work with me/us, try to stop believing the worst, and help make the community better for both sides.

[Aromit]

I can understand this feeling of some thin blue line, we're a team and we definitely don't air out our business or discussion in a public forum and often you only see the united front and final decisions. Despite the friendships and camaraderie we have over a shared passion, there's not a member on the team I wouldn't call bullshit on and they pay me the same respect. I've requested a ST take a lap when things got personal (when I was a ST), I've requested the same from an admin above me when a players actions particularly upset them, I've recused MYSELF from handling a player I felt I couldn't handle without bias and over my years on the team I've seen other staff do the same. We are quite open in how we talk to one another and police one another, this remains true when nobody is looking and it certainty remains true in regards to staff complaints/player complaints. But please, don't hang some grievance from a decade ago over the head of a team that wasn't here to address it, this team is doing amazing things with an energy that I hope is visible to the playerbase.

[Veselka]

I can't fix something broken if I don't know it's broken. So, in closing, I again ask that the honest attempt is given to work with me/us, try to stop believing the worst, and help make the community better for both sides.

I'm heartened to hear that the nomenclature of the Staff Complaint/Feedback would be considered, along with the rules in the helpfile, to better encourage this current/next generation of players to be more forthcoming with Staff/Producers when they have a shitty experience. That's all I was really pushing for.

Yes -- It will take time to unlearn what has basically been years of expecting Staff to close ranks and jump down your throat if you bring an issue up or file a staff complaint. Like you said -- It's probably best not to dredge up the past, but sometimes, the past kinda clings to you.

I had a recent event this week (and actually over the last 2 months) that I've hesitated filing Staff Complaints over, because it presents a negative attitude (Here's a player who complains about Staff, sigh, let's pass on future roles for them), creates a feeling of us vs them, and overall generates a sort of negative black cloud over the role in general. Instead I've been grinning and bearing it and just trying to focus on the positive stuff. But that doesn't seem...I don't know. Correct? I feel that if a Staffer is being a rude dude, a player should feel confident to point it out to Producers. But even by nature of this response, I feel the tone is "You're presenting dishonest bad faith arguments, I don't really believe what you're saying, show me some evidence and I'll think about it", which is...

Kind of the way it's always been.

[Jihelu]

"I've noticed a trend of posts like Shabago's, and then my interaction with other Staff being just as bad or worse than in previous years. It's kind of disingenuous and just makes me think "same old, same old". I've spoken with two players that have left in the last 2 RL months due to staff interactions in the game and outside of the game. That's really discouraging.

"Vaguebooking and impossible to address and thus, a bad faith argument that only serves to hurt the community at large. "

Is it really impossible to address?  You can comment on it in a way that's more neutral while acknowledging an issue (Or better yet, a 'possible' issue). If I have a friend message me 'Yeah I'm done with Arm cause so and so staffer is being a dick to me' does that mean I have to just never mention it ever again and hope my pal takes time out of his day to go put in a request that only staff will see for a game he doesn't intend on playing again?

I'd also say it definitely doesn't 'only serve to hurt the community'. Worse case scenario is that those people are just salty about some situation in game and defaulted to staff as being the issue. But I doubt multiple people are coming together for a conspiracy theory of 'lets all message current players and tell them staff is bad to destroy the game!'. We also have people in this thread and others talking about past experience and current experience. How far back does an experience have to be that its a bad faith argument and 'is holding back future growth'? How much 'hearsay' do I need, also lets keep in mind we aren't 'allowed' to see other peoples requests and what not, to hear before it's more than just hearsay and people are actually upset about something and disillusioned by the system.

" "I heard you broke a rule while I was off. I didn't bother to check the logs - you're now karma docked." "
I wouldn't really say these are the same thing. I also feel if staff is constantly 'hearing' about rule breaking that's cause for concern, either someone is actually breaking the rules or someone is actively out to get someone. The latter parts of this quote also have nothing to do with anything. "I heard from 3 close friends that this staffer was impolite and it caused them to leave the game " =/= "We've removed your karma without discussing it with you". One of these is a punitive action taken by a position of authority and the other is a possible reasoning behind a choice to leave the game.

