Interview [Issue 71] Interview'd: Best Helpers of 2017

[Hex 11,520]

 

Hello tankers, and welcome to yet another special interview in the Newspaper! Today, I will be hosting an interview with a couple of remarkable Helpers from the very own English Community, and going over five questions that I think would pretty much sum up the deal, each ranging from basic introductions to their plans and goals for this year.

 

Ladies and gentleman, please welcome, the Best Helpers of the Year!

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Hello! Could you please introduce yourself? Currently, what kind of job do you hold?

 

@Maf: Hi, I'm Maf (a.k.a. Mafioso), currently working as an Administrator for the Wiki and Forum Moderator, specialised in the Ideas and Suggestions section.

 

@Ninja: Hey, I'm Ninja. Fairly well known around the forum, always trying and failing to be funny. My primary job is taking care of the Forum and its people as a forum moderator, I also dip my fingers into the Tanki Thinking Challenge whenever the main man Marc is away.

 

@Hate: Hi, I'm Hate. Currently, I'm a Forum moderator and a Battle Moderator.

 

@Momma_Bear: I'm Momma_Bear, but players also call me Momma, Mommy (lol), MB or Bear.  I'm a chat moderator in the EN community.

 

@rommeltanki: Hello, I am rommeltanki, a Chat Moderator for the EN community.

 

@Hny93: My name's Erri (Hny93). I am currently working as a biochemical engineer posted in one of the companies in the Middle East. My current position in Tanki Online, however, is a Chat Moderator.

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: Merhaba! My name is Oğuzhan and as you can see from my name, I'm from Turkey. I'm currently FB moderator and an Event Helper.

 

@Sia: Hello, I'm Sia, and I'm a Help Site consultant.

 

@Nikk: Hello everyone! My name is Nikk (previously known as katekizem). Currently, I am working as an Event Organizer and eSports Livestream team leader, while I also help in several contests and community streams.

 

: Hiya! My name is Kurt (surprising huh?), and I’m from a tiny island called Malta. (Yes, same as Cedric, and no, I’ve never met him ) I left my position as a Helper a couple of months ago, and quit the game altogether for the most part. I used to be an Event Helper and a Forum Moderator though!

 

@Lucifer: Hi, I'm Lucifer and a huge fan of the Lucifer TV Show. I'm from Italy the land of pizza, I have a small defect I talk a lot I'm an extroverted person. Currently, I'm an eSports Admin and Event Organiser.

 

@CooperO: Hey, I'm CooperO! I'm a Forum Administrator in the English community, I'm an avid animal lover and experienced binge watcher. If I have some free time, I love getting a little creative with wood, whether it be a simple wooden box, a cat tree or something else entirely.

 

@skeletorXVIII: I am Fabian, a German computer science student and Administrator of the Community Events. My main job is the administration of the Community Events, but I also help out other section due to my qualifications, with technical questions and development of tools. For example, the overlays used by the eSport in the last one and a half years are developed by me.

 

 

 

When did you first stumble upon the game? Since when are you a Helper?

 

@Maf: Found it in an online ad. I even remember that it was a vertical ad on the right side of the screen. :P I have been a Helper since December, 2014.

 

@Ninja: I honestly cannot remember how I first played the game, all I remember is Miniclip... Brother.. Where does the Gold Box drop..? 2015/6, beyond these faint memories I don't remember much else, I don't think finding a game was considered a memory worth keeping for me. :x

 

I've been a helper since April 2017.

 

@Hate: Been a helper for some time now, I would say around 7-9 months. I started playing the game in 2016.

 

@Momma_Bear: I first discovered Tanki in the fall of 2014.  I'll admit that my son was playing Tanki instead of doing his homework, and I could tell his work was being ignored when I heard that glorious sound of a flag being capped.  He talked me into making an account just to prove to me that this new game wasn't too violent, and the rest is history.  I've I've been a mod since the summer of 2016. 

 

@rommeltanki: Oddly, I found Tanki in the fall of 2013 because students in my class were playing during a Friday study hall. When I got home I created this account and started playing and have been hooked ever since.  I applied to be a helper in May of 2014.

