Why I Quit Modding on IGNJune 21, 2015 by

Recently I put in my notice with IGN that I no longer wish to moderate.  These feelings have been simmering for awhile.  With the switch over to Livefyre, I figured now would be the time.  However, below are the reasons I ultimately decided to quit.

  1. We aren't paid.  I obviously knew this wasn't a paid position, but the problem is that IGN (and other sites) get a lot of freelancers to do their job for them and sometimes get pissy if you don't.  Sure, we get the free IGN Prime or whatever it's called, but I didn't use it once.  There is little to no upside for me to do it.  I'm not looking into breaking into game writing or other things, and I write elsewhere that earns me money.  So I was basically wasting my time.  Users assume we get paid and tell us "to do our jobs".  This is all voluntary work.
  2. IGN articles are turning into clickbait.  I got sick and tired of dealing with the clickbait articles.  Comparing graphics across multiple systems, which system has the best games, each article dealing with homosexuals (by the way, I'm gay).  It was all clickbait and not journalism.  I lost a lot of respect with IGN with these articles.  I am sure I even openly criticized IGN in some of those articles and basically refused to moderate them, which leads to my next point...
  3. I could not criticize IGN.  When I first became a moderater I learned I had to stick within specific guidelines, one of which was not to basically speak against IGN.  The person in charge of the mods talked to me and stated I needed to make a separate account, and even then, I have to tell them about that account and still have to be careful about my comments.  Honestly, I'm surprised I was never fired for the comments I made.  I come to IGN to read news stories, not to get involved with clickbait.  Unfortunately, people go to the clickbait articles to see the drama and more than likely those bring the biggest revenue for IGN.
  4. Livefyre.  I just don't like it.  Moderating with Disqus was no walk in the park, but even commenting on Livefyre didn't seem to work well.  So I honestly didn't want to bother learning another process.
  5. I wasn't well liked with the moderaters.  I know I got in a few tiffs with with some of the other moderators (that more than likely I started) and I was never involved in many conversations.  I was always on the outside looking in.  I did get along well with my "mentor", Tom.  So I'd like to thank him for all he did for me.  But beyond that I never felt involved, despite trying.

I will say I enjoyed the community.  Some seemed to like my trollish style of modding.  So I do thank those who appreciated what I did.

I'm shocked I was ever picked to moderate in the first place.  I was a troll in the beginning, yet they gave me a chance.  I was thankful for that.  But in the end I don't think you can take the troll out of the mod, so maybe this is the best solution.

Now all that's left is deciding if I want to stick around IGN still.  I don't know if I want to keep weeding through all of the crap trying to find the good articles..  So if you have thoughts on it, I'd like to know.

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My First Week as an IGN ModeratorJune 29, 2014 by

Well, I am wrapping up my first week as an IGN moderator of comments made in articles posted on IGN. After seeking permission from my "mentor", which is my guide throughout the learning process, I felt the need to share my experiences for the first week. But first, some background.

I have rarely ever been involved in some sort of online community. Sure, I talk, I game, etc. But I never been "in charge" or expected to clean up the riff-raff found online. The truth is I was part of the trolling community, or just would simply be a dick sometimes. It's why when I would talk in an IGN article, I would only offer my insight and not really respond to someone else's comment. I knew I would be a jerk, and I had no interest in being one there. So I left my own comments and moved on. A couple times since I joined IGN, moderator positions came up. I thought it would be fun to do, so I applied. The first time I wasn't picked, the second time I was. I was actually very surprised by this, since I have been critical of some of IGN's decisions, articles, etc. in the past. I think I was almost always respectful, but I didn't think I would be a favorite. In fact, in responding to the latest article about applying to become a moderator, I stated I was interested but would be surprised if I was picked because I have been critical of IGN. A moderator replied stating I wouldn't be picked because of that. Now I wonder who that moderator was as I am now part of those same ranks.

So for my first week I learned the basics, how to work the back-end of Disqus, etc. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I was sick practically the whole week. So I was home from work and could really get into moderating. But that was almost my downfall as yesterday I had a "tableflip" moment and wanted to give up. I never realized how toxic any community online could be. Sure, I was a troll in certain circumstances, but damn, not like this.

