Funcom's new retention method: GMs who cyber with you.

[Kirth]

Screenshots with some chatlog (maybe NSFW):

http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm?THREAD=192300&PAGE=1&bhcp=1

Aftermath:
http://www.destructoid.com/funcom-employee-fired-for-cybersex-with-player-in-age-of-conan-99025.phtml

[schild]

awwwwww i put it in the What Went Wrong thread, heh.

[Kirth]

I felt it deserved its own special thread. 

[schild]

Well, it certainly is special.

[Mrbloodworth]

Thats kind of crazy.

[Vetarnias]

Rather sad, if only because there are some who obviously believe that acting in vindictive pettiness towards GM's is going to have any impact on the game and its developers.

Now, the GM should have been smart and never have done it, even though it seems clear that the GM knew it was a joke and decided to respond in kind.  But I'm a bit wary of those who would claim from doing such a thing that they have struck a major blow against Funcom and that Gaute is hiding under his desk as a result.  Now all they've managed to do is to get a GM to lose his job while giving Funcom the opportunity of demonstrating that, contrary to popular rumour, it is acting promptly on something.

I think it sadly demonstrates that some players just need to step back from their computer and go for a walk or somethin'.

[Mrbloodworth]

^ A Lot of that going around.

[Goreschach]

Now, the GM should have been smart and never have done it, even though it seems clear that the GM knew it was a joke and decided to respond in kind.  But I'm a bit wary of those who would claim from doing such a thing that they have struck a major blow against Funcom and that Gaute is hiding under his desk as a result.  Now all they've managed to do is to get a GM to lose his job while giving Funcom the opportunity of demonstrating that, contrary to popular rumour, it is acting promptly on something.

To be fair, in the long run this is probably a good career move for the GM.

[schild]

To be fair, in the long run this is probably a good career move for the GM.

I like this guy.

[calapine]

[|GM|]: um WOw this is turning me on lol.
...
[|GM|]: ROFL
[|GM|]: lol you like?
...
[|GM|]: oh…
[|GM|]: I’ll just have to tear them off and have my way lol

GM from Hell...  How do people like this get hired in first place? (serious question)

I might have had pleasent thoughts about talking naughty things with cute GMs during lonly nights spent grinding rep in WoW. But this guy? ewww *shudder*
My 'GM = All powerfull yet friendly and caring knight in shiny armour' illusion certainly has been shattered. :(

[CharlieMopps]

A friend of mine's brother was a GM for EQ1 way back in the day... I dunno if things have changed (or if he was full of crap) but according to him, they just hired him off the street and they didn't pay much more than your local McDonalds would... so I wouldn't expect much from GMs.

[MahrinSkel]

When I was there (at launch, it was still Verant), everyone below me was working for SOE (which at the time was a New York based web games portal) through a temp agency, and most of them were straight from the agency (there were a few carpet-baggers like myself, who moved from other states just to work in games).  Being the most junior person who was a Verant employee (and salaried where they were hourly and no overtime was allowed) is how I wound up with so many 90 hour weeks and overnight stays in the server room.  So no, he wasn't full of it.  I think I'm still not allowed to say how much they got paid, but although it was better than McDonalds, it wasn't by a lot.

--Dave