I know this post possibly doesnt belong here, but i found this part of the forum as the most active and well-controlled by Blizzard People :)

I heard rumors of GM's that are working at home? Can this be confirmed? I thought all people working for Blizzard was situated in Paris? And if not: How is this even possible.. Thinking about that much of a Game Masters work require excellent cummunication between the different departments of blizzard..?

I'm just currious, because i have been thinking about sometime far in the future i would love to work at Blizzard - And if it was possible to work at home, this would make everything much easier since i live in Denmark.

And as a side note: It's always exciting to hear about the working-style of people working for blizzard, so dont mint my fanatical quest to get information about 'the Blizz ppl'..

(Btw.. is it true that as soon as you get to work for blizz, you are not allowed to have a wow account in private?)

Hello Laminated,

I will be happy to answer your questions. :)

---

Q u o t e:
I heard rumors of GM's that are working at home? Can this be confirmed? I thought all people working for Blizzard was situated in Paris? And if not: How is this even possible.. Thinking about that much of a Game Masters work require excellent cummunication between the different departments of blizzard..?

---

Not true: all Game Masters working with World of Warcraft are located either in Vélizy, France (near Paris) or in Cork, Ireland. In addition Game Masters do not work from home as the job requires access to a multitude of internal tools that are not available outside the office.

---

Q u o t e:
(Btw.. is it true that as soon as you get to work for blizz, you are not allowed to have a wow account in private?)

---

Also not true. Many Blizzard employees enjoy playing the game outside working hours. You would not be able to tell who we are by simply meeting us in-game however, as this is information we keep to ourselves.

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

Female members of the staff are excused; as such I'm not personally familiar with this particular branch of the policy!

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

While most of our work is done by using specific tools created for various purposes, we do have in-game characters available for when we need to make an appearance. When we do log in they are almost always invisible though so as to not interfere with the normal gameplay on that realm.

There are many legends surrounding the GM Island. Truth be told though... it's rather dull. ;)

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

It is not possible for a regular player to reach the GM Island without intentionally exploiting in-game, and as such the sanctions may be severe. All possible account penalties as well as our exploitation policies can be found here:

http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

Hi guys,

Salaries and the like are discussed during the interview process and it is not something we disclosed prior to this step.

(Note: Obviously, I'd love to be earning a million monies a day but it's not quite the case. ;))

Thuiljos

---

GM/CS Forum Representative - EN

Her name was Cassandra, she was a psychic, she gave me her phone number...
That's OUR phone number.
Man, she's good.

*gasps* You earn millions of monies a day?! ;)

Seriously, though. If the position is something that interests you, and working for Blizzard is something you want to do, there is no harm in at least applying, finding out more and seeing if it's for you.

Working here is a lot of fun (and a lot of work, mind) and in both our Paris and Cork offices, there are some pretty cool perks which make it all the more enjoyable. There's a fantastic atmosphere in the office, and a real sense of friendship and enjoyment. Practically everyone who works here is a gamer, so that common bond definitely helps - particularly if you are moving from another country.

If you have specific questions, please ask away, we'll try to answer as best we can.

- T

---

GM/CS Forum Representative - EN

Her name was Cassandra, she was a psychic, she gave me her phone number...
That's OUR phone number.
Man, she's good.

I'm afraid all Game Master positions tend to be full time.

---

Q u o t e:
Say you are at home on your own personal account and are raiding. During said raid you find a trick that enables you to avoid one of a bosses special attacks, which, althought not breeching any rules nor exploiting any terrain / geometry, makes the fight trivial, are you duty-bound to report it to the devs?

---

You must understand that when we play on our own time, we're just like everyone else. We get no special treatment - nor is it expected of us - apart from following the same rules and policies as everyone else in the game. If we discover a bug, or wish to report a player, we will submit a ticket just like anyone else. The only difference is that we are intimately familiar with policies and current issues due to our daily work, and this of course means there are many issues we already know and thus don't need to ask about. :)

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

---

Q u o t e:
Also, what kind of fish (if any) can be caught off the shore of GM Island?

---

You have made me curious. I will note this down on my To Do list, to be investigated Soonâ„¢.

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

That room is simply used for..

*Xaldavan falls into a trance*

Wait.. what? Where am I? Who is that coming over with the big pointy...

AAAAAAARRRGHHH...

