Essay: Minecraft staff member application

Your Minecraft Username
I get the impression people apply for staff with good intentions hiding their ulterior motive, which is that being staff puts you in a position of superiority and therefore you have a sort of prerogative. What I want before anything else is to align myself with the members. I want to be their voice, raise legitimate questions, and help them out as much as my ability enables me. It’s not a question of arbitrary power or a false sense of it; it’s about helping newcomers, old-timers, what-have-you, in their search for a fun server experience, and particularly so in the Parkour server wherein I intend to establish myself.
I believe enforcing the rules will come naturally to me. A clean server is a healthy server, and not only that but I would like the server I frequent to be clear of hackers, trolls, rulebreakers. Not just for me but for everyone else’s sake. Doing this is mostly possible through becoming staff.
How long have you played on ManaCube?
I have played Manacube a little on the other servers but have spent the majority of my time over in the Parkour server. I do believe I have over 50 active hours which is the necessary requirement. I also chat in the Discord server from time to time to discuss the latest editions of the Spongebob manga. My entry in the server was fairly recent.
How many hours a week can you dedicate to Manacube?
I shall be on only in late afternoons, but weekends should be all good. Sometimes I might want to do other things, get out and grab a few jars of fresh air, so it’s natural I’m not on constantly. I’d say roughly 20 – 35 hours a week, save exceptional cases, would be the best bet.
What skills do you feel you have that will help the server?
– Selflessness.
Ever since I’ve become more aware and open-minded I’ve grown to be selfless. I’d say as a thirteen year old I was probably concentrated on myself and myself only, but ever since maturity started to cement I have always placed friends and family before myself. You might think this surely cannot be a good thing, but I make sure to limit it because, after all, everyone should care about themselves as well.
So, what is the correlation between such and the server? If I put others before me, then it’s clear that a parkour course or a build won’t be prioritised if someone is asking for a member of staff. I’ll drop anything and share my time with the concerned person unless what I’m doing is of extreme importance; this is to say more important issues in and outside of the server, staff affairs, et cetera.
– Leadership.
Though I make sure others are valued and that we are all equal, when there is an occasion for leadership I will be the one to fill it. I’ve handled countless projects in many fields, I speak for the general public, and so after years this fundamental skill has become an, not banal but, everyday happening. It’s natural, it resides in me, you know?
Leadership is ever so valuable when our society is coming to be more indecisive and dependant. People need a figurehead; they need a person to rely on. I can be that person.
– Maturity.
Pure, without a doubt, maturity. I won’t repeat what everyone else has said before me, which is, ‘I don’t find certain jokes funny. People think I’m a lot older than I am. I end my sentences how they should end.’ No, I’ve got past that. I can say for certain that I am mature.
These aren’t the words of Narcissus; I know that I can oversee things from a perspective unaffected by subjectivity. I know that I can be responsible for my actions and act my age. I am level-headed, composed, and every sort of word you can throw at me ( okay, maybe that won’t go so well ). These are arguments fed by real-life examples, you can trust me on that one.
Being mature is vital to the staff position. If one can’t deal with problems calmly and take into account everything, then the role is unfulfilled. Maturity isn’t about revising the thesaurus before bedtime, it’s about the development of a human both mental and physical. I believe I fill both those cases and that therefore my role as a staff member would further benefit as a result. I hope this works as a skill.
– Patience.
Patience is the Terms and Conditions page. It doesn’t yield much attention but it’s more important than one might think. I wish I could reclaim the hours I have spent waiting for people, or events, but what those lost hours have given me in return is patience birthed from boredom. If someone’s a little slow at the tip-tapping on the keyboard, or they’re having a hard time communicating their issue, there is no worry. I am here to help and doing so at the expense of a few minutes is the least of my concern.
This links in to the perfectionist inside me, or rather the perseverance I embody; I won’t leave something unfinished or at a lesser quality than envisaged. In Minecraft context this means I would try to do my role to its fullest and make sure it is done right. So being patient doesn’t bother me too much if I know by the end of it all the result will prove beneficial.
– Language.
I speak high-level English, I am an aspiring writer, and am fluent in French. It’s not because I know how to say where the boulangerie is, it’s because I’ve now lived in Paris for five years ( as of writing ) and I’ve had to integrate myself into school here. I’ve also learnt a good sum of German through French and I plan to learn Spanish and Mandarin later in life.
