Moderator Moderation!

[Annieone23]

Hi all! I am a HUGE GBATemp fan. I may not post much, but I lurk like crazy. On here every day, reading all the threads, for years now. Hope I don't offend anyone (too much) by posting this but... the moderator Guild McCommunist is a troll with a capital T. People are entitled to their opinion, just like I am to this one, but when it comes to her/his posts they are 90% of the time hate-mongering, member-bashing, and insipid anti-Nintendo posts.

People with all opinions, be it those who feel Nintendo has lost themselves amongst the crowd and those who adore Nintendo to this day or even the screwball Sony fanboy or Microsoft diehard, are welcome at GBAtemp. That much is agreed upon. Yet to claim that GBAtemp is not primarily a Nintendo-centric website, whose very roots arose out of (illegal) GBA rom sharing, would be ludicrous. That is also certain.

So everybody agrees this is a pro-Nintendo website, which aims to allow for civil fanboy's from other teams. So why do we have such an outspoken and ornery member of GBAtemp moderating important sections of the forum? It is one thing to have an opinion, but Guild McCommunist not only often inserts her/his opinion forcibly and unwarrantably into conversations, but said opinion touts an anti-Nintendo rhetoric. I feel like some potential discussion should be had, both behind closed doors and out in the forum as to Guild McCommunist's importance and affect within the community.

Putting aside his/her seemingly anti-Nintendo sentiments, his/her delivery of those opinions is imho detrimental to the community as a whole. Even if you think s/he is in the right, you cannot approve of the way she disregards and insults fellow forum users for their pro-Nintendo beliefs. Normally this would just constitute simple forum trolling, but I believe in this instance it goes beyond that. Guild is a forum moderator, s/he has a designated title, logo, and all the powers her/his status confer to him/her. S/he is a representative of GBAtemp. His/her opinions reflect upon GBAtemp, in a good or bad way. If other forum members see that the leaders of the site have such vitriolic opinions, than they will assume that is what this forum wants. People who love and adore Nintendo, who will camp out all night for the Wii U and salivate over the thought of a new LoZ, will be recalcitrant to post. People who see this forum bullying as par-the-course on GBAtemp and anti-Nintendo sentiments as approved of will be more encouraged to post. This not only creates, in my opinion, a more harmful environment but also changes GBAtemps dynamic. GBAtemp is always growing it seems, and always embracing new members/consoles/companies, but I don't think anyone of the old members wants to see this haven of Nintendo gaming and console discussion turn away from the company and products they love. Lets embrace the new, but not dilute our past! Guild is a harmful weed within the overall GBAtemp landscape, a troll whose bullying grows stronger and unfortunately legitimate due to his/her status on this site.

I understand that forum moderation is not only a thankless job, but an unpaid one at that. A job with potentially countless hours of work, and little to no reward. I understand that and I appreciate all the effort that goes into keeping GBAtemp humming. Thank you all!

That does not mean though that I will keep quiet about my opinion, or that I should. Just because Guild is a volunteer does not afford him/her the right to be abusive. No matter how passive-aggressive said abuse it. I want GBAtemp to grow, to flourish, and to always remain the bastion of questionable but knowledgeable Nintendo gaming that it has been and should continue to be. If this website dilutes too much, what would differentiate it from the countless other bland gaming blogs/forums out there? That hasn't happened yet, and probably won't happen, but it is still important food for thought as this site moves forward.

I don't particularly know what should ultimately be done about Guild's actions. I personally would not be remiss if I never saw him/her again on this forum, but that could be just me. I do think that, if they stay here as a moderator, Guild's outspoken nature should be curtailed. Maybe s/he is a great behind the scenes moderator, I don't know. But do we need an emissary of GBAtemp being on the frontlines with our members and insulting/bashing said members? I hardly think so. It not only lessens my opinion of Guild to see such actions, but my opinion of GBAtemp as a whole. Why would they not only allow this to continue, but seemingly reward it with important GBAtemp powers/status?

Ultimately, I think Guild is just downright rude, and seemingly oppressive of other members opinions. Especially pro-Nintendo opinions, on a website founded because of Nintendo and about Nintendo Co. and its products.

Hopefully this reaches the right audience, and hopefully I don't get too much flak for this. I love GBAtemp, very dearly. Note how I did not mention any specific examples by the way, and in fact I have never even commented to Guild or possibly even in the same thread as him/her afaik. This post was not born out of revenge or anything like that, it was born out of continued and annoyed disgust at his/her actions.

If I am correct I do not need to cite examples in this case. Maybe I am wrong, but I believe that this is not the first time Guild's actions have been brought to the moderators/sites attention. Frequent visitors to this site know what I am talking about, and I don't think I am at all alone with my opinion here. That being said, what must it take for action to be taken? How many complaints?

Does Guild's usefulness outstrip his/her polarizing and aggressive personality?

Annieone23
A concerned lurker/member.