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Hey Starstrike. :)

Well, I came to work for Blizzard simply by applying. Being a keen WoW fan since launch, I've always wondered about the amazing things Blizzard have supplied my Gaming enthusiasm in the past. Games such as Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Diablo and StarCraft have always been favourites of mine, and WoW continued that trend for me. I saw one day when visiting Account Management that they were recruiting.

Being from England, I was rather scared of leaving my friends and family for this big, bold Blizzard Entertainment organisation, but applied none the less, thinking to myself 'out of the billions of people applying, what're the odds I get my feet anywhere near the door'.

But here I am, and they transmuted me to a Panda! That takes some getting used to, this much fur can get rather hot in summer months.

The interview I found to be highly relaxed and really encouraged my want to be here even more, seeing that the people here are completely on my wavelength.

Being a GM is a great experience, one I recommend any one who enjoys WoW and also enjoys offering support to others. Often, contacting a GM is because something has gone wrong, so of course one would need to be able to deal with an onslaught of unhappiness and do their best to turn that into a better situation, where possible. :)

Chivarly - Game Masters have their own fancy spell books full of wonder, but sadly the detailed information is internal and cannot be disclosed here on the forums, or in fact anywhere but in the office and on GM Island. :P And those robes offer very little protection, but who needs protection when you're a Game Master, protection from damage is the least of your concerns.. ;P

[ Post edited by Xaldavan ]

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Time for me to chip in on this thread...

I have been working for Blizzard for almost two years now, and I can safely say that from a career point-of-view it was a great decision. I came to Blizzard from a lengthy career in a customer service-based industry, and the one thing which makes me genuinely love getting up for work each day which I didn't always have in previous jobs is the people you get to work with - I am a self confessed "Geek", and have never experienced a work environment with so many like-minded people around me. :)

As a potential applicant I would no doubt agree with what many have said here, in that the most daunting aspect of coming to work for Blizzard is the relocation to another country. Like Xaldavan, I am English, and spoke at most GCSE-level French when I moved over here to the office in Velizy. The number one priority for our excellent Personnel department is making sure our employees' relocation is as painless as possible, and you will receive as much help as you require with your relocation - including free French lessons (although they are by no means required - everyone in the France office speaks English).

One final thing I would like to mention in this post is to people who do not necessarily have any experience working in games industry - do not let this put you off! I have played WoW since beta, and whenever I saw a new recruitment post on the website I was always tempted to apply, but didn't, as I thought I didn't have the necessary work skills. Two of the most important things we look for in a potential addition to the support team is a willingness to help customers whenever possible, and a good knowledge of the game - I can say with quite some confidence that our customer support representatives know more about the product we are supporting than any other similar department.

My own application to Blizzard was on a whim, with no expectation of success, and I was as surprised as anyone that my service background in another industry was exactly what Blizzard were looking for. I encourage any of you who are thinking of applying to do so - maybe I'll see you in the office someday!

Keep the questions coming guys - we will try to answer as many as we can. :)

Issuntril

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

---

Q u o t e:
What age were you both when you started to work for Blizzard. And did it take long to find somewhere to live and get settled in France?

And between France or Ireland did you have a choice of where to go or was there only positions at the France department?

---

I was 21 when I applied, and 22 when I arrived here. I am coming up to my 24th Ding very soon. :) (Cake > Pie - and Chocolate, please)

When I applied, and Issuntril too (as he is a more experienced Panda), there were only positions available in France. Now I believe you can apply to either, as noted on the Jobs page linked below, you can ask to apply for either Ireland or France. :)

http://www.blizzard.co.uk/jobs/cs-englishgamemaster.shtml

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Sadly, what you ask is not something we can do for various reasons. I am sorry for that. :(

Pr0n incoming, however.. kek.

*hug*

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

The interview is internal, so depending on the location of your application, you would need to travel to the specific office for the interview process.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

I wish you, and anyone else who applies, the very best of luck indeed, and hope to see some fresh faces in the office soon. :)

Xaldavan.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

I'll tell you as I told the Police, that was a misunderstanding. I thought it was a recipe for Bamboo Brownies.

/cry

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Meatyka - 18 is fine, the role requires you to be 18 or over. :)

Razakel - I cannot disclose the Perks of the job, I'm afraid, that information is for Employee ears only. ;P There are perks, of course, and upon interview/acceptance these perks would be unveiled. \o/

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Cookies are available only if someone has brought them in for the GMs to fight over. :)

The Dress code is simple really, Blue Robes, Blue Hood, Brown Slippers and [Dirge] equipped is a must.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Hi there,

Unfortunately we're unable to accomodate trainees or work experience applicants due to the sensitive nature of a lot of the work we do. Additionally, all employees must be 18 years or older due to contractual constraints.

