Feedback Regarding GM Dorxenore etc.

[EveK]

Firstly, thanks to Enkrateia for following up on the couple of bits of feedback that warranted a closer look (in the past - I have seen no follow-up regarding this post).

It's also worth noting that the vast majority of the GM interactions I've had have been positive and that even the overwhelming majority of interactions that left a strong enough impression to merit me taking the time to make a post on the forums here have been praiseworthy.

All that said, it is not such an interaction that I'm relating with this thread.

Regarding ticket 6750719:

Issue was obscenity/offensiveness in public chat.

Two issues:

Firstly, although relatively minor, there was a technical/training issue regarding being able to reply to the GM. Whenever I tried, I just got the error message of "Unable to use chat." This is a first for me. I know /tells are not overtly an option while in a dungeon, but I've always previously been able to just type /tell gm dorxenore (for example) to reply. That did not work in this case. The GM even asked me if there was anything else they could assist with (presumably expecting me to be able to actually respond). I would guess GMs are able to control when the people they contact are able to reply and simply forgot to do that this time around, but I don't know how that works really.

The other issue is actually a more widespread customer service policy concern as Dorxenore has not been alone in voicing similar sentiments. Here's the relevant portion of the conversation today (player's name replaced with REDACTED for obvious reasons):

[6:34 p.m.][GM]Gm Dorxenore >> We highly recommend that you place and keep REDACTED on the blacklist and avoid any type of contact to and from REDACTED. This helps us monitor the investigation against REDACTED thoroughly and it is important that they stay in the blacklist.

And of course many of us have seen the usual copy/paste of:

"In the meantime, we recommend adding this player to your blacklist. To do so..."

With all due respect, this sounds like you want such incidents ignored rather than addressed. It sounds as if you simultaneously show an apparently-appropriate lack of faith in your own ability to prevent recidivism and that, rather than being grateful for such reports (since your own proactive efforts in this regard are evidently completely nonexistent), reports that are tantamount to players doing a large portion of your job for you, the policy is to insinuate that those reporting clearly-egregious behavior are somehow willingly victimizing themselves or are otherwise involved.

I, of course, don't know how much of this is any particular GM's actual choice versus more of a team policy, but that bit about a player needing to be blacklisted to "help you monitor the investigation" makes no sense whatsoever.

For the record, I know better than to feed trolls and am quite capable of ignoring them without also rendering myself oblivious to what's going on around me or becoming unable to actually do anything to resolve such issues.

Reminding people they have a blacklist option is great. Acting like it's mandatory is disturbing.

[EveK]

And thanks to Iluvoratin for eventually confirming the clarification of this:

[GM]Gm Iluvoratin >> I know we have discussed the blacklist feature previously but I just wanted to bring it up to ensure that you are aware of the different tools that are at your disposal. I want to add as well that the blacklist doesn't impede our investigations in any way so if you or a player that you recommend to submit a report for harassment ever adds a player then it won't prevent us from conducting that investigation.

[ArkNova]

For the record, I know better than to feed trolls and am quite capable of ignoring them without also rendering myself oblivious to what's going on around me or becoming unable to actually do anything to resolve such issues.

Cool that you know better then to fan the flames when you have a dispute with another player, but the GM never got your record saying you don't feed trolls.

[Sakuraluna]

[...] We highly recommend that you place and keep REDACTED on the blacklist and avoid any type of contact to and from REDACTED. This helps us monitor the investigation against REDACTED thoroughly and it is important that they stay in the blacklist.

I would assume that this is more because of some players' tendency to keep arguments going or try to bait the reported player into acting out, which could likely hinder the gm's investigation. It's likely not so much that having them on your blacklist helps further the investigation, but that distancing yourself from the situation after reporting helps keep the drama at a minimum which in turn helps those investigating make sense of the situation and come to a quick and reasonable resolution.