Goonhub
10-04-2024, 04:49 PM
Title: Goonstation Admin Team
Admin: N/A
Server: N/A
Date + time: N/A
Synopsis: Over the course of the past few weeks, there has been a growing amount of drama regarding some bans and admin decisions that has led to a notable amount of distrust with Goonstation and its admin team. I have done some research and am hoping to point out a few fail points as to what led to this moment. The following are the concerns that I have found whilst interviewing some players as well as other observations of mine. I made an effort to interview both long-time and short-time players, as well as both those who left Goon and those who still play.
The first concern comes with many admin's general attitude towards players. Whether purposefully or not, admin responses sometimes come with snark and regard players they think are a problem with a dismissive attitude. This is often seen in admin feedbacks where they feel there's little or no discussion to be had, or when PRs and suggestions come in that the developers do not agree with adding. These incidents often show up when feedback is not agreed on by admins, little discussion is given. Admins often remark about laughing at and enjoying feedback posts as something to mock, or respond to a player's opinion or sentiment in the discord with mocking exasperation.
This is often reinforced by the second concern, that being a lack of communication with the community. Admin decisions, unless agreed upon by unanimously to allow them to be discussed, will almost always be behind closed doors and barred from discussion. The benefit of this being that private issues like bans don't go public and thus do not harm the reputation of players. This has an unfortunate consequence that comes with many facets of the game's community such as applications; That being that the admin team sometimes make decisions that confuse the community and leave little to no explanation. This often takes form in highly +1ed applications being denied, suggestions and prs closed for seemingly arbitrary decisions, and frequent posts in the feedback forum regarding unawareness as to why a user was banned. Even changes highly desired by the wider playerbase (See shift-clicking as a cyborg, hair on mutantraces) can be still shut down and highly debated by developers whose desires outweigh the desires of the community.
This issue is often reinforced by admins being often absent from games, either utilizing the admin channel on Discord or silently observing a game/being under the guise of a player. Some have noted an increase in non-RP and downright grief behavior on Goon 3 going untreated. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon that situations that happen quickly, affect too few people, or leave those who were affected unsure if an ahelp is necessary go ignored due to no administration present to catch it. Even with ahelps, some can feel little action is being taken to curb issues.
It has also been noted that there are concerns that admins are entering discord servers as a way to catch players saying things about Goonstation and enforcing rules beyond the Goonstation servers and Discord, citing it as an extreme breach in trust and privacy. Amongst some, there is fear that speaking out against these concerns through Discord or the forums will only lead to being mocked by administration and lead to no change.
The most important thing to remember with these issues is those developing and administrating the game are still humans. Admins are dedicated volunteers of the game who have taken a mantle in order to moderate the game and bring more fun to the community. While the decision to keep admin business on a need-to-know basis is good for confidentiality, it has led to a disconnect that leaves some players concerned to speak their mind. Admins have made a clear point to laugh at and be publicly frustrated by "problem players" who they have banned or been bothered by. While this is usually only in reference to egregious rule breakers, it does not pair well when combined with admins who occasionally hold a harsh tone to players. It creates an environment where even speaking out on small issues makes one feel lumped in with these problem players and expect to be treated the same.
What this leads into further is a disdain for the admin team, feeling as though you don't have a say in a game you enjoy. Those that feel this way will often take to DMs or personal servers where they can discuss their anger with each other without admin intervention. This is most emblematic on private discord servers where many have flocked to complain about the culture and rulings of Goonstation. This is the current state of concern and has led multiple players to feel as though Goonstation is on a downward spiral.
I understand that this post does not name any specific instances of these concerns, nor do I intend to have them. This is not a post designed to point out the flaws of admins or claim this is the regular behavior of most admins, rather it is the result of feeling as though the current ideology of Goonstation's administration team has inadvertently led to these behaviors slipping through more and more, and the proof is over the course of the past few weeks. With multiple long-time players leaving, believing Goonstation is the wrong server to be in or is heading in a poor direction, I can't help but feel something must change. The more that I look, the more I find these opinions are not just felt by those who storm off to complain elsewhere, but with players who want the game to be healthy and strong for years to come.