 

@Hny93: I found the game the year 2013 was just passing through some multiple online games when all over a sudden my eyes got pulled TO, since then I've liked this game.

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: I started Tanki in January 2010, a friend of mine suggested it and we started to play together. Then he left but I was still hanging around. I have been working as a Facebook Helper for almost two years, 2015-2016 and 2017-Present. I then became an Event Helper in November.

 

@Sia: I first joined game three years ago, was invited to the game by my friend who was playing it for a while already, then in March of 2016 I became a Help Site Consultant and I'm still there since then.

 

@Nikk: I started playing this game in 2011 from another account, then stopped playing for around a year, and started this account in 2013. I first became a Helper in 2016 I think, helping with contests, working on events, and being a forum moderator.

 

: Stumbled on it three years ago actually. Miniclip used to help ease my boredom xD Didn't have a clean karma, although I only got banned once but it was for like a week 'cause I hated mults too much D: Anyways, they saw that that was just a moment of madness and the rest of my games were okay, so Nikk took me in as a Helper in around March, 2017.

 

@Lucifer: One day in 2011 I was playing some games on a site called "Miniclip", I saw a banner with tanks, it attracted my attention. Afterwards I clicked on it, that's how my journey in Tanki started, I've been a helper since June 2016.

 

@CooperO: I started playing this game in 2012 after seeing my brother playing the game for a while. It looked cool, so I decided to create an account.

 

I've been a helper since around May 2016, when I became a forum moderator.

 

@skeletorXVIII: My first contact with the game was shortly after Shaft was released, my step brother as a long-term player introduced me to the game. My career as a helper begun in March 2014 as a Reporter. In the beginning of 2015, a friend offered me a position as a German Event Helper, a section that just had started. Three months later I was promoted to Organizer, a position I held till the end of 2015, at which point I was again promoted now to Bereichsleiter (German for section leader, basically an administrative position).

 

 

 

What is the most awesome thing about your job? Can you tell us why did you choose it in the first place?

 

@Maf: I admit that I initially applied because I liked the look of the special paint, but that was a minor motivation. I mostly wanted to see what it's like to work as a moderator and I wanted to test myself as a "customer service agent", since I thought I'd be good at it because of my vast knowledge of the game.

 

@Ninja: The whole package is awesome. A plethora of questions, discussions, I34nt3r, rules and Skype sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's also enjoyable and awesome both of which are important to me.

 

Being a forum moderator was a natural choice for me, I enjoyed the discussion on the forum more than playing the game and being involved even better with it sounded just, perfect.

 

@Hate: Not really sure, I just like working on the forum and I like trying to find solutions and answers to players' problems and questions. I think it also helps to be part of a great moderation team with nice people. After playing for some time, I wanted a new challenge in the game. I've always liked the forum, ever since I discovered it in 2016 so I decided to apply. Also, I always admired the battle moderating team, I didn't know much about them since they are a group that works anonymously and not many know about them so I was quite eager to be part of that anonymous team and later applied as a battle moderator. Both positions are truly amazing and both teams have a great team and great Admins, so it helps me and motivates me to continue doing my job and pretty sure it applies to everyone if the team you are working with is really backing each other whenever needed.

 

@Momma_Bear: I love a lot of things about moderating.  My most favorite moments happen when I can calm a player down or bring peace to a server before someone takes it too far and gets banned.  At the same time, it's also rewarding to be able to clean the chat when someone posts something harmful or explicit.  In that protective way, I guess the name Momma_Bear suits me!  I also enjoy fostering respectful tones in the chat channels; most players have learned that I do think highly of each of them, and I usually see that respect reciprocated.

 

I chose to apply to be a chat moderator because I wanted to do some good for the game that my children and I played. As a player, I had often observed profanity and scamming of accounts on the chat, and I realized I could probably make a positive impact if I applied.  I also love the challenge of learning new things, and there is a lot to learn as a mod.  In fact, I'm still learning.

 

@rommeltanki: The most awesome part of the job is the appreciation I get from players that I have helped.

