Senate Confirmation Thread: Ninja0428 for Game Moderator (Confirmed)

[Pericles]

Ninja0428 is nominated for the position of Game Moderator.

The nominee has 24 hours to give an opening statement.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

I fully endorse this pick for GM.

[thumb21]

Excellent choice!

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I fully endorse this pick for GM.

[Sirius_]

Good evening, senators.

Today I have been nominated to the position of Game Moderator, which in accordance with the recent reform act will cover story, foreign policy, and issues of reality. In holding this position I seek to improve activity, communication, and public engagement with the game engine. These are things I felