Moonlite in Telon!

I met GM Moonlite years ago as we both walked thru Norrath with other identities. Our paths crossed multiple times and she always made me feel special! Other players mentioned the same thing, so I knew I had to reach out and attempt this interview, once things settled down a bit with the transition, so others could get to know her, too.

Imagine my surprise as I sat waiting near a gnomish area, totally expecting the GM Breave, the Eurudite, and met Moonlite. Since she changed shapes a couple of times, I'm really not sure what her chosen form is, but she was gracious, as always.

It must have been about 4:00pm, because in a twinkling, a teacup was in my hand. After the appropriate hugs and catching up, we got down to business:


Q: Were you a gamer before you came to the states, and what brought you here?

I guess, I should answer your question by explaining I’m from England right? J Up the Spurs! (I had to…sorry) I lived elsewhere in America before I moved to California, and then came to SOE 5.5 years ago. I was a gamer, and was a Senior Guide on Erollisi Marr for a couple of years from close to the beginning of EQ. I used to play a game called Underlight on mplayer, and then played EverQuest.


Q: How long have you been in gaming, and Customer Support, overall?

About 8 years now.


Q: What is your fundamental theory on game company ingame support?

Customer support for any company is very costly; we are a small part of the circle that keeps things going. Our job is to balance the hard work development puts in for game balance, with helping customers in any way we can to make sure their issue is resolved quickly so they continue their gaming with minimum interference from us.


Q: You have a few alias' that are known to different people. Care to share what they are and which was/is your favorite?

I began on EverQuest as I said on Erollisi Marr where I was Senior Guide Moonlite. When I came to work at SOE I was a Lead GM for EverQuest known as Breave. Then when SOE began the support in Beta for FINAL FANTASY XI and I became the Customer Service Manager, I changed back to Head-GM-Moonlite. For the last year I have been the Senior Customer Service Manager for Star Wars Galaxies, Planetside, Matrix Online and now Vanguard…all as Moonlite.


Q: How is, or is, the CS in Vanguard any different from any other game?

Usually with game launches, the GM’s are picked beforehand and get a chance to play the game to totally understand the basics of how things work. We write the policies, some with the development teams, before hand and we get all the tools we need. Vanguard is different since it wasn’t originally an SOE game, and so we are playing catch up with all of the above, but I believe we are making great strides to better assist all of the Vanguard customers. So, yes it’s different, but it makes a nice change and the challenge keeps us on our toes!


Q: Do you enjoy working with a game that has an organization, like the Guides or Crimson Fellowship, who assist the GMs? Reasons?

Sure. I was a guide myself for a long time!


Q: What is your primary responsibility as Head GM?

My role is to manage the project side of the game with regards to customer service and the personnel who work in customer service. We have Lead GMs who are effectively supervisors, and then the GM’s themselves. I converse with the different teams (development, quality assurance and so on) to see how changes might affect customer service, and what the impact of that will be on the team here, and the players. However, I love the people side of my job the most. Motivating people, working alongside those who have an amazing drive, work ethic and thirst for creativity is unrivaled in any industry I have worked. We monitor GM responses and I, along with the Lead GMs, coach and assist the gm’s in giving first class service, even if our answer is no. I have to look at how quickly we are getting to your petitions and make sure that time sensitive issues are addressed, and that we are consistent in our answers on an issue. I feel nothing is worse than being inconsistent in our responses to the customers.

I truly enjoy having fun at work! My office is totally decorated in 80’s metal posters, which I originally did as a bit of a joke with my team..though that is my choice of music! Up the Irons! J


*YEEEEEEES!!!*


Q: What is your goal for Vanguard?

For a CS manager that’s hard to answer because I’m not a developer/coder/programmer and so the effects I can have on Vanguard as an overall game, are not as amazing as those clever peeps! However, I can contribute to the overall experience and have a goal to be able to provide the best in-game customer service for all the games I work on. I take pride in my work, and the teams I work with and aim to instill a sense of pride in all of them.


Q: How many GMs do you have working with you now? Can we have names?

21. There’s shorty, skinny, happy, grumpy, sneezy…..


*somehow,the tune, "I'm A Little Teacup," started ringing thru my ears...*


Q: Most of us know Lead GM Aughos, or Auggie, to many. How is it working with him?

I interviewed him when the Lead GM position became available. He’s great, and has the same ideas about customer service and how to treat people as I do. We work very well together and I have great respect for him. You can all meet him at Disneyland since the team believes he lives there! He goes every day he gets off work.


*looking at my teacup again, I saw that the picture was of Cinderella's castle - not New Trag! hmmm...*


Q: If you had it to do over again, would you?

You mean the last 8 years? Sure, because it really has been so much fun.


Q: Any parting words of wisdom to the players? Concerns or expectations?

I’ve found on all MMORPG’s there are lots of common misconceptions about GMs like:-

GM’s are not developers/programmers or coders and can not alter in anyway how the game, NPC’s, Zones, Quests work.

We make no money at all from currency sellers…we lose money and they are as big an annoyance to us as they are to you guys. We honestly ban hundreds of them every single day. It’s like chasing our tail a lot of the time. However, lots of different departments are working hard on trying to solve this issue as I write this J

We will always do everything we possibly can to help you. If we can’t help it’s because it is simply not possible, or for game balance we have decided not to on that issue.

It is impossible for us to change the sex of your character once you created it. We did not do it for your cousin’s brother’s parrot’s aunt’s character. They lied.

If you really have a cat that was clever enough to spell the name of your character while holding down ALT and P at the same time in order to delete your character, you should be famous and rich.

Honestly, GM’s are just real people who have a love for gaming, just like players. In fact, they are all players of games themselves or they wouldn’t have made the choice to join this industry. Many of them moved from all the way across the country just to work here. They do feel the pain you feel when you lose your favourite item, and as such they will do everything they can to get it back for you. It is much more rewarding to have a player thank us, be happy, and to have made their day, than to have one angry at us and yelling and cursing; so we always strive to get the first response.


*she stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, then told me she was needed. We stood and the cups vanished. In it's place, there was a little doll that said, "Thank you, Breave" on it. Sometimes, memories can become the present, and I, for one, am very glad that Moonlite, or Sharon Morris is in our present and, hopefully, our future!

Thank you, m'lady. It's been a pleasure!