This week, we have emailed, and interviewed a moderator with all the nitty gritty questions that howrse players have. Please note: the moderator has asked not to be named. So we're going to call them X!
TH: What are the benefits of working as a Howrse moderator?
X: "There are all sorts of benefits. I like being able to help all howrse lovers in every stage of their game, the newbies and the veterans. I love that I get to talk to lots of people every day, including the other mods! I really enjoy my divine horses also."
TH: What is your favourite Divine?
X: "Definitely Amethyst."
TH: What is the hardest part of being a moderator?
X: "It's hard when players don't follow the rules. I don't enjoy awarding sanctions, verifying that people have been discourteous or participate in banning. I want our community to get on, so that we can all enjoy it and achieve whatever howrse goals we have :)"
TH: What tips do you have for new players?
X: "Read help manuals, come up with goals for your breeding farms, EC's and horses, read the forum quidelines, ask for help and ultimately have fun and be respectful to everyone else on howrse!"
TH: And tips for your 'veteran' players?
X: "Just remember that those days of seniority don't mean you know everything about the game! There is always more to learn. Try not to be cocky when helping younger players (you were new once too!) and just continue with your goals!"
TH: We all know 'chat speak' is not allowed on the forums, why do you think this is?
X: "We're an international community, even servers like Australia have members who originate from other places, not necessarily English speaking places at that. Yes, English is the language that must be spoken on some servers (international etc.). Many users from all over the globe use translators to communicate on howrse and words in chat speak can't be translated by something like google translate. It's important to allow these players to understand exactly what we do!"
TH: Cyberbullying is a horrible thing now-a-days, does it happen often in the howrse community, how does it effect players and how do you stop these bullies?
X: "Let me start by saying that, Cyberbullying on howrse is not on and will not be tolerated. It doesn't happen as often as you'd think, many of howrse users are female and as you know we can often be a bit catty. Occasionally some players may say some uncalled for things, and they are dealt with as such but for the most part players are pretty courteous which is wonderful! We will stop cyberbullies by cutting off their access to features that allow them to communicate with others, like personal messaging, forums, sales, exchanges and trades and gift giving, bans and account deletions can be handed out to players who continually bully. Cyberbullying is just not on, it can make players not want to come online, be upset, angry, lose focus and intimidate them. Just a reminder, Cyberbullying is illegal on any site and can be dealt with by police and other authorities so think twice before bullying!"
TH: Anything you'd like to say to our totalhowrse-ers?
X: "No matter what stage of the game you're in, there is always something else to do and learn. Be courteous to mods and players and play by the rules. We have so many players world wide and we're lucky to have every single one. It's the worlds best online horse game and we're incredibly proud of it. We are online long hours so you can enjoy it! So go on, what are you waiting for? Get online!"
TH: Can you see yourself joining the totalhowrse team at any point?
X: "Well, I'd love too! but right now I'm busy keeping the peace on howrse, working and looking after my horses, maybe when I leave the mod team, I'll be an admin here! But I'd love to be an honorary totalhowrser!"
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