Am I insulting the IGN userbase? Having "MOD" next to my name assumes I am. When people see that "MOD" title next to a users name, it's assumed we are automatically the bad guy. For the most part, that's how I have been treated by other users. These are the jerk users, the ones who don't like being called out for breaking the Terms of Service in some form or fashion. The other users who are just here to engage in entertainment related conversation leave mods alone and let us do our job. So unfortunately, it seems being a moderator means interacting with the worst users in the community, but also some of the best. How? My fellow moderators. All I have met I have liked talking to, and already feel I made a good friend out of one of them.

Being a moderator is a thankless job. We are volunteers, don't get paid (except for a IGN Prime account), and do a lot of good work. I've already spoiled myself on a movie I was looking forward to, been told I do unspeakable things to farm animals by one user, and had my opinion on the new Star Wars movie lambasted by many other users. In fact, I'm surprised some users haven't taunted me for being an obvious furry. Do I still plan to moderate? Hell ya I do. I enjoy keeping the conversations going. I like shooing out the troublemakers so other users can have a meaningful conversation. I like actually getting rid of people who have ruined online experiences for me, knowing I can do something about it now. Though I am sure some of you think I'm just having a power trip now. But I also think I am a nicer person online now, solely because I feel like I am "out there" more than what I was when I just commented on articles.

The point that I want to make is that everyone needs to realize moderators (and other IGN staff) are only human. Moderators aren't paid and aren't really trained. They are thrown into the job and learn as they go. Until you become a moderator on a site as big as IGN, you'll never know the crap they go through when it comes to dealing with those who want to ruin the conversation for everyone. When I was venting my frustrations about users, I was told in not so many words to ignore users for the crap they pull. It sucks it has to come down to that, but it's true if you want to moderator any kind of site that allows users to freely comment, with almost complete anonymity. I'll end this with a screenshot of a user responding to one of my moderator messages. It warning I issued wasn't even directed as the user, but it made me smile since it was actually a funny comment that made me feel a bit more welcomed by the community:

Mod2

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The Color of Video Game Controllers - Is This Really News?August 22, 2013 by

 

 

Recently I was moderately flamed by the IGN community for insulting the big deal made about the colored controllers for the PS4.  I felt it wasn't newsworthy, and really, I still don't.  To me, it's just a flashy distraction meant to impress gamers with the system.   It's like cell phones, "ooh, look at all the pretty colors".  Really, who cares?  I care about that for my house, my car, etc.  But not about my game controller.  I care about the games, the system, and so on.  I don't think making a color that is some other color is worthy of my attention.

Controller 1

I know people deck out their systems in all sorts of neat ways, and I get that.  I'll admit my PC setup is black and green, from the case all the way down to the keyboard and mouse.  I just don't see the need to post an article about it, especially since I feel we are being over-saturated with news about the next-gen systems.

To be honest the next console systems don't impress me.  The games due to come out don't impress me.  I'm more excited about upcoming current gen games than any of the next gen ones.  But mostly I am a PC gamer, and I feel PC's offer versatility over any console system.

I'm getting off track though.  I think IGN is great, and for the most part the community is nice, though not everyone.  I was hoping I'd see better topics than what color future game controllers would be.  I could only imagine writing that article myself.

Well, why don't you be the judge.  That article can be found here.

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Dragon's Crown is out!August 6, 2013 by

Dragon's Crown is finally out.  Normally I wouldn't blog about such a thing, but I discovered this game soon after I joined IGN.  So I'm happy a site I decided to switch to helped me find a game I think I will enjoy.  I won't be cracking it open until tomorrow when I have someone to play it with, but ever since Golden Ax I've been waiting for another game like it.  I think I finally found it, and the reviews look great.

Not a long post today, I just had to say a big "thank you" to IGN for already making me pleased I switched to this site.

Dragon's Crown Video Review
04:36
IGN Game Reviews

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