A lot of the response sounded like what Veselka mentioned but I'll add my own 2 cents: "Your arguments are wrong and you don't know anything, go ask the people who aren't playing the game to get in touch with staff (And only us) so we can verify ourselves that we did nothing wrong"

[dumbstruck]

I'd be happy to discuss if this happened to you, directly, in a request. Otherwise, hearsay, inability to see either side or what was actually done or said by 3rd party accounts and so on is once again, assuming the worst and or lacking the facts from either side. Which, if 3rd party, no one has a right to know or see. Yes, we're aiming for transparency, but not at the cost of individual player privacy. Ups and downs to each of this, with one of the biggest downs being exactly this sort of belief. Staff have no recourse to public what took place and why in almost each case and thus - whatever it put out by an angry party is default true...

The premise that we're all going to hate on you because you (general you) put in your take on a situation is frankly sad to even hear. We don't. Simple statement, which is open to everyone to believe or not and if 'not', I'd encourage you to try and see what sort of result you get...

- The person accused has a right to justify their actions, just as any player would when we open a request to them on something seen that is considered inappropriate.
...

Here are a few things that stand out to me, imagine the above as a numbered list because I am on a cell phone and can't quote things individually with any ease.

1. It seems like from the way you are talking that a lot of problems between players and staff are being hidden disengenuously under the guide of player privacy and some searching of the boards has shown multiple times where players have asked that staff respect THEIR wish to give UP their privacy so that they can show evidence of wrongdoing rather than having it be dismissed out of hand as hearsay, and staff refusing to respect that while claiming it is for player benefit rather than staff benefit.

2. I realize it relies on the "hearsay" of believing other players but... Haven't like multiple people already in this thread talked about the types of response it engenders and the problems has had, the least of which being that it was just dismissal, if not also coldness and rudeness and sometimes including retaliation? (strongheart, wday, gentleboy, shaleah)

3. Alright, how often do players who put in staff complaints have a chance to back and forth or defend their position once it comes under debate? Does it just go typically blank on their end while staff all talks about it as a team behind their backs and promises to be fair about it... But it's not just hearsay from staff. Like, you want us to assume anything from other players is hearsay but anything from other staff is true. I just want to be sure that I have that right.

4. I mean... You didn't have a point four but I do: Your lack of transparency is hurting you. Stop hiding behind the pretense that it is to protect players when it very much appears to be doing the exact opposite. Not only harming them but the game as well. I am not saying to air everyone's laundry. I am saying that when someone wishes to waive their right to privacy to defend themselves or make a point about problematic behavior, refusing them that only makes you look worse and hurts them more, resolving nothing.

[Halaster]

I am saying that when someone wishes to waive their right to privacy to defend themselves or make a point about problematic behavior, refusing them that only makes you look worse and hurts them more, resolving nothing.

It is so very rarely just about them.  One side of the 'argument' might want to waive their privacy but that doesn't mean everyone involved does.  Airing the whole thing may also give out IC events we don't want to give away and ruin plots, etc.  But when would a person need to publicly defend themselves in the first place from a private request sent in?  Those are not made public so there's no reason to publicly debate it.  That's what this conversation is about, unless I'm mistaken - submitting complaints about staff.

Really, this is no different than a company HR department who takes in complaints.  ALL requests remain private for both the person filing the complaint AND the person being complained about.  Sometimes accusations can be pretty serious and until those are proven either way, it can damage someone's reputation.  There is no reason to change that.

[Dan]

A 'blotter' may help.

Staff complaints received: 0
Staff complaints resolved: 0
Satisfied with resolution: 0
Unsatisfied with resolution: 0

Player complaints received: 0
Player complaints resolved: 0
Satisfied with resolution: 0
Unsatisfied with resolution: 0

Staff kudos: 0
Player kudos: 0

High trend issues this week: Rude, favoritism, etc.

Steps taken to address these issues were... etc.


This would at least show trends to the greater community at large. Seeing zero staff complaints over a long period but hearing how someone is upset at staff takes the air out of that argument. Alternatively, seeing thirty staff complaints and no resolutions would indicate a larger problem. Seeing a churn of a few complaints and resolutions points toward an active approach to handling concerns.