Thuiljos

---

GM/CS Forum Representative - EN

Her name was Cassandra, she was a psychic, she gave me her phone number...
That's OUR phone number.
Man, she's good.

Skullyhead, I'm not sure which particular cases you refer to. There are certainly both real and fake screenshots and movies circulating on the net; it is the internet, after all. :) We would not give players any permanent items which they didn't have before, though; this includes non-combat pets.

Zahniya, the company provides accommodations for a month after you relocate to France. I'm not certain of the Ireland customs, but I imagine similar assistance is provided. You may find the following of interest:

http://www.wow-europe.com/en/recruitment/faq.html

---

Q u o t e:
Q: Do I get any help with relocating to France?
A: If you are successful in your application to work for Blizzard, you will get full access to a relocation agency that specialises in dealing with people who are moving to France for the first time. The relocation agency will deal with everything from showing you around apartments that you can rent, to setting up bank accounts and filling in paperwork.

---

Mitta,

---

Q u o t e:
if GM has his own account, is he allowed to tell his guildmembers that he is a GM?

---

This is a tricky question. We don't work for a top secret government agency or anything, and it is generally fine to let our friends know what we do. However, we may not reveal our identities for the sole purpose of gaining something - be that gold, fame or adoration. Personally I have told my very best online friends in the past, whom I could trust to not spread the word. Should it become widely known on my realm I would most likely have to migrate, which is obviously something I'd rather avoid.

I will try and answer more questions later if I can; need to concentrate on newer threads for now. :)

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

A quick answer to a few more questions before my shift ends. :)

Hanatu:

---

Q u o t e:
Do you know of any GM's that have had their own private accounts hacked? xD and if so, how fast was it till they got their stuff back? ;D

---

Yes I do =P and it took exactly the same time as it would have for any other player. ;)

Ervine:

---

Q u o t e:
How much, in euros, would you estimate it takes to get set in France? What I mean is pretty much getting a place to live and other quite basic stuff.

---

I don't really remember how much I needed, but at least the French insist on deposits when you rent an apartment etc so some savings are needed. This would be discussed at the interview. I don't know if Ireland differs.

Teriana:

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Q u o t e:
Do you have these working cubicles in a huge room which are so famous for the US or is it more the kind of 5 person rooms...?

---

At least the Game Master department in France has a huge room. :) Several, in fact.

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

Time for another quick round of answers since I don't have the time to investigate further "real" issues tonight...

Falcore, we have a coffee/hot drinks machine of questionable reputation. It's pretty alright when it works, but instead of tea with milk I have often been served half a cup of sugary milk! =( And my immediate supervisor is awesome. ;) No, really.

Sorry, time's up. =D

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
Signature coming Soonâ„¢

---

Q u o t e:
Whats the Coffee like? From a machine? Do you prepare it yourself? Or do you have a "trolley-lady"?

---

Mr Coffee provides only the finest of coffees. When he works and provides the milk as intended..

---

Q u o t e:
Have people ever slept in the office and/or pulled an all nighter?

---

I think once upon a time it was the done thing, but not so much any more due to legal restraints. :)

---

Q u o t e:
On an average day, how many people can be heard stressing out?

---

Less than you would imagine.

---

Q u o t e:
Do you fear, or love your boss? (be honest)

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A bit of both, it's a healthy balance to maintain. :)

---

Q u o t e:
If you had to count all the people that had brown, or black, or blonde hair, which colour hair would have the most amount of people?

---

Hmm.. I'm erring towards brown..

---

Q u o t e:
Whats the weather like in Paris? Or Ireland?

---

Awesome today, 22c when I checked on the way in, but its rising.

---

Q u o t e:
What do you have for lunch each day?

---

Varies. Anything from Bamboo to Pasta, McMeal to Sandwhiches made by Mrs. Xaldavan. Others have other dieting habits.

---

Q u o t e:
Does the person sitting next to you have any annoying habits?

---

Not at all, he's an awesome chap!

---

Q u o t e:
Whats your favourite brand of pot noodle?

---

Bombay Bad Boy

---

Q u o t e:
10kJ of heat are supplied to a gas which then expands at a constant pressure of 5kPa, from an initial volume of 10 litres to a final volume of 40 litres. Calculate the change in internal energy.

---

Roughly that omitted from 10 AA Batteries wired up to a Llama in sunglasses.

---

Q u o t e:
Thanks!

---

You're welcome.

Xal.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
Question: Is there anything awesome about the living conditions of where you live in France?

---

That purely depends on what you find awesome, I suppose. Where I am provides me with all I need close to my door and with great convenience, and I'm one short train ride away from the center of Paris. When a GM relocates here, they're taken with a relocation agency like Xemafir highlighted from the FAQs, so you have some choice in where you go and what suits you. :)

Xal, Llama charger and Mr Coffee addict.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
Do you have to pay for all your coffees or does coffee get offered as a perk? XD

---

That depends how much you drink. :)

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

I wish I could answer some of the above questions, but I've already answered a fair few O/T ones, so I should behave. :P

Paris is quite easy to navigate and one should find little problem in finding home once more, unless you are steaming drunk.. then just pop your Hearthstone..

As per the GM's having Quotas and a Book of Secrets, that's all something to discover upon interview and/or acceptance to the company. :)

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
Quite a while back I read an interview which involved a few EX-Blizzard GM's and in it they mentioned certain things there not allowed to do which if caught could result in warning. Can you go slightly into detail about this or is this forbidden to do on the forums?

---

Well, I cannot go into much detail, but at times the Game Masters are granted permission to visit players and perform some rather interesting tricks and spells, so long as regular support is not compromised or inhibited by it. :) Feel free to let us know on the forums if you experience this as we love to hear back from players who do get some hands on GM action.

Game Masters are encouraged to pass on requests for help from players they know or are affiliated with in any way to simply avoid any questionable decisions they may make. The Game Masters are an honest breed and true to their guidelines, but this simply avoids any conflicts of interest. :)

And yes, I for one play some Team Fortress and enjoy ownage in the realms of other FPS games and RTS titles. ;P

MULTIKILL....

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

I gief good heals.. ;)

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
More details!
So do you have one account or two? (I presume two)

---

I have 4. 2 are mine, just like anyone else's Account here they are used in my spare time and contain my play characters only.

---

Q u o t e:
Can x account be like the one you work on can you put anything into your inventory ?

---

For testing purposes and such we have the ability to create items, yes. This is highly important otherwise we would be limited in the support we could in fact offer.

---

Q u o t e:
Plus Doesn't your forum name give it away?

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My Forum name 'Xaldavan' is in no way related to my play Accounts or the characters on them. :)

---

Q u o t e:
Also are you a fan of Chuck Norris?

---

I do not chose to be a fan. He chooses me to be a fan.

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
Apologies if this has already been answered. I'm curious to know whether GMs would normally see my character in-person when responding to a ticket, or is it all just text to them?

---

We would be able to, provided we chose to log in to the game at the same time. Otherwise no, we don't automatically see your character, but we do see most of the important details about it - just not in graphical detail.

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

---

Q u o t e:
-so the gm island realy exists? and what do you do there?
-are the GMs spying on us whle we are invisible?

---

It does exist. If I told you what we did there the mystery that is this sacred isle would be lost. :)

Also, it is entirely possible that a GM is watching you at any time from the shadows... like 'Ninjas in the Night'!

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
It does exist. If I told you what we did there the mystery that is this sacred isle would be lost. :)

---

Nekkid gnome parties. It's funny 'cause it's true.

Did I ruin it now? ;)

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

---

Q u o t e:
How about the magical White room with the Mysterious Chair? I still really want to know what that is for :P

---

You mean the secret white room? :P

---

Q u o t e:
if i opened a ticket and asked a GM to appear next to me and do somthing weird would they or arnt they allowed to do that? O.o

---

Whilst this is something we like to be able to do at times, we cannot do it on request and only if a legitimate ticket is submitted, and that doing so would not compromise our service to other players can anything of this nature be done. :)

---

Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

---

Q u o t e:
So GMs, are you guys allowed to interact in-game with players, like show yourself to them or something more interesting. Or is it just a strict rule just to /w with players? :)

---

This has just been answered in a slightly different light. :)

Whilst this is something we like to be able to do at times, we cannot do it on request and only if a legitimate ticket is submitted, and that doing so would not compromise our service to other players can anything of this nature be done. :)

Regarding 'Ghostly Quests', you can discover their possible existence by doing a lot of running around as a Ghost, no? ;)

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Some old questions I didn't see responded yet...