EDIT: Guild isn't a mod, but a reporter. My point didn't relate to Moderation abuse, just the seeming approval of his/her actions as a member of the staff, no matter how minor. As far as the average user is concerned the GBAtemp hierarchy is a tad messy, not that it matters if it works.

Also feel free to disagree, I won't take it personally, nor should I. I just wanted to throw in my publicly discussable two cents, wanted or not.

 

[emigre]

But... I did that only because you said that you loved me

That was schlong...

 

[Rydian]

I personally love the guy. Trust me, I deal with more shit from some of the people who complain about him than I do him, and I am notably not exempt from his shit.

The report button is right down there v and we read every one of 'em.

The concern is the lack of action beyond post removal. He's still running in the forums doing the shit, so obviously action is not being taken.

As a normal example, let's say a user posts a ROM link and gets a verbal warning. They ignore it and post again and get a warn. Once more and a ban. We see this all the time (doubly so in pokemon flood times).

Yet how many times have Guilds posts needed to be moderated, yet he's still running around trolling?

 

[Guild McCommunist]

The concern is the lack of action beyond post removal. He's still running in the forums doing the shit, so obviously action is not being taken.

As a normal example, let's say a user posts a ROM link and gets a verbal warning. They ignore it and post again and get a warn. Once more and a ban. We see this all the time (doubly so in pokemon flood times).

Yet how many times have Guilds posts needed to be moderated, yet he's still running around trolling?

Not as much as you'd think?

There's a difference between a post getting reports for being anti-Nintendo or whatever and a post being genuinely offensive. I'm not stupid, I know I post stuff that's genuinely offensive from time to time and it gets removed and I get a sternly worded message from a moderator. I take those messages quite seriously.

I'm not running around the forums calling people retards, morons, cunts, faggots, whatever, I make a jab here and there about video games and people get offended. They're video games, deal with it.

Honestly you personally seem to get upset without clearly seeing the humor. Like the "Virgincraft" thread. I wasn't gearing it as some anti-Minecraft hate thing, it's fucking Minecraft. I think it's a shitty game but who gives a single fuck. I thought the video was funny due to how bad it was and posted it. It could have been about any video game and I'd have posted the same thing. Also it's the goddamn EoF. You literally went out of your way to get offended by it.

I criticize people's hobbies and poke fun at them. I don't see anything wrong with that. I get railed on here CONSTANTLY but I really don't care. I realize I do onto others what has been done to me and I accept it both ways. If you're getting offended because I poked fun at a video game you like, a TV show you watch, or the art you like, you need to get your priorities straight. If I'm caught criticizing someone based on their sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity, or disability, then I deserve whatever punishment comes. But if people are really getting offended over hobbies then people need to get their priorities straight.

 

[mthrnite]

The concern is the lack of action beyond post removal. He's still running in the forums doing the shit, so obviously action is not being taken.

As a normal example, let's say a user posts a ROM link and gets a verbal warning. They ignore it and post again and get a warn. Once more and a ban. We see this all the time (doubly so in pokemon flood times).

Yet how many times have Guilds posts needed to be moderated, yet he's still running around trolling?

With all due respect, you're not behind the scenes, and what's obvious to you is only obvious from your perspective. Of course, you're welcome to keep arguing about it despite that.

 

[WiiUBricker]

Well, I dunno about Guild's behaviour towards other people's opinions, but he was one of the reasons I got a PSP. So to me he is just a "PSP is awesome" guy.
Btw, your old avatar was better Guild.

 

[retKHAAAN]

I have not read the OP yet, but I can already tell this is going to be my favorite thread of the day. I only hope it doesn't get deleted before I can make my way through it...

 

[Rydian]

If your posts are getting removed, it's because your behavior in the posts is unacceptable. That should be a clear enough sign that you go over the line.

If you actually paid attention to verbal warnings, you wouldn't continue. You do, which shows you don't heed the warnings, and I feel you need to be officially punished so you don't continue.

 

[porkiewpyne]

I personally love the guy. Trust me, I deal with more shit from some of the people who complain about him than I do him, and I am notably not exempt from his shit.

The report button is right down there v and we read every one of 'em.

Oops you guys must surely hate me now... LOL

O__o

 

[PolloDiablo]

to be honest.... the Temp is divided in two places:
1. Were you can talk about: hacking, emulation, homebrew, flashcarts, retro gaming and that stuff. With staff members that contribute on a daily basis to that things (like Cyan, etc).
2. A place were people: discuss current gaming (aka "3DS sucks", "Vita sucks"), troll, joke and have fun pissing off people. With staff members that contribute on a daily basis to that things (like Guild, etc).

We have to be fair to the guy, he's not worse that the place he usually posts. Like VinvinMario have said, "All I ever see on USN is people bashing people". Some parts of the temp turned into a constant flame war, hate fest. So I guess you have the perfect staff for that kind of places.

Thank god there are still parts of the Temp were you can talk without entering a "Sony vs Nintendo" war every 2 seconds.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

If your posts are getting removed, it's because your behavior in the posts is unacceptable. That should be a clear enough sign that you go over the line.