It's an issue I struggle greatly to find a solution for. Admins are in the end, volunteers, and should not have to double up on community management as well as moderation. However, I feel being promoted to admin comes with more expectations. I fear that labelling oneself a volunteer when accused of not putting in enough work makes it seem as though an admin should expect very little of themselves. Players deserve to be heard and I don't think that a notable portion being afraid to speak up is just a large coincidence. With that being said, feedback has always been open and I don't believe admins have shied the community away from using the feedback forum. The last thing I want is for those to think they don't have a voice to jump to hate-mongering in personal servers.
There are options, of course. A dedicated community manager could be a good addition to the team, though I could foresee concerns regarding expectations and duties conflicting with the established team. More attention to ]anonreport with Medical Assistant or a forum spot could alleviate the stress of self-isolation, with the unfortunate risk being that being truly anonymous would allow for horrid things to be said without being able to be traced back. I believe one of the simpler and better steps is to look at how admins respond to and think about players, particularly in feedback forums. Reducing a dismissive attitude (even if it is entirely warranted) encourages others with issues to not expect to be shamed for asking for improvements.
I have nothing but respect for the Goonstation Admin team, and I want nothing but the best for this game. It's why I felt writing something like this was necessary. I know that there will always be players who will make an effort to bend the game to their will and pout when they don't get their way. I do not condone those who talk behind the backs of admins and others in other servers, but I also know these incidents are symptomatic of a larger problem. I do not expect to change much with this, but to say that there is nothing to be done on either side would not be true. Opening and encouraging players to be vocal on their issues is what best stops problems to stew amongst players and boil over in drama.
Logs: N/A
Extra information: As I've mentioned interviews, I thought it would be fair to put the results and statements of what I found here. This is of course not representative of the entire community, but I have made an effort to get opinions from a wide range of Goonstation experiences. Each bullet is a belief or statement from the interviewee and is not meant to reflect my views. I have elected to keep all results, to include those that do not help my point, in order to maintain transparency.
Person 1
-Lack of communication manifesting as admin apathy due to believing players generally have "incorrect opinions"
-The belief that admin chat must be private unless everyone agrees is holding back communication
-The lack of acceptance to criticism and player input has led players to grow resentment
-Admins rarely ever actually play the game
Person 2
-Admins joining Petey's server for the sole sake of tracking player opinions is a breach of respect and privacy
-Admins almost never play the game
Person 3
-Occasional issues with prs going against devs wishes, but generally understanding of differing viewpoints and without issues in coding
-Whilst sometimes butting heads, is usually never left confused as to why a decision to PR was denied
Person 4
-A feeling that complaining about the current state of goon will lead to a ban
-Using admin feedback is self-isolation, risking ridicule from admins and not being heard.
