The Gaming Community Leader Union is a group dedicated to gaming community managers, coordinators, moderators, and other positions of the likeness. Gaming community leaders come from all sorts of gaming backgrounds and profiles, but we all have one thing in common; we're underappreciated!
If gamers are the body and heart of a gaming community and the leader the head, then we are the rest of the nervous system (like the spine and stomach brain; yes those are part of the nervous system!) We maintain the community's sense of balance, signal off to the brain, and even maintain the biological clock, along with so much more!
Our parent profession 'online community manager' is very much a real office! Gaming community leaders are no different. As with any job it is stressful and tiring, but that doesn't stop us from smiling while doing our job and making the community experience fun!
But when was the last time a guild mate said, "Hey, thanks for staying up and planning that event," or sending a PM thank you note, or even say "thank you" to you at all? The answer is never, and if they do it's once every blue moon! Our communities expect us to be there like magic and clean up after all the trouble and drama. Whenever things go wrong fingers are pointed at us first, when we do right we're snapped at for doing so, and sometimes we are even the shield between an innocent guild mate and a criminal! We have all had our bouts against pedophiles, sociopaths, and other vile characters hiding behind a computer screen! And the worst part is that at times we were even scolded by our own communities for defending them!
It is not fair for us to work for free and be unrepresented in a office that is as real as any other job. Gaming community leader requires it's own skill set and distinct personality. We are not some individual who decided to take on burdens for fun!
We are gaming community leaders, not bots, not Big Brother, not someone to push around! We are humans too. We have our own lives, families, aspirations and every other human trait! It isn't funny to mess with us while we're doing our job and we aren't robots that do every command! All of us at one point have lost our **** before because of the stress and that isn't right!
Right now the GCLU is only me, but I hope to spread the influence of the GCLU and rally others under the banner of the GCLU to spread awareness of this profession that people don't even know exists! Along with that to represent you in your communities if they have taken you down to an unhealthy level and to explain to them your position and how you deserve the respect of a human being and a pillar of the community!
The rally point for the GCLU is a Discord server currently under construction and will be finished within the week. Please leave a comment if you are interested. Thank you for your time.
Well, see, here's the thing. Community management is an administrator position. AG has community managers on its staff. You are not either of these. Therefore, you are not a community manager, or any variation thereof, anywhere within this domain. Also:
1 If you're feeling underappreciated, it may be a good idea to actually do something worthy of appreciation.
2 No part of the digestive system is part of the nervous system. At all.
3 If you started this thread one week from now, you would already have the server finished by the time anyone responded.
Yes I am aware I am not an online community leader in this domain. My peasant role made that pretty clear to me.
1. This is a common theme throughout gaming community leaders. Online community leaders can range any where from eBay forums to Reddit moderation. The prime difference is that gaming community leaders 'have' to take part in their community in more than an administrative way, the AG community leaders (be it by title or formal occupation I'm not sure) do not actually have to play any of the games, like how eBay community leaders do not have to actually buy anything on eBay. Along with that. Gaming community leaders have to directly interact with other players, answer their questions, support them in quests, and so on. Yes it is fun, but once drama and etc occurs we are the first ones to handle it. As said before this position is incredibly stressful. An AG community leader can ban someone with little to no question and another new member will just show up to fill that active place. A gaming community leader has to answer why to the entire community, deal with the fall out of losing a priest, or gunner, or whatever, has to go recruit, and so on. I have met with other gaming community leaders, and they would gladly agree that this position is largely unrepresented, unappreciated, and entirely stressful. We have to deal with humans more so than our counterparts and humans are unpredictable, and as mentioned before people can and do get into legal trouble on games. Yes that is absolutely ridicules but we still are the first responders. I once personally was on the verge of reporting to the FBI (it was an interstate affair) about illegal activity. One other gaming community leader I spoke to mentioned how other gaming community leaders were driven to suicidal thoughts because of all the stress and I can completely back him up on that claim (which I wont to conserve time.) Its easy to tell us to do something worth appreciation, but that is exactly what we do, its one of the primary goals of being a gaming community leader.
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199905/our-second-brain-the-stomach
3. I was curious for to see the responses which is why ArmorGames is the only site to have this so far.
It is not fair for us to work for free and be unrepresented in a office that is as real as any other job. Gaming community leader requires it's own skill set and distinct personality. We are not some individual who decided to take on burdens for fun!
If a community leader is not an individual who isn't taking on burdens for fun (and for free), why volunteer to be a community leader in the first place? Nobody is making you.