---

Q u o t e:
I have worked in Customer Services for a while and know the workings of it. I'm a dedicated gamer and a fan of Blizzard for over 6 years now, maybe longer. What would be the pretty much requirements to get a shot at working in either Cork or Paris? Is there any must haves or advantages to have?

---

You must have a very good knowledge of the game of course, otherwise you're not able to do the job. In addition Blizzard likes to hire people who love games, so don't be afraid to hide the fact. :) Both of these qualities are very important, and not something you will learn in school.

(disclaimer: certain limitations apply, no drooling on the Night Elf statues please!)

If you're already familiar with the customer support industry that's a huge plus. You must be able to get along with people, providing top notch customer service even when tired or in in personal disagreement, and have good communication skills. Of course this goes for almost any job.

The ad itself is actually a pretty good description: http://www.blizzard.co.uk/jobs/cs-englishgamemaster.shtml

---

Q u o t e:
1:) Is it true that Game Masters get assigned to specific servers, servertypes or battlegroups? I'm aksing this because on RolePlaying servers, most GM's are known for their special 'goodbye' sentences.

---

Each Game Master has access to all European realms at once. Whether we pick up tickets from specific realms or from all of them at once varies, but you can safely assume that there are no technical limitations to this. Many Game Masters do have special goodies reserved for roleplayers though, which can be launched when they see the ticketer's realm. :)

---

Q u o t e:
2:) Is it possible to sign short-term contracts at Blizzard? I know that you don't accept trainees, but what about people that are looking for a 1-year job?

---

The only temporary position I have ever seen advertised is this one (currently up at the time of this writing):

http://www.blizzard.co.uk/jobs/web-webdesigner-temp.shtml

---

Q u o t e:
I live in Cork where is this secret Blizz hideout? =D

---

Not a clue, I'm in France. ;) In fact all of our current forum pandas are; this may change in the future, the Cork office is simply very new.

---

Q u o t e:
Also why are panda's the most helpful GM's?

---

Thank you, but I'm saddened you think less of my co-workers! :( I believe your impression is caused by the fact that our role is very public, and you can literally see large amounts of our work in action. In addition on quiet days (like today) we have more time to concentrate on "fun" stuff and chit chat - such as this thread - which in turns helps you see that we're just as human and approachable as anyone else. Except Issuntril, I think he's a super hero, what with the cape and boxers worn over his pants.

---

Q u o t e:
How many ative characters are there on any given realm being played by GM's?
Maybe 1? 5-10? I'm curious :)

---

There's no way I would reveal this even if I knew, sorry. :) Game Masters and other employees guard their secret carefully, as it would not do to mark specific realms with a Blizzard tag. Luckily I can say with perfect honesty that we are spread over numerous realms, since most of us played before we got hired and didn't know each other back then.

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

---

Q u o t e:
is there a GM nightshift?

---

Yes.

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

---

Q u o t e:
Do you prefer to work nights? As im guessing you have nothing to do yet get payed the same? :P

---

Personally I prefer evening shift. =) Night shift is alright, not nearly as quiet as one would think though.

---

Q u o t e:
Do the GMs get to pick who fills out a GM satisfaction survey? If not, are they told the player they just helped was chosen to fill out a survey at least? And do they ever get to read the "comments" section on those surveys? I always try to write amusing things but I wonder if it only gets read by some stern personnel manager who merely snarls at it.

---

We don't get to choose which player is given a survey, and we don't know if you got one. We can, however, view any comments and scores we are given (usually the next day), so feel free to send personal messages! Of course our supervisors also have access to this data and snarling may be involved if we totally screwed up.

---

Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

---

Q u o t e:
Do the pandas and GMs have regular get togethers, and go out to wreck havoc among the poor citizens of Paris?

---

Pandas are GMs, but yes, Paris often sees us unwind and unleash ourselves. :)

---

Q u o t e:
Im suprised no one has asked yet but what class and race is your main characters you play at home?