-Multiple valid points have been made, to no admin action
Person 5
-Only have ever had issues with one admin, otherwise has had positive experiences with admins and has noticed similar respect to all other members of the game
-Believes communication could be clearer, but understands the importance of player privacy
-Rules could be clearer, but still believes most players misinterpret them
-Believes rules could be enforced harsher on repeat offenders, and that the current in-game moderation is good
-Only true concern with moderation is a lack of presence in late hours
Person 6
-The admins lack any transparency with players, and believes there is a possibility of a heavy bias and admin attitude that anything can be said behind closed doors about players
-Admin actions on issues are rarely communicated, and when they are the result is usually poor (Citing a requirement of four ahelps before a powergamer was handled)
-Negative opinion is actively reprimanded or solved with the response "Remember to ahelp"
-A lack of trust for admins to be a neutral party
-Applications are often sporadic in their results (Citing a HoS app that got 4 +1s and was accepted, and a HoS app with 5 +1s denied due to lack of community feedback)
Person 7
-Doesn't believe there is any discontent for players amongst staff, just that staff members approach the goal of keeping the community happy and healthy differently
-Team members are adults and put aside internal biases to reach goals with the team
-Whilst egregious offenses will note some pushback and mock from admins, it will never be held against you nor will you be publicly shamed. This is often abused by players who were banned to present their ban as unfair to people
-Notes that there is a necessity in a flexible guideline for moderation due to the complex nature of ss13
-Feels the team is as responsive and impartial in rule-breaks and moderation as it can be
-Notes the team is composed of volunteers, and is not under obligation to respond or quickly answer ahelps. Ahelps are usually handled even without a response
-Notes that some players will often stick around in communities long after they enjoy it, and will complain rather than change games
Person 8
-Feels generally uncomfortable talking to admins
-Admins are direct and straightforward, but often have a tone of dismissiveness or shaming even when trying to understand the situation
-A feeling that admins hold grudges past the point of reason, causing people to be banned without an explanation or warning.
-Feels responsiveness in moderation is fine, though admits to not ahelping recently. Believes that punishments have begun to become heavy handed
Person 9
-Feels respected by admins
-Notes admins usually step in to sort out arguments well
-Is fairly satisfied with the moderation of servers, though not happy with incidents of long periods between ahelp and action (though they are understanding of why)
-Is generally satisfied with PRs, and notes that admins take feedback well during test merges
Person 10
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Has no issues with moderation
-Notes a few admins sometimes have issues with wording, but otherwise is happy with the clarity and conciseness of admin decisions
Person 11
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Rarely has concerns with respect to others, but has seen admins apologize before
-Has no issues with most dev decisions, and understands the reasoning for PRs they do have an issue with
-In-game moderation is usually fair and players are almost never banned without warning
Person 12
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Has no issues with rules or dev decisions
-Would want more response from admins after ahelps, but understands why they don't happen.
-Sent an anonreport and saw no response or effect
Admin: N/A
Server: N/A
Date + time: N/A
Synopsis: Over the course of the past few weeks, there has been a growing amount of drama regarding some bans and admin decisions that has led to a notable amount of distrust with Goonstation and its admin team. I have done some research and am hoping to point out a few fail points as to what led to this moment. The following are the concerns that I have found whilst interviewing some players as well as other observations of mine. I made an effort to interview both long-time and short-time players, as well as both those who left Goon and those who still play.
The first concern comes with many admin's general attitude towards players. Whether purposefully or not, admin responses sometimes come with snark and regard players they think are a problem with a dismissive attitude. This is often seen in admin feedbacks where they feel there's little or no discussion to be had, or when PRs and suggestions come in that the developers do not agree with adding. These incidents often show up when feedback is not agreed on by admins, little discussion is given. Admins often remark about laughing at and enjoying feedback posts as something to mock, or respond to a player's opinion or sentiment in the discord with mocking exasperation.
This is often reinforced by the second concern, that being a lack of communication with the community. Admin decisions, unless agreed upon by unanimously to allow them to be discussed, will almost always be behind closed doors and barred from discussion. The benefit of this being that private issues like bans don't go public and thus do not harm the reputation of players. This has an unfortunate consequence that comes with many facets of the game's community such as applications; That being that the admin team sometimes make decisions that confuse the community and leave little to no explanation. This often takes form in highly +1ed applications being denied, suggestions and prs closed for seemingly arbitrary decisions, and frequent posts in the feedback forum regarding unawareness as to why a user was banned. Even changes highly desired by the wider playerbase (See shift-clicking as a cyborg, hair on mutantraces) can be still shut down and highly debated by developers whose desires outweigh the desires of the community.
This issue is often reinforced by admins being often absent from games, either utilizing the admin channel on Discord or silently observing a game/being under the guise of a player. Some have noted an increase in non-RP and downright grief behavior on Goon 3 going untreated. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon that situations that happen quickly, affect too few people, or leave those who were affected unsure if an ahelp is necessary go ignored due to no administration present to catch it. Even with ahelps, some can feel little action is being taken to curb issues.