 

@Hny93: Well the reason I decided to apply for this position was simply 'cause; I'm very results-driven. Doing a good job and achieving the desired end result is my primary motivation. While I enjoy working on a project on my own, I'm particularly motivated by the buzz of working in a team of other moderators and administrators. It's very rewarding working closely with others who share the same common goal which is helping both players and my team (moderators).

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: We get to interact with players and try to help them as much as we can. There is no better feeling then helping someone who's in need. As long as they cooperate with us. :P Social media is bigger than any other forums and it requires more work.

 

@Sia: Most awesome thing would be helping all the players, solve all their problems, answer questions, this is why I chose to be Help Site moderator, I really enjoy helping players out.

 

@Nikk: The best thing about my job is the huge amount of fun we can have during it. I am a person who likes to joke a lot and really enjoy everything I'm making, and both streams and events allow me that. I did not really choose this job, I just started helping in the DE events due to friends and fun, and then my career just evolved.

 

: Event Helper: I wanted to be in eSports actually, but Events seemed cool too so I applied and somehow got in xD The most awesome part was definitely the helpers there, getting in a call with them was always amazing and everyone used to make jokes and stuff. Even though I never was that active that I knew them very well,  it was fun anyway. One thing I definitely regret - not having enough time to get to know everyone better.

Forum Moderator: Well, I was approached to be one and I am so glad I was asked I used to help out a lot in the forum unofficially before, especially in events (Hintttttttts to anyone wanting to become a forum mod!!), but I never thought they’d ask me. The best part here is definitely the players themselves, the forums itself would not have existed without them.

 

@Lucifer: The best part of my job is that I'm daily in contact with players and being able to bring them together in one place providing so many cool stuff such tournaments or events, which I think is essential in a game. I've been invited to join the Events Team when it was being created by Nikk, he was the one who got me in the Helpers team. I enjoyed it so much, being able to help out and also let players enjoy the events made me feel relieved. Later on, I joined the eSports Team because I wanted to help improve the situation of eSports which wasn't that good, thanks to joostcool now it's all on another level.

 

@CooperO: I think my favorite part is answering questions that players have. Especially when a new contest or update rolls out, players have heaps of questions and usually, I'm able to answer them.

 

Ever since I discovered the forum, not long after I started playing, I enjoyed hanging out there. Then at some point, the administrator at the time Damn_Slow asked me if I wanted to consider joining the forum moderator team. Eventually, I decided his offer, because I thought it would be a good chance for me to learn new things, new people and to help players with something I knew quite a bit about.

 

@skeletorXVIII: Being able to give out crystals to players in a creative and more interesting way than just playing battles is the most awesome part of my job. I joined my positions, at a time I was bored of Tanki, the game did not provide enough variety to keep it interesting for me, and considered to leave. To my rescue, the German Events were coming up and a friend offered me a position were I could basically do exactly what was missing for me till then.

 

 

 

What are your goals for this year, both, regarding the game and being a Helper?

 

@Maf: I want to recruit and train a few more forum moderators so that the ideas section could be fully maintained without me, since I want to minimise the amount of time I spend online (and on Tanki) in order to focus more on studying.
 

As for the Wiki, there's a lot of ways in which we could make pages neater, more informative, more organised and overall better. It's a never-ending process which we (the wiki team) will continue with at a good pace.

 

@Ninja: I'm not one of those people who make new year resolutions and the like. In fact, a new year makes absolutely no difference to me and I really don't care about it. That being said if I had to choose some goals they would be the same as last year, improve my work and make the forum a more friendly and fun place for everyone.

 

As for the game, I really don't have any at all. A new year for a game just doesn't make sense to me, its all fun.

 

@Hate: My goal this year and years to come is to be part of the awesome teams and continue on doing what I'm doing.

 

@Momma_Bear: Looking ahead, my goals are unchanged: to work responsibly as a fair and thoughtful helper as long as it doesn't get in the way of my personal life (family, faith, friends, and work).  As for playing the game itself, my goal would just be to play once in a while so that I can stay current with what's new in Tanki game-play. If only there were more hours in the day...