---

We cannot say what we play in our spare time as this is always seen to play a part in some kind of class preference that people suspect the developers to have. :D

---

Q u o t e:
Have you EVER given yourself some gold?
If you for example just missed 10gold for something you were about to buy? Did you give your self 10gold then?
Just curious :)

---

If we did this, we would not be in a job. :)

[ Post edited by Xaldavan ]

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Hi Miriya,

The biggest perk of the job for me is receiving positive feedback from players who were pleased with the help I have given them, be it the return of a valued pet, or the complete restoration of an account after they have been compromised. I have experienced this many times in-game, and even more often during my tenure here on the forums, and believe me, it never gets old. :)

As WoW is a developing game world, the various "Hot Issues" which pop up also change, but there is one that immediately springs to mind. As anyone who has visited these forums regularly will tell you, there was a huge influx of tickets from players around the time that patch 2.3 and arena season three was implemented where it seemed like our entire subscription base had made some kind of selection error when purchasing arena items, and required our help. That was an... interesting time to be a GM. ;)

Your question regarding "Blue" responses is more aimed at our community team I imagine, so this is not something which I can comment on - remember that we are Game Masters, not community reps. As far as posts on the Customer Support forums go, we will try to answer every post which contains a legitimate support-based query. There are many things which we cannot comment on (for example, class balance), and such threads are moved to the relevant forums for discussion amongst the community.

Speaking from my own experiences, I would say that the desire to help people out whenever possible is a trait that cannot be taught, and is certainly something which we look for when interviewing potential candidates. The rest can only really be learned from experience within the department and working with others - our tools are very intricate, and allow us to view a great amount of information within the game, and it is fair to say that this can be quite intimidating for a "Newbie".

I hope this answers your post. ;)

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

I am sure there are certain things which rile individual Game Masters, but this does not, and should not ever affect the application of our policies and penalties when investigating player tickets.

I hope this dodges the answer to your question satisfactorily. ;)

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

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Q u o t e:
People see you GM's as something larger than life, some practically idolize their favorite GM's. (Believe it or not, I know a whole bunch who can name their favorite GM's. I know I can.) How does it make you all feel? Does it affect you in your work or in your real lives to be such an important figure in the online life of so many millions? Or is it just another job?

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To be honest I have always thought there are too many Game Masters for anyone in particular to be remembered. I have certainly not thought of myself as particularly memorable, merely a representative of an important aspect of the game; of course as a forum representative this changes a little bit simply because we are less in number. I would imagine being proven otherwise would be, well... cool. I absolutely love receiving feedback.

It's certainly not just another job for me, because I consider working for a game company pretty ideal.

I do find myself drawn in to listen when I see Game Masters discussed, and that's genuine interest. I rarely take part. ;)

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Q u o t e:
I find the most facinating part of how people work is in how they slack. So what do GM's tend to do when they're slacking? Are there a lot of office pranks? LOLcats? Forum Posting with your own characters? Or are there strict rules in place about what you can and cannot do?

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I am currently on lunch and thus officially slacking. =)

The only prank that comes to mind right now was the April's fool day when Thuiljos' had tin foil wrapped around her monitor and all other belongings. I didn't take part, honest. :D

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

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Q u o t e:
So can any GM answer this once and for all, the GM Island thing, is it true or what? If so, do you hang out there or what:)?

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GM Island does exist, and is a real place where real Game Masters do hang out and 'chew the cud' so to speak. :) I cannot divulge too much about what happens there, but lets say for now that it simply involves Murlocs, hammocks and sticky back plastic..

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Q u o t e:
Do you even slack in game when you are at work? I have thought many times as I chat with a friend in some weird places like Caverns of Time; what if a Game Master just happened to be here and he is spying on us?!
Have any of you done something like that? Just to kill time and reading /say or /trade?

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At times when I'm done helping with a specific problem somewhere in the world, I can be found lurking around the zone, seeing what is going on, but I don't tend to hang around too long, or get involved with any of the channel chat, as it can often be conversations we don't want to get involved in for various reasons. ;) As for spying on players, how was your run in the Black Morass the other day.. =D

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Q u o t e:
Since u GM's cant say anything about your actual characters, what class/race do you prefer to play? (i guess you played alot of em ^^)

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We cannot answer this either, sadly. :)

[ Post edited by Xaldavan ]

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

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Q u o t e:
Do you, have a panda pet in-game? :D

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I do but only because I shelled out for the Limited Edition Vanilla WoW when it first hit the stores. This, sadly, wasn't a perk. =D

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Q u o t e:
Just want to poke my nose in and say how much i have enjoyed reading this thread, thank you.

A thought about your work, you have a lower age limit but do you have a top limit too?