If you actually paid attention to verbal warnings, you wouldn't continue. You do, which shows you don't heed the warnings, and I feel you need to be officially punished so you don't continue.

mthrnite and others know what crossing the line is. Everyone gets a post removal at some point, hardly all of them are worthy of a ban or anything past that.

With all due respect, to reiterate what mthrnite has said, you are not staff. Neither am I, but what you think is not important in this matter. The only opinions noteworthy in this matter are those of the staff. If there's an issue, it'll be dealt with by mthrnite or one of the many staffers.

As I said before, I'm not outright insulting anyone, I make a few jabs and that's been deemed acceptable. If you want to go to a Nazi police state forum I suggest GameFaqs.

EDIT: And for those who think that my current position on GBAtemp is "rewarding me" for my behavior, it's not in the sense you are believing it. I got my position for doing my job. I post news here, I post it rather well too if I may say so myself. You can disagree with me, ignore me, whatever, but I do the job that was given to me and it's certainly not a "reward" for being a "troll", more of a "reward" for doing the job appointed to me.

 

[Rydian]

I've had posts removed as well (and not just when I was part of a conversation that got snipped), and I generally listen and drop the subject or stop posting the way I was. In addition I'll often just tell a user they shouldn't do something instead of reporting them if it's something minor or one-time, as it saves them from a possible warn, and gives less trouble to the staff (one possible less report they have to deal with), 'cause I don't believe one-time actions really reflect a person either.

However the concern here is not just one or two of your posts, it's the fact that you continue to do this over and over.

 

[Fear Zoa]

Sometimes I feel like i'm the only sane person around here. Sure Guild can be a bit of a dick from time to to but so can everyone else. You don't need to take offence to it, just ignore it and report it if you feel that strongly against it. As for general behavior, gbatemp has truckloads of sarcasm, some people take it too far sure but most of the time its in good spirits.

Don't like someone? Ignore them. Find something someone said particularly offensive? Report the post and trust the staff to take appropriate action.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I've had posts removed as well (and not just when I was part of a conversation that got snipped), and I generally listen and drop the subject or stop posting the way I was. In addition I'll often just tell a user they shouldn't do something instead of reporting them if it's something minor or one-time, as it saves them from a possible warn, and gives less trouble to the staff (one possible less report they have to deal with), 'cause I don't believe one-time actions really reflect a person either.

However the concern here is not just one or two of your posts, it's the fact that you continue to do this over and over.

You're acting like at least 50% of my posts end in removal. That is not the case at all.

Quite honestly I'm not going to listen to your shit when I don't respect your opinion at all and your opinion in this case has zero weighing on my fate. I'll respect the opinions of those who determine my position and my membership to this site, not yours. You can complain about it but I won't give a single fuck and I think (if I'm understanding mthr's post in a slightly more crude manner) the staff don't give a fuck either.

 

[retKHAAAN]

A little bit of both.

I don't think it's legal in my state...

 

[Rydian]

With all due respect, you're not behind the scenes, and what's obvious to you is only obvious from your perspective. Of course, you're welcome to keep arguing about it despite that.

Missed this post earlier, my bad.

I don't have to look behind the scenes to know the results. Who cares if the manufacturing process for one pan over another is supposed to be stronger when it breaks first anyways? I don't doubt that he gets a talking to every so often, what I'm pointing out is that it's not changing shit, so obviously stronger actions need to be taken.

It's not like I hate the guy (I even bought him one of the indie bundles lately), but his trolling and attacks are out of hand.

and I think (if I'm understanding mthr's post in a slightly more crude manner) the staff don't give a fuck either.

That's one of my concerns here. If the staff doesn't give a shit about other staff members constantly trolling, then something is wrong here, and staff positions need to be re-thought.

Obviously if reporting trolling took care of the issue, then this thread wouldn't exist.

 

[Gahars]

If you can't discern hyperbole and jokes when they're made incredibly obvious, that is on you, not Guild.

 

[mthrnite]

I give a shit.

edit: I also give a fuck.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Obviously if reporting trolling took care of the issue, then this thread wouldn't exist.

Just because one member got his jimmies rustled because I say a few things about Nintendo doesn't constitute that there's a site-wide issue or that the staff here are secretly giving me doggy treats for mauling members like a goddamn attack dog. Staff know what's right and wrong on GBAtemp, that's why they're staff. If you did the same, you'd be staff. Blunt but honest.

 

[retKHAAAN]

If I were emigre, I'd be disappointed that this thread isn't about me...

 

[Hells Malice]

Guild goes overboard sometimes, but he's not a bad guy overall. Though he does enjoy a little too much, shitting on threads about things he has absolutely no interest in. Which is kind of annoying.
But who the hell am I to talk, i'm not exactly nice either.

There are far worse Bradxz members out there that are still around, I don't really see any reason to specifically pick on Guild.

Oh and I feel obligated to say, I laugh every time Guild is mentioned as being 'staff' just because he just has a reporter title.