Archived Age Limit For Rp Staff

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Pyrooooo

Pyrooooo

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I am aware that the subject of age restrictions for staff has been discussed previously at length, but I do not believe this particular aspect has ever been mentioned.

All the arguments I have heard against lowering the age limit fall into two categories:
  • Maturity: The point has been made a million times that those under 16 are not mature enough to be staff members; or at least, that there is a large enough proportion of them that are to make it pointless attempting to recruit staff under that age.
  • Decision Making: Many would argue this is the same as the previous point, and I agree they overlap, but there is a distinction. Those under the age of 16 have frontal lobes that are not yet fully developed, due to them not having gone through puberty. The lack of fully-formed frontal lobes severely limits the ability to make crucial decisions when under pressure- a vital skill as a staff member.
'So why make this thread, you fool?', I hear you cry. Well, I don't believe either of these points apply to RP / Lore staff.
RP and Lore staff are recruited almost exclusively by recommendation- so the first issue shouldn't come into it, because only those mature enough will have a chance o being recommended.
As to the second issue; yes, decision making is of the utmost important for game staff, etc., but not for RP/Lore staff. There simply isn't the same need present in the job description for on-the-spot decisions.

As a devoted MassiveCraft player under the age of 16, I ask you to read this carefully and respond in the same manner.
Thanks for reading!
 
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Players that are rp staff have the potential to be groomed into becoming lore staff if they are not already heading that way. Lore staff have access to team chats and once they get rank 1+ gain access to in game abilities regular players do not have. For this major reason we find age limits necessary. Previously we had rp staff with no age limit. There were significant issues with this as time went on, hence the age limit had to be instituted.
 
I already heard of person being RP staff at the age of 15. So it is already so wing the staff does (I think, it might not be true) but to get some guidelines would be nice.
But as we are on the topic, staff age is really something interesting to discuss. While direction staff that chooses the direction of e server and major changes. Might require some more maturity and community management skills. Writing the lore just needs proper grammar, creativity and a sense of realism. I could write what I think about the age limit for each section, but that would take to much time. A lot of people would disagree with me.
 
@Omnomivore
Thank you for the swift response.
Firstly, can I just suggest that if the 'promotion' to Lore staff is going to be an issue, that we simply maintain an age limit for Lore staff, no matter where they are coming from.
As to the second point; may I ask precisely what issues were caused by the lack of an age limit? Or at least, what kind of issues?
 
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I don't think the change is necessary because if it does change to something, maybe 14, then the same complaints will come in from 13 year olds, and 12 year olds with the same reasoning. This has a age limit for a reason, I don't feel it has to change.
 
Give me a proven scientific study about how children (over the age of 12-13) can't make right decisions and I'll side with you, until then I will have to disagree.
 
There must be a line that is drawen, like when you are under 50% you don't succeed your test (Well in Belgium atleast). If we are going to talk about exceptions than every age limit rule is irrelevant, so please if you want stuff to change just ask for a lowering and not for a: if I'm mature I can be a staff. There is this age where you start to think different and it around the same age as most of the people.
 
Jemo21 said:
There must be a line that is drawen, like when you are under 50% you don't succeed your test (Well in Belgium atleast). If we are going to talk about exceptions than every age limit rule is irrelevant, so please if you want stuff to change just ask for a lowering and not for a: if I'm mature I can be a staff. There is this age where you start to think different and it around the same age as most of the people.
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I think you may have misunderstood… I'm not asking for "a: if I'm mature I can be a staff", I'm asking for a lowering. I'm merely talking of maturity because its one of the most common counter-arguments.
 
This issue has been argued to death. Their stance will not change in the foreseeable future, though exceptions may be made on an individual basis
 
Pyromaniacal said:
@Omnomivore
Thank you for the swift response.
Firstly, can I just suggest that if the 'promotion' to Lore staff is going to be an issue, that we simply maintain an age limit for Lore staff, no matter where they are coming from.
As to the second point; may I ask precisely what issues were caused by the lack of an age limit? Or at least, what kind of issues?
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I can answer this. The three problems that every younger member of roleplay staff have either experienced or brought about are these:
  • Inexperience: We've had younger roleplay staff be very superficial with going over character reviews. While this is less of an age thing and more of an experience thing, people of younger ages are more likely to have less experience doing editorial work than people of older ages. People who are underaged likely haven't had as advanced of an education, nor the work experience. While our standards aren't exceptionally high, they're at least high-school level. Furthermore, while a younger roleplayer might be a good writer, editing is another beast to wrangle.
  • Drama: Drama drama drama. Almost all the big, department-wide drama has stemmed from younger Roleplay staff. We get a bit of drama amongst individuals and between groups, but they're resolved through discussion. Younger staff have a tendency to... continue this sort of drama, and take it to a very personal basis instead of a professional one. Again, this could be case-by-case, but this is based upon what's been seen.
  • Absence: Lack of devotion and inactivity. If they haven't experienced one of the above, they simply dropped out of Roleplay Staff.
Again, these are the concerns and problems every underaged Roleplay Staff member has faced, as far as I'm aware.
 
Suzzie2 said:
Eh, only slightly. Don't argue with science. You can't have more of something if it isn't developed.
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Everyone develops differently. So don't even pull that card.

I hate how people are trying to lower the age requirement. It is kinda like a job, you gotta be a certain age. Older people have more experience.
 
Yes the age limit could be lowered in some cases. But the percentage of players under 16, that has the abilities to become a team member. Is so low that it is not worth trying. While the percentage of players over 16 that can do what is required is higher. So the probability that a it is wasted time trying to recruit a 14 year old. Is much higher than a 17 year old. Another major factor is english. If your native language is english, you could problary speak it good enough when you was 12. But
 
Just wait a few years. Can we lock the thread now. |-)
 
Madus said:
Pyromanical never asked to be staff member. He just asked for the age requirement for rp staff. Because it had never been mentioned. I would myself not want to become rp staff. But it would still be nice to know the requirements.
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It has been mentioned several times. Since, so many people want to become staff. The Age Requirement is 16. I agree with @Ellimairy can we please lock this...?
 
I'll expand on what @Ryciera said.

The age limit used to be 13. This was a little test I was undertaking to see if we could get more reviews done by attracting younger people. Unfortunately after 2 months or so, it became clear that the roleplay staff under the age of 16 (without exception) were actually proving to be more of a problem than a benefit. While the large majority of them had equal devotion and dedication to the work they were doing, they were simply doing it by a much lower standard to the point where we had to go back on their work and undo it, and then redo it. This is simply because the fine process of reviewing, building constructive criticism, forming an analysis, is not something a young teenager or a child can do. These learned processed come with age, and also particularly with the final years of high school because that is where they are taught.

Long story short, we tried lowering the limit to 13, it failed. The limit is currently 16, and while I take recommendations, RP staff are exclusively recruited by myself, and there is no way for anyone to get into the Lore department without going trough RP staff first. You can read more about it here. http://wiki.massivecraft.com/Staff:Lore . That being said, if someone submits a seriously impressive application, we will review it seriously and consider it, like we have done recently with leversandpulleys.
 
I have been on servers where children are allowed to be staff and it just doesn't work out. Every adult has a sense of pride and being told your doing something wrong by a ten year old would be considered demeaning and wrong. Note this is NOT my opinion but its what I think most of the general population would feel.
 
Thank you everyone who posted on the thread, it's been very useful.
Personally, I'll simply remain in the peer review section, and request that this thread be locked.
 
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