Also how computer literate do you need to be, can a basic computer user do your job or do you need to know the working mechanics too?

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A good question. From my knowledge there is no upper limit on the job, and any application of someone over 18 would of course be considered be the person 18 or 50 (those are random ages plucked from the abyss that is my brain this morning).

Regarding computer literacy, I do believe a degree of computer knowledge is needed; Namely the ability to navigate the drives of a PC, running and updating of essential tools and such. No hardware knowledge is needed for the Game Master department as we primarily focus on In-game customer support only, so the best knowledge you can have is that of the Game itself. :)

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Q u o t e:
I should probably be making a new topic for this question, but since theres such a nice thread going on i'll just post it here:

Is there any way one can check ones characters creation dates?

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Sadly it isn't possible for a player to obtain this information. It's available internally, but this is where it must remain for now.

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Q u o t e:
as would I, been a very nice way to kill an hour and a interesting insight into the way GMs work, so thanks.
p.s Xal, could i use a quote of yours in my signature?

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Feel free. :) I'm sure the Llama will not mind..

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Q u o t e:
Question: How the hell do you create your signatures? Do you like have the french equivilant of Quite Interesting (QI) over there? O_o

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As far as I know, there is no French version of QI (which is my favourite TV show I might add), but I have a healthy collection of DVDs in which Sir. Fry educates me about various issues and topics. My forum Signature comes from simply a quote from a Poet, but other Pandas use other means of acquiring signature goodness.

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Q u o t e:
By the way I always wanted to ask this as well!
Your GM characters you have.. Are they members in a guild called <Stuff> ? ^^

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I cannot say, true or not. :)

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Q u o t e:
What is Sargath doing with the red crystal?

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If I told you I would have to.. you know.. be nasty and stop the truth spreading further! :)

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

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Q u o t e:
What I lack however, on the many replies of a GM job oppurtunity, is the growth possibilities.
Helping people never gets old, yet developing your skills further & further is aswell a nice job aspect.
Is that taken care of aswell when working for Blizzard, starting as a GM?

edit: just to make it clear - I'm wondering this as I'm considering it aswell as I love gaming / blizzard, have 2 years experience in customer service & have an IT degree to make it easier aswell, but the risk I see in joining a gaming company is indeed the game "dying out", although that shouldn't happen fast on WoW ;P but if, say 10 years later, what extra skills will be gained? ;)

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When one enters Blizzard as a Game Master, however much they know about the Game already leaves the beginning of the job as a very intimidating time. Walking into the office with some of the most experienced Game Masters and having to work with them, whilst it can be an honor, it can be very scary. :) Over time as a Game Master you learn enough about the workings of the Game to develop further, with the opportunity to move into Administrative and Investigative departments and further, depending on other skills you have have already. Whilst WoW will not be here for eternity in it's present glory, other exciting developments are always underway, and that will always help keep the Game Master teams in work for all eternity.

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Q u o t e:
Is the the purple bubble in Dalaran another spot you often have your characters relaxing except GM island? ^^

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I've not actually been in there yet... I wonder if anyone does hide there.. :) I will be sure to check and most likely keep anything I find to myself. Muahahaha.

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Q u o t e:
Btw are you allowed to drink at work and have fun when your doing nightshifts or is the evil boss gonna be there? :)

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When you say drink, do you mean pints of Kronenbourg or are we talking cans of Red Bull? Either way, Beer is a no-go of course, but Red Bull is highly accepted amongst our teams! :) Night shift is like any other shift, there is always plenty of work to do and tickets to resolve, so the fun that is had would be like any other shift.

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Religion - freedom - vengeance - what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill." - Lord Byron

Elysaa:

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Q u o t e:
do you read through the US customer service forum? if so do you ever envy the community there that seems to have sprung up around the board? (although the less trolling here and flaming is much nicer :) )

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I have personally read the US CS forum section since it was first introduced and I was thrilled when we finally got our own here in Europe! :) I have lots of respect for the Game Masters posting there. Unfortunately we don't have 24/7 forum coverage like they do, and having to keep up with "serious" issues means there's less time to encourage "fun" stuff; trying to make up for it with threads like this one. :)

Venun:

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Q u o t e:
Hmm.. :) I just might... just might apply. Scary decision though, leaving friends & family behind like that q.q ahwell, let's apply first and see if the option is even there to decide over I guess :)

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Watch out, that's precisely what a lot of us thought!