It has also been noted that there are concerns that admins are entering discord servers as a way to catch players saying things about Goonstation and enforcing rules beyond the Goonstation servers and Discord, citing it as an extreme breach in trust and privacy. Amongst some, there is fear that speaking out against these concerns through Discord or the forums will only lead to being mocked by administration and lead to no change.
The most important thing to remember with these issues is those developing and administrating the game are still humans. Admins are dedicated volunteers of the game who have taken a mantle in order to moderate the game and bring more fun to the community. While the decision to keep admin business on a need-to-know basis is good for confidentiality, it has led to a disconnect that leaves some players concerned to speak their mind. Admins have made a clear point to laugh at and be publicly frustrated by "problem players" who they have banned or been bothered by. While this is usually only in reference to egregious rule breakers, it does not pair well when combined with admins who occasionally hold a harsh tone to players. It creates an environment where even speaking out on small issues makes one feel lumped in with these problem players and expect to be treated the same.
What this leads into further is a disdain for the admin team, feeling as though you don't have a say in a game you enjoy. Those that feel this way will often take to DMs or personal servers where they can discuss their anger with each other without admin intervention. This is most emblematic on private discord servers where many have flocked to complain about the culture and rulings of Goonstation. This is the current state of concern and has led multiple players to feel as though Goonstation is on a downward spiral.
I understand that this post does not name any specific instances of these concerns, nor do I intend to have them. This is not a post designed to point out the flaws of admins or claim this is the regular behavior of most admins, rather it is the result of feeling as though the current ideology of Goonstation's administration team has inadvertently led to these behaviors slipping through more and more, and the proof is over the course of the past few weeks. With multiple long-time players leaving, believing Goonstation is the wrong server to be in or is heading in a poor direction, I can't help but feel something must change. The more that I look, the more I find these opinions are not just felt by those who storm off to complain elsewhere, but with players who want the game to be healthy and strong for years to come.
It's an issue I struggle greatly to find a solution for. Admins are in the end, volunteers, and should not have to double up on community management as well as moderation. However, I feel being promoted to admin comes with more expectations. I fear that labelling oneself a volunteer when accused of not putting in enough work makes it seem as though an admin should expect very little of themselves. Players deserve to be heard and I don't think that a notable portion being afraid to speak up is just a large coincidence. With that being said, feedback has always been open and I don't believe admins have shied the community away from using the feedback forum. The last thing I want is for those to think they don't have a voice to jump to hate-mongering in personal servers.
There are options, of course. A dedicated community manager could be a good addition to the team, though I could foresee concerns regarding expectations and duties conflicting with the established team. More attention to ]anonreport with Medical Assistant or a forum spot could alleviate the stress of self-isolation, with the unfortunate risk being that being truly anonymous would allow for horrid things to be said without being able to be traced back. I believe one of the simpler and better steps is to look at how admins respond to and think about players, particularly in feedback forums. Reducing a dismissive attitude (even if it is entirely warranted) encourages others with issues to not expect to be shamed for asking for improvements.
I have nothing but respect for the Goonstation Admin team, and I want nothing but the best for this game. It's why I felt writing something like this was necessary. I know that there will always be players who will make an effort to bend the game to their will and pout when they don't get their way. I do not condone those who talk behind the backs of admins and others in other servers, but I also know these incidents are symptomatic of a larger problem. I do not expect to change much with this, but to say that there is nothing to be done on either side would not be true. Opening and encouraging players to be vocal on their issues is what best stops problems to stew amongst players and boil over in drama.
Logs: N/A
Extra information: As I've mentioned interviews, I thought it would be fair to put the results and statements of what I found here. This is of course not representative of the entire community, but I have made an effort to get opinions from a wide range of Goonstation experiences. Each bullet is a belief or statement from the interviewee and is not meant to reflect my views. I have elected to keep all results, to include those that do not help my point, in order to maintain transparency.