[Jihelu]

It would help but assumes people trust the process and trust that there's a reason to use it.

We've got people in this thread discussing how their complaints did little to help.

[mansa]

In my opinion,

Having only the producers see the complaints would prevent the other staff from seeing what their coworkers are doing, and I think that would be a terrible idea and put more strain on the relationships between producers and the rest of the staff.
-> Because ALL active staff members can see ALL complaints ever raised in the request tool.
There have been over 100 players of this game who became staff members of this game.  The request tool is used to track these incidents, and keep a historical record for any current staff member to look up.

::like an uber rating::



I could spend some time to rewrite/polish the Staff Complaint helpfile, and see if Shabago/Any Producer would be willing to update it.

[Dan]

It would help but assumes people trust the process and trust that there's a reason to use it.

We've got people in this thread discussing how their complaints did little to help.

Then either a) they have to trust the recent position changes and Shabago's acknowledgement post something is being done now that wasn't previously or b) find a way to stop harboring old issues and trust the new processes, or if still affected c) send in a complaint saying they don't feel their situation is resolved.

It sounds like people are getting little feedback on exactly how/what is being done to address their complaints and leave the process unsatisfied at the response? Is that accurate?

[Jihelu]

Something like that. From my perspective this entire posts reception by staff was a large response of 'no, no, no, bad faith, no' which seemed counter to shabagos entire post.

[Usiku]

Right now we have a team who genuinely cares for this community, advocates for players and wants to try and make right how we all communicate and play together. Something to keep in mind is that caring folks are often quite sensitive themselves, and when you are putting in 30+ hours a week (on top of day jobs) to support the game for the benefit of the players then having to read how little faith the player base has, how we are disingenuous, how we are bad people out to get them or simply how we're just not doing enough.. well, honestly, it's utterly and completely exhausting and it's emotionally draining and it makes it really really hard to keep your chin up and keep going. It also makes it harder to be patient, and thoughtful and considerate when you're constantly being bombarded with negativity. Please also remember, there are two sides to every story.

As for Shabago's response, it isn't counter to his original post. He took the time to reply, and openly and honestly so - that is transparency. All we can do is try and tell you guys the truth. We don't close ranks. Complaints are taken very seriously. Staff who behave inappropriately get course corrected and when a complaint highlights an issue with our stance or procedure we often spend hours if not days debating and figuring out how we can improve. Are we perfect all the time? No. But we are always striving to do better and do the right thing for the game and community. We also hold each other accountable and check each other all the time.

So, I would urge you to give us a chance, play the game, if you have a complaint, try trusting that Shabago means what he says and submit it. Until you do that, you won't actually know whether the process is worth it. And maybe we can try taking a breather from GDB threads that seem to focus on tearing into the staff, because.. well.. it's actually really hurtful and discouraging and the more energy we spend trying to convince you that we do care the less time we have to animate the world, build awesome things, plan out new plots, read your reports and support your stories.

This thread has just about taken all my spoons.

[Hestia]

I'll just agree with Usiku on this. They put my thoughts on the matter very well.

[Brokkr]

We've got people in this thread discussing how their complaints did little to help.

I am still thinking about my response here. I did read the above and it engendered a question in return.  What are you, as a player, expecting the outcome to be from a Staff (or Player, for that matter) complaint?

I am not sure if my expectations of the process are the same as yours or not.

[Riev]

We've got people in this thread discussing how their complaints did little to help.

I am still thinking about my response here. I did read the above and it engendered a question in return.  What are you, as a player, expecting the outcome to be from a Staff (or Player, for that matter) complaint?

I am not sure if my expectations of the process are the same as yours or not.

As a player, I would expect more than "Your Staff Complaint Request has been resolved". I would expect less than a paragraph detailing all the people you talked to, the runlogs you looked at, and the attitude of the staff/player involved.

• "We have looked into this situation, and you missed <x> part where <y> happened."
• "We looked at the runlogs, and have spoken to those involved."
• "<staffer> did not understand the scene the same way you did, and as a result, may have come off harsher than intended."
• "While we do not condone the actions of <person>, here is <some edited leadup to the event>. We hope this allows some closure to the situation.