Dopi:

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Q u o t e:
Do you Game Masters have any special User Interface?
Any special buttons or something? ;)
Inform me :D

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We have appropriate interfaces to do our job. :) I'm afraid the details are confidential, however.

Cindey:

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Q u o t e:
Have you guys ever experienced/seen/heard a GM that got drunk and abused his powers? :O

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Thankfully not... :p

Aggression:

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Q u o t e:
And what I think of here is. If you're in a frontrunner guild that relies on own tactics and don't want spoilers on bosses. Isn't it thrilling to shout out "Hey, let's try this or this instead!" (because you KNOW the tactics, but your fellow guildfriends don't know you're a GM and know more or less all of it already), hehe.

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The real experts are the players who try out new encounters on the public test realm. :) Theory is nothing if you lack execution.

Laminated:

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Q u o t e:
Are you able to log into normal players's accounts? If yes:
What do you need this function for, and what problems get solved this way?
And how often do you use this function to solve a problem?

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There are very rare occasions when we may need to borrow a character itself. Should the need arise we have the capability to do so, but in most cases issues can be resolved by working together with an online player.

Teysa:

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Q u o t e:
After a hard day of helping players across the European Servers out, full with stress or anything else. What area/zone helps you relax, with the only the mere thought of it? / What is your favorite zone in WoW and why is that? (Or am I going a bit ot far on the fact that you might love working with the game)

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Moonglade. =)

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Xemafir
Game Master EN // CS Forum Representative
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." (Mark Russell)

"Cost of living" is a broad general statement, and of course depends on your lifestyle. I am a gamer who goes out a few nights a week for a social drink with friends (like a great majority of our player base, I imagine), and I can honestly say that with the wage I receive I have enough cash left over at the end of the month to put some away for a rainy day without ever having to compromise on the way.

As for the costs of relocating - obviously some startup money is required, as you will be required to pay a deposit for your apartment once you move in, which we cannot cover.

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

Again, a "Decent place" is something that is subjective. Speaking personally, I have a perfectly adequate one room apartment for which I had to pay around 2000 Euros for for the first month, including any returnable deposits and fees, and around 500 Euros monthly thereafter.

It is also worth taking into consideration that you do in fact receive help from the French government with the paying of this sum, both in the form of interest free loans and grants. The reason you need this money when you relocate is that it takes some time for the paperwork for this help to be processed.

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

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Q u o t e:
If you do get a job as a GM, what is it like to begin with? Do start out making the tea like some companies or are you thrown straight into the mix? (The tea is a general example, seeing as you have the most excellent Mr. Coffee) So what's the general process?

Thank you, magical pandas!

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Things may have changed slightly since I was an entry-level GM, but generally we receive two weeks training on our support policies and internal tools, and then put into a team of experienced GMs to answer tickets straight away.

As I think was mentioned in an earlier post, our office is completely open-plan (no cubicles), so newer GMs are easily able to turn to their more experienced peers for assistance - including the forum pandas. :)

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

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Q u o t e:
1. Is being a GM your ideal job?

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It is a great deal more fun than my previous job, but I always wanted to be James Bond. :(

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Q u o t e:
2. Is there anything you don't like about your job?

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Scammers and account thieves.

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Q u o t e:
3. If you had to choose, would you rather be a panda or penguin?

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A panda, as penguins can melt when it is too hot.

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Q u o t e:
4. Cake or pie?

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If we are talking fruit pie, then cake. If we are talking meaty steak and ale pie, then pie.

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Q u o t e:
5. Pirates or Ninjas?

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Ninja pirates!

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

On a related note to this thread, we are planning on having a recruitment booth at the upcoming Worldwide Invitational in Paris. You can find further information on this in the following post from Slorkuz:

WWI 2008: Careers At Blizzard!

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"

Missed this one...

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Q u o t e:


One question which aome people applying fro the job may wish to know is:

Will Blizzard advance this amount against future salary, and deduct from salary an appropiate amount per month until the process of help from teh French goverment is processed.

I realise you may not be able to answer this due to policy, but it may help anyone thinking of applying who does not have this kind of money available in making the decision.

Haze

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Unfortunately this is not something which we can do for applicants - any potential employees will need to have this money available when they start with us.

Issuntril

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Game Master / / Customer Service Forum Representative - EN

"Sometimes you have to roll the hard six"