Lessons I've Learned No. 2: Give the Hard Case a Rest

For more than a decade, I've struggled with finding a balance for dealing with players, their complaints, and their overall attitudes.

Before the advent of MMORPGs, it was rather easy for me to take on the attitude that the MUSH was the online equivalent of a house party, and it was my house, and if you didn't like it, you could get the hell out. Plus, it was undeniably amusing in a Roman bread-and-circuses sort of way to deal with the trolls and twinks and asshats in brutal public fashion.

Now? Well, putting it bluntly: I've got to be happy when even the asshats stop by and give the games a try. Every visitor is a little miracle, and that miracle could blossom into a great experience if they're given the time and opportunity to make a go of it.

I can't afford to treat the game like my private house party. Now, more than ever, a MUSH is a creature that exists only as long as it's got an audience that supports it. If I'm being overly harsh on channels, I need to throttle it back. If someone posts a critical commentary and my knee-jerk response *wants* to be a concise two-word blast, then I need to sleep on it and respond in the morning when I can provide a calmer, more rational answer.

Some of the new achievements that I've established - particularly the roleplaying belts - were instituted specifically so that I would be forced to interact with players more regularly on a one-to-one basis, give positive feedback, and provide a sense of achievement - ESPECIALLY to players who might otherwise think I'm critical of them, don't like them, don't trust them, etc. I don't want to be a demon. I'm not out to ruin everybody's fun. I want OtherSpace and Necromundus to thrive. That means every player should be allowed to thrive. We don't have to get along like gangbusters behind the scenes all the time, but you've all got value. You're the best advertising we've got and there's no evolving story without you.

Will I sometimes get frustrated? Undoubtedly. Will I occasionally snipe because of this? Yeah, probably. I'm human. Not a robot. But it won't be for sport. It won't be for the amusement of myself or others.