Take on burdens you don't want for free? That doesn't make any sense.
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Some sort of labor union? What are you demanding? Thanks? If you think you're going to get thanks and appreciation this way, good luck in life. Appreciation is not asked for. If you do a good job, work honestly, and diligently you know that appreciation is present. It's not always expressed, but for a volunteer job you shouldn't expect a thousand thanks everyday.
The prime difference is that gaming community leaders 'have' to take part in their community in more than an administrative way, the AG community leaders (be it by title or formal occupation I'm not sure) do not actually have to play any of the games, [...]
They don't necessarily have to show up for work either. What's your point?
An AG community leader can ban someone with little to no question [...]
Uh, no.
I have met with other gaming community leaders, and they would gladly agree that this position is largely unrepresented, unappreciated, and entirely stressful.
Much like the field of manual percussive renal physiotherapy, but, as it happens, AG doesn't have a niche for professional kidney-punchers either.
One other gaming community leader I spoke to mentioned how other gaming community leaders were driven to suicidal thoughts because of all the stress and I can completely back him up on that claim (which I wont to conserve time.)
Have you considered that maybe this job just isn't for you?
Its easy to tell us to do something worth appreciation, but that is exactly what we do, its one of the primary goals of being a gaming community leader.
Yet you have only succeeded in demonstrating the contrary.
If a community leader is not an individual who isn't taking on burdens for fun (and for free), why volunteer to be a community leader in the first place? Nobody is making you.
Take on burdens you don't want for free? That doesn't make any sense.
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Some sort of labor union? What are you demanding? Thanks? If you think you're going to get thanks and appreciation this way, good luck in life. Appreciation is not asked for. If you do a good job, work honestly, and diligently you know that appreciation is present. It's not always expressed, but for a volunteer job you shouldn't expect a thousand thanks everyday.
Money is not an issue here, none of us would complain much at all if we did. No one is expecting a thousand thank you notes or anything and we understand that we are volunteering, you're right no one is forcing us to. But the last time I checked volunteers are treated in a respectful way and in general are never driven to the point of depression like we have been. It is absolutely ridiculous for any of my peers or any other GCL to be driven to that point. This is not a whine until we get something; this is a come together and figure out a solution. This is a recruitment banner, not a everyone who is not a GCL look at my whining.
I did not ask for anything from our communities to us, this is for GCLs to come together and help each other carry the burden we volunteered for. I believe the simple presence of a GCLU will make a difference for GCLs because they know there is an entire community that knows how they feel and are there to talk to. Along with that our presence will show others who are not GCLs (by way of GCLU members) that GCL is not a position to take lightly even though it is a volunteer position.
They don't necessarily have to show up for work either. What's your point?
Much like the field of manual percussive renal physiotherapy, but, as it happens, AG doesn't have a niche for professional kidney-punchers either.
We are responsible and held accountable for not showing up just like any other office and so are your online community leaders. We are human, we like to look good in front of crowds. Online community leaders are the parent office of gaming community leader, so we have similarities. My point was to express that this position is stressful.
Have you considered that maybe this job just isn't for you?
It was pointed out earlier that gaming community manager requires its own skillset and such. This job is within my skillset and personality, it is suitable for a number of people. This however does not excuse communities for doing something so terrible to their gaming community leaders. Yes it is stressful, yes it is also fun, but there is no position that should drive you to that point, especially not a volunteer one. I along with any other individual have personal reasons for doing a job. The goal of the GCLU is to make being a GCL much less stressful.
Uh, no.
I trust that AG has a formal way with dealing with these situations (if not then I would advocate they do,) a gaming community leader almost never does. There are so many things we have to work with and adjust to, I am not saying AG community leaders have it worse or better, I believe the comparison between the two would be like Ruby script to Python script. Both can be equally stressful but when things go wrong you're going to be spending hours trying to clean up Ruby script.
Yet you have only succeeded in demonstrating the contrary.
Answering simple game questions to mediating between two real life friends and etc are things we face regularly. I think it would be rather tedious and egoistic to list things we do that are worth appreciation. This is not to make a good face here, but to recruit other GCLs who feel the same.
Of course, I am not one so do not know for certain, but as far as I am aware, there is nothing that causes significant problems for people with important roles on AG. Of course there are sometimes issues and things which have to get done, but these things are rare and not anything like what you are suggesting. Knights, moderators, administrators and the admodnerstrator are important and trusted members of the community who are appreciated by many.
