Well now, this is rather a surprise, isn't it? I've said many times before that I've never wanted the position of Game Master, but here I am, applying to be one. Circumstances have changed...and while I'm still not sure whether I really want to be a GM, I'll promise to at least live up to the name and do my job as best I can.
Of course, being a true Game Master encapsulates more than just hacker patrol duties and rule enforcement. It is the role of a Game Master in the community to support new members, commemorate veteran ones, and meter punishments to troublemakers. It falls upon the Game Master to deal with every kind of person and petty problem on a regular basis, from cheery to sadistic, from bad to worse, and from trivial to monumental. Being an ideal Game Master requires a tremendous amount of patience, tolerance, and empathy, since it is ultimately the Game Master who acts as a role model and spokesperson for the rest of the community.
Do I claim to have these traits? No, not at all. I've known for a long time that power is something I would do better to leave alone. But I know that with two Game Masters now gone from our community, that the staff will be lacking an active person that can deal with multitudes of players day by day. If you approve, I would like to fill this position. While I cannot promise perfection without being a regrettable let-down, I can, as I've already said, promise to strive to give my absolute best.
(I hope in advance that you'll forgive my small deviation from the official application format.)
So, what's your name?My first name is Luke. In-game I am known as Angel, along with a multitude of mule characters that it would be pointless to list here, as I am not commonly on them. On the forum, I am (obviously) Angelx, and on the site's xat chat room, my IGN is Angel. I am rather easily identifiable in-game due to the fact that I have a male character that looks arguably female.
Alrighty then. Timezone?UTC - 5, Eastern Standard Time (Toronto). At the time this post was written, it was approximately 8:51 AM, and there was a minor rainstorm going on outside. As you can probably tell from my timezone information, I live in southern Canada, Province of Ontario, Toronto.
Not bad so far. Do you have any experience?I have not yet had the chance to become a Game Master for any version 1.11 MapleStory server. The last time I was offered the position, I declined it. The last time that I actually held a Game Master position was on a version 0.55 server, so quite a while ago. The name of said server was NightlyMS. Besides that, I have some experience with commands from my own test server.
What do you like about the server?Now that's a tough question. I'm not sure, really. I've tried many, many other servers before, and out of all the ones I tried, something in this server seems to fit me perfectly. What that 'something' is, I have no clue, but that's beside the point. I am at home here, and I enjoy my hours online, alternately grinding rebirths, idling in FM, taking part in events, and just plain chatting, whether with the staff or with players.
I also enjoy the more personal communication level that exists between the staff and the community as opposed to other servers, both exemplified by how nearly all of the players are united in a single guild, and by how regularly the staff interacts among the players. So overall, I guess you could say I enjoy the people here.
So what's the first thing you'd do, if you were given the job?Spend a full day learning the ropes. That means figuring out what all the commands are and how they work, devising a systematic process for hosting events, and overall ensuring that I would not be a let-down to the other staff. After that, then I would be ready to begin my duties as a full and active Game Master. For the most part though, I would prefer to remain on my player character and take a sideline approach, only switching to GM when necessary. I would, of course, always maintain an active presence when possible. I've already explained what I think of most of the tasks as a Game Master, and I can assure you I will take them all seriously (except, of course, when the situation calls for some fun!).
So what makes you different from everyone else?
And, why should you be chosen?Well, those two are really just the same question, so I'll answer both.
Without sounding downright self-centered, I can safely say that I possess a higher level of maturity than a good amount of the player base. I am also fortunate enough to know all the staff at least by name, if not by person. Besides that though, I have been one of the first players to join the server after the v1.11 move, and have quickly surpassed all but a few in terms of game knowledge, server-side logic, and understanding. Though I do not claim to be the absolute best player in the server, I do claim to hold myself with perhaps a higher dignity than most.
However, more importantly, I view the position of Game Master differently than do most other players. It is my belief that a true Game Master should view the job not as a privilege, but as a responsibility. To that end, a Game Master should always treat his position with the respect it deserves, and never allow his temper to get the better of him. A GM should never deny any community member the privilege of a calm and serious discussion without good reason.
As I have said time and time again, I have truthfully never sought the position of Game Master; I don't feel that I should be the one to handle all the responsibility. The only reason I'm applying now is because there is a vacancy that needs to be filled quickly, before the community falls apart without someone to help hold it together. GM AoiSora used to be responsible for that (and a very good job he did too), but now that he is leaving on hiatus, there will be a need for a replacement until he returns. I offer to be that replacement.
M'kay. One last thing; tell me about yourself!What, you mean besides all the info I gave out already?
Hmm, let's see. At the time of writing, I'm seventeen years of age, fluent in English, partially fluent in Traditional Chinese, also known as Cantonese. I'm reasonably talkative, sometimes quiet, and admittedly not always paying attention, heh. I try to help when possible, though I usually prefer to be working behind the scenes, reporting bugs, testing new features, etc. Keeping that in mind though, I will still maintain an active presence as required.
So, without much more to say that isn't redundant, that brings my (not so) little application to a close! I hope the staff will consider the possibility of my acceptance, and I look forward to seeing you all in-game, Game Master or not!
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot......To answer the last required question on the application format: Will I quit if I am denied?
Well, since I've expressed multiple times already that I don't really want the job (at least, not for the same reasons as most people), it should be obvious that I will remain here even if I am rejected. I've put a little too much time and effort into this server for it to be otherwise.