 

@rommeltanki: My goal for this year in Tanki is to continue helping players and the EN Community as best as I can.

 

@Hny93: My goal this year and years to come is, as part of a team, I want to add value and continue to grow the good name of Mods and TO at large.

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: I think I have accomplished all of my goals as a player, as a helper, there is still a lot to go. Create more content for players. Make new contests while they can enjoy and earn some prizes.

 

@Sia: My goal in the game is to become Legend one day :P, regarding Helper position, will just keep helping players and maybe get another Helper of the Year. :rolleyes:

 

@Nikk: I do not have any big goals as in my opinion, I already achieved as much as I could. I came to the highest helper position, I was an Administrator, what more could I ask for? :D

 

: Well, I’m not playing the game so this doesn’t apply to me. I don’t know how to drug properly, and know that I’ve got these awesome paints, it feels like a shame to start over on a different account :/ Perhaps when they announce a proper matchmaking base on skills rather than rank. :P

 

@Lucifer: Regarding the game I've achieved everything I needed thankfully, in the helper side I want to finally establish a tournament with a paint only for the EN clans, afterwards bring many new cool tournaments and also events.

 

@CooperO: I don't really have goals anymore as a player. I always wanted to get a full m3 garage and reach the highest rank, but I reached both goals several years ago already. After that, I didn't really set a new goal for myself and I just wanted to have fun playing. As a helper, I didn't set any concrete goals, but I like to say 'learn something new every day'. In general, I'd just like to keep improving.

 

@skeletorXVIII: Honestly, for me, there is nothing more to achieve in the game. What keeps me with Tanki is the awesome community.

 

For my helper position, it is a different story. As I already talked about in 2017 last live stream, our main objective is to bring contests to the international community. But for sure this new feature will not turn down any developments in the Events section. We are already working on new events and are planning to support player created events in more ways. So stay tuned for an awesome year!

 

 

What's your advice to new candidates and applicants that look forward to earn the 'Helper of the Year' title one day?

 

@Maf: Don't look forward to earning "Helper of the year". Apply for the sake of helping and working in a team, not for the sake of getting rewards and recognition.

 

@Ninja: Always go an extra mile with whatever you're doing. If it's answering a question include a little extra something that anyone else probably wouldn't have done, if it's closing a topic ensure the owner will be satisfied with what they read rather than being annoyed that their topic was closed. Ultimately it lies with you and your job within the community, don't do your job hoping for the next HOTM/Y do it because you enjoy it and others appreciate it. I don't know what else to say. Very inspirational I know.

 

@Hate: I would say that to not look forward to earning "Helper of the Year" title but apply for helping the community, helping the players and Interacting with your Tanki colleagues and a friendly environment with their genuine feedback which for sure will be something that will motivate you and that’s what anyone will most likely enjoy the most.

 

@Momma_Bear: My advice for new applicants or candidates who hope to win HOTY is to just relax and enjoy the ride.  Forget about the award, the paint, or the accolades.  Instead, enjoy the experience of assisting tankers and making them smile, of meeting new friends from around the world, and of learning how to do something new.  Work humbly, respectfully, and diligently, and you've already won, whether you are officially awarded or not.

 

@rommeltanki: My advice for future candidates and helpers is simply stay positive, do your best at the position you have applied for, and keep an open mind.

 

@Hny93: My advice to new candidates is that they don't have to be the most charming players with glaring smiles, strong equipment and all to join the TO team. One must be sure of himself/herself to join after all TO is for all those who are willing to work with others as a team, as that is the rule of moderation.

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: Be mature and a responsible person. Always work for common good, help to the community. Only then you can achieve what you desire.

 

Sia: My advice for all candidates who wish to earn Helper of the Year title: work hard, but most importantly, enjoy what you're doing, if you can do that, one day you'll earn this title.

 

@Nikk: I will go straight to the point - do not work for rewards! If you plan to join a helper position, do so because you plan to help players and expect to enjoy in the position, not because of the benefits it gives you. What Administrators look for are hardworking helpers, not helpers that care about rewards only.