This level of language will help me communicate with a multitude of ethnic groups, a skill that proves to be very helpful, especially when there aren’t always staff members knowledgeable in languages online. All this done at an appropriate level, intermixed with slang.
And not just that; the simple communication between friends is all that most people need, so doing this in different languages then becomes the ability to put a smile on a person’s face. If I were unable to speak English in an English-dominated server, a discussion in my mother tongue would bring me closer to the server and incite me to stay.
What experiences have you had which could help you as staff?
I’ve moderated a lot of Minecraft servers in my past, though to be fair this was in my youth considering I have been playing since the days of Alpha. My experiences have also reached into games like Garry’s Mod or Terraria. I’ve led entire servers, entire groups, projects, blah-blah, you name it.
I’ve done weeks and weeks of work experience which involves actually working for the company as well as interacting with professionals. I have freelanced in graphic design, fashion design, writing, translation, and music. They don’t have anything to do with parkour in a Minecraft server but the habitual professional climate helps oneself in the moderation process I’d imagine.
What three attributes distinguish yourself from other players that qualify you to be a helper?
I’m good fun. It might not seem like it because I’m practically roleplaying as a monotonous corporate businessman, but I give you my word that I can be a good friend to have around. My sense of humour is good too, I think at least, but that’s up for you to say when you get to know me a little better. It might not distinguish me completely but I suppose I might be funner than others? Maybe we would have to decide this on a comedy night, mod-versus-mod. Or in a boxing arena.
This attribute will allow players to feel at ease, welcome those having just joined, and more. The layer of humanity is a way of normalising discussion and is a step in the path of becoming a great person. Helpers need to be human and good fun before thinking of qualifications.
I’m a pessimist. You’re probably behind your screens thinking, ‘If I served that person a bagel for £1.00 and he offered me £2.00, he wouldn’t let me keep the change.’ And you’d be bloody right.
You might not understand why I’m using such a pejorative attribute to define me but the balance of optimism and pessimism is an imperative. If you’re always happy-go-lucky a sense of reality begins to fade. And if you’re always sad and there is no happiness to counter it, well, let’s just say we’d be using the past tense. My bluntness and way-of-life is not only a breath of fresh air but it helps place players back in reality. I know it is paradoxical putting ‘fun’ just before this but let’s ignore that.
This is also about pedantry and awareness. If people are arguing or monologuing about complete nonsense then it would be my role to calm it down. I saw a kid on the server contemplating whether to have mini tacos in the morning and that is why I feel like my way of thinking could counteract both unrealistic dialogue and the fruits of a pedant. Not to forbid discussion but to invite more interesting conversation, especially for new members.
Though helpers are there to punish, and furthermore higher-ups to ban, they must also keep surveying the chat. This adds to my ability to make sure the chat is all good and keep players on the server.
Finally, I’ve got charisma. You might not get this impression from reading my oh-so-boring application but if I’ve got something it’s charisma. And yes this might also contradict my previous attribute but that’s how I work. I inspire, I liven everything up, and if I can reproduce this on the Minecraft platform then my role as a staff member would almost be complete. Just because my perspective is pessimistic doesn’t mean my voice is so. And, there’s nothing like getting back from a bad day to have a warm and welcoming environment waiting for you.
All these attributes are orientated towards a wholesome environment. They aren’t definitive attributes one needs to become a helper but I believe it will better the server atmosphere with me around, relaying it through the conduct of moderation. Figures of authority are often looked up to so these are the right practices to display if we want to spread a positive message. I believe they qualify me to be a helper because it allows me to be a role model.
Please explain what you believe the role of a staff member is.
A staff member should educate and assist players no matter their experience. They should be willing to help and enforce rules. They should be able to observe and analyse the scenario without bias. This last point, for me, is the most important and yet the least prevalent. If a close friend is deserving of an infraction then they’d have to do what is right.
The role implies the equilibrium of authority and humanity. One should respect the server and the players, and mute/kick/ban where required but allow themselves to be modest and put themselves at the same level as everyone else. Be welcoming, helpful, and a reliable person to have around. And certainly do not become a robot programmed to hit down on the lowliest of acts. We are still humans outside of our pixelated avatars.
Are you able to use recording software?
I could try to but I’ve never ventured into recording. OBS should be a simple setup, no?
Anything else we should know?
N/A. :^)
You are aware that all information provided must be true, and if found to be false, will result in an automatic rejection of this application.
Yes.