Person 1
-Lack of communication manifesting as admin apathy due to believing players generally have "incorrect opinions"
-The belief that admin chat must be private unless everyone agrees is holding back communication
-The lack of acceptance to criticism and player input has led players to grow resentment
-Admins rarely ever actually play the game
Person 2
-Admins joining Petey's server for the sole sake of tracking player opinions is a breach of respect and privacy
-Admins almost never play the game
Person 3
-Occasional issues with prs going against devs wishes, but generally understanding of differing viewpoints and without issues in coding
-Whilst sometimes butting heads, is usually never left confused as to why a decision to PR was denied
Person 4
-A feeling that complaining about the current state of goon will lead to a ban
-Using admin feedback is self-isolation, risking ridicule from admins and not being heard.
-Multiple valid points have been made, to no admin action
Person 5
-Only have ever had issues with one admin, otherwise has had positive experiences with admins and has noticed similar respect to all other members of the game
-Believes communication could be clearer, but understands the importance of player privacy
-Rules could be clearer, but still believes most players misinterpret them
-Believes rules could be enforced harsher on repeat offenders, and that the current in-game moderation is good
-Only true concern with moderation is a lack of presence in late hours
Person 6
-The admins lack any transparency with players, and believes there is a possibility of a heavy bias and admin attitude that anything can be said behind closed doors about players
-Admin actions on issues are rarely communicated, and when they are the result is usually poor (Citing a requirement of four ahelps before a powergamer was handled)
-Negative opinion is actively reprimanded or solved with the response "Remember to ahelp"
-A lack of trust for admins to be a neutral party
-Applications are often sporadic in their results (Citing a HoS app that got 4 +1s and was accepted, and a HoS app with 5 +1s denied due to lack of community feedback)
Person 7
-Doesn't believe there is any discontent for players amongst staff, just that staff members approach the goal of keeping the community happy and healthy differently
-Team members are adults and put aside internal biases to reach goals with the team
-Whilst egregious offenses will note some pushback and mock from admins, it will never be held against you nor will you be publicly shamed. This is often abused by players who were banned to present their ban as unfair to people
-Notes that there is a necessity in a flexible guideline for moderation due to the complex nature of ss13
-Feels the team is as responsive and impartial in rule-breaks and moderation as it can be
-Notes the team is composed of volunteers, and is not under obligation to respond or quickly answer ahelps. Ahelps are usually handled even without a response
-Notes that some players will often stick around in communities long after they enjoy it, and will complain rather than change games
Person 8
-Feels generally uncomfortable talking to admins
-Admins are direct and straightforward, but often have a tone of dismissiveness or shaming even when trying to understand the situation
-A feeling that admins hold grudges past the point of reason, causing people to be banned without an explanation or warning.
-Feels responsiveness in moderation is fine, though admits to not ahelping recently. Believes that punishments have begun to become heavy handed
Person 9
-Feels respected by admins
-Notes admins usually step in to sort out arguments well
-Is fairly satisfied with the moderation of servers, though not happy with incidents of long periods between ahelp and action (though they are understanding of why)
-Is generally satisfied with PRs, and notes that admins take feedback well during test merges
Person 10
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Has no issues with moderation
-Notes a few admins sometimes have issues with wording, but otherwise is happy with the clarity and conciseness of admin decisions
Person 11
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Rarely has concerns with respect to others, but has seen admins apologize before
-Has no issues with most dev decisions, and understands the reasoning for PRs they do have an issue with
-In-game moderation is usually fair and players are almost never banned without warning
Person 12
-Has no concerns of respect and understanding from admins
-Has no issues with rules or dev decisions
-Would want more response from admins after ahelps, but understands why they don't happen.
-Sent an anonreport and saw no response or effect