 

: Keep doing your job, don’t hope for it, always go the extra mile and you’ll get it easily. I was only Helper for like half the year, but throughout the time I’ve been here, I’ve helped so many people on the Forum 24/7 when I didn’t get any compensation in payments because it wasn’t part of my job, but the Administrators loved it and that’s what has given me all those HOTMs. Good luck all for next year! :)

 

@Lucifer: To achieve this title, in my opinion, you shouldn't be focusing on working to get the HOTY instead you should be yourself, carefree, helping out in the many ways you can, be at the disposal of the players and obviously be mature.

 

@CooperO: Make sure you're here for the right reasons, that you're here because you genuinely want to help other players and improve this community and that you're willing to learn. It might seem like just a fun Saturday afternoon job, but it's much more than that. Remember, if an applicant doesn't know, understand or follow the game rules, how can we expect any other player to?

 

@skeletorXVIII: Never apply for a helper position just because you want to become a helper, become a helper because you honestly want to help and make the community richer. The same counts for becoming a helper of the month or helper of the year. As someone who nominated some of them, what we are looking for are people who serve by doing more than their job, helping for the sake of helping.

 

 

 

Is there any final thing you want to say or add?

 

@Maf: I don't like interviews...

 

@Ninja: Yea, dank memes are awesome. Please post more dank memes.

 

@Hate: One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. Be yourself if you want to part of this Community and not what others want you to be and it should be more than enough. Good luck to everyone and every candidate!

 

@Momma_Bear: I would like to give a shout out to the TO community of helpers and players who have welcomed me into their cyber worlds.  It's not every day a mom gets to hang out in a gaming community with such a range of ages and cultures from around the world.  I'm very grateful for the experience. 

 

@rommeltanki: I would like to thank all of the staff and helpers of Tanki for their hard work and dedication to the EN Community.

 

Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2018!

 

@Hny93: Don't ever doubt your worth for that is the key to success.

 

@Winner_Of_Turkey: Before starting to complain about anything, understand it first. Think why. Then get some valid reasons and make your statements. :)

 

@Sia: I want to wish everyone Happy new year, hope this year brings you more exciting battles and more happiness in your life!

 

 

@Nikk: I hope I expressed everything in the answers above already. If you plan to become a helper, do so in the will of helping others and having fun, I can assure you that all helper positions ARE a lot of fun, if you just know how to enjoy in them. Thank you for having me!

 

: I miss this game... and this great community. But I’m afraid my two new paints will barely be used since I will have no chance at relearning the skills and instantly making me look like people my rank look like xD As I said, maybe one day till matchmaking comes properly, oh well! Best of luck to all! :)

 

@Lucifer: I wish the best of luck to all the players who are going to apply in any helper position, also to current helpers looking forward to earning the "Helper of the Year" title.

 

@CooperO: Always keep in mind that you're surrounded by real people, not just a bunch of moving pixels on a screen, treat them like you would like to be treated yourself. And more importantly, don't forget to have some fun while you're at it!

 

@skeletorXVIII: Have an awesome year with what the Community Helpers will prepare for you. Good Luck!

 

 

 

Alright, it was a pleasure talking to you all. I wish you the best of luck for the future, and wherever it may lead you. Thanks for participating in the interview!

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[Ninja 10,468]

Ohhh that lovely Minecraft paint :wub:

[Eliott 1,061]

Congratulation to all the Best Helpers of 2017!

[DRAKO523 795]

Great interview  :lol: 

[Shibecaisu 534]

I started in 2012 :)

[Apex_Predator 537]

Man i would love to become a chat admin just to ban all these Helpers. :wub:

[Stratosphere 2,234]

You forgot DarkOperative, M4jH0L-AFG, and Mr_STIFFLER.

 

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Nice interview!

Edited January 25, 2018 by Stratosphere

[Flexoo 6,980]

You forgot DarkOperative, M4jH0L-AFG, and Mr_STIFFLER.

 

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Nice interview!

We didn't forget about them. They just did not respond in time, unfortunately.

[thunderousrailgunner 1,934]

That is some motivation to work. thanks for the advices helpers!!