What is a GM?

[yhjuiioklko]

Well, personally, I think a GM does not have to be age-qualified but common-sense qualified. I mean, a GM is very much like a judge right? In some circumstances, GM's have to be impartial and be able to handle problem players patiently and not sound too arrogant xD. Being a semi-GM, I was mostly criticized on my ability to socialize. This includes getting new players, getting them to stay, and making new challenges for high leveled players to face. I think a GM is most easily compared to a teacher and such. What do you guys think?

[Chemical Crush]

GMs should be knowledgeable on what they were hired to do.

You wouldn't want a support GM to know nothing about the game, what if you have a question and the support GM cannot answer it?  Whats the point in him being a support GM if he knows nothing about the game itself?  Admin is the one I really look to, not only should they be knowledgable about the game but they should know how to fix problems / bugs that arise.  They should be stern but also easy to talk to.  They also should take their 'job' seriously.  No pokin around and not takin your server seriously.  I've seen this too much where Admins are concerned.  That or they'll get GMs to do their job for them and have nothing really to do with the server, except the money.

[Nomi]

GMs should be knowledgeable on what they were hired to do.

You wouldn't want a support GM to know nothing about the game, what if you have a question and the support GM cannot answer it?  Whats the point in him being a support GM if he knows nothing about the game itself?  Admin is the one I really look to, not only should they be knowledgable about the game but they should know how to fix problems / bugs that arise.  They should be stern but also easy to talk to.  They also should take their 'job' seriously.  No pokin around and not takin your server seriously.  I've seen this too much where Admins are concerned.  That or they'll get GMs to do their job for them and have nothing really to do with the server, except the money.

While a player with experience and a player who has played the server you work with would be the first to hire, the point of having something like a GM is because they're able to aid with situations that normal players can not. Donation issues, disputes (if such a thing like jail, mute, kick, etc would be needed), or the like. The issue is though, you can't always go mainly off of "How much experience with RO does this player have?", because that player may not be good with the community as you would like.

You need to weigh the pros and cons when it comes to things like "Who is on staff" and "Would this person be good for our team?".

What also needs to be kept in mind is the majority of the time, the player may not have been a GM before. So even if they knew something about the game, you're still in the trial stages of tutoring that player to benefit the server. xD

[Strudel]

Age restriction makes a lot of sense, people can act more mature and not freak out over every little thing that's happening. Which tends to happen with younger players.

[mqiu]

Age restriction makes a lot of sense, people can act more mature and not freak out over every little thing that's happening. Which tends to happen with younger players.

Problem is sometimes there are those that suppose to be as wise as their age, but they don't act so.. (Childish, emotional, keep getting into fight with players, unfair treatment) while we actually expect them to know better at their "matured" age.
These people are the ones that put a bad sentiment toward GM in general.

[Triper]

Actually I find that a bit pointless since I know some people since their 5 years and have now 8 and are still more mature then some grown ups lol Actually I think that making stress tests to them is way better then that.
Get GM into a trial, double a random char with a stupid name, don't give ip check commands to the gm and annoy him to the extreme and check how he acts lol Just act as if you're going AFK or log out at the GM char 8D

[DavionFuxa]

To some extent it really is a mixture of both. A Game Master is someone given a title in your game and it doesn't really matter what position they hold. When something goes wrong, players will turn all their attention to any Game Master they see. They don't even have to have any powers, you could just make someone a Game Master in name and that would be enough to start causing problems

Now generally, there is nothing wrong with some kid being a Game Master, but if he makes a mistake or if people don't agree with some action he undertook then they may construe that the belief it was because he was immature. Note that even a powerless Game Master has the power of words and all he has to do is just say one wrong thing. Also keep in mind someone just coming to the server may already have a negative preconception of young Game Masters which you can't help but you can avoid if you don't make someone too young a Game Master. If someone is older then people will naturally and stereotypically respect them more; especially if they are a Game Master.

This isn't to say that you should pick anyone to be a Game Master. Common sense is also important, as is work methodology and the ability to work under pressure. Though in hindsight of my own experience, these matters tend to be less important to the makings of a good Game Master then the personal facts about the Game Masters themselves. If the person is an idiot, then they shouldn't be a Game Master, else anyone with some ability to follow a rule set handed down by a Admin can follow that instead of making a decision based on his own common sense. A Game Master that actively shows up, does his work, and helps keep the server running smoothly is great; if they fail to get on the server, aren't doing any work, or are impacting the server operations then they probably aren't a good fit for the position. Sometimes s*** hits the fan and a Game Master might lose his cool, I doubt anyone would get seriously mad at this unless the Game Master has some anger issues or something really damning.

Of course, everyone who applies for the job should be tested for their qualifications. Ample time should be taken and there shouldn't be some prescribed time limit given - the intern Game Master becomes the full fledged Game Master when the Admin believes they are up for the task. This doesn't mean they should be kept in limbo but the relationship between the Admin and his Game Masters is far different then the relationship of the Game Master and the players on the Server.

[Frost]

The face of the server. I kid you not, Game masters must be absolutely polite and professional.
If they aren't it doesn't matter if you have 3 scripters that used to work for Gravity on your team, your server is considered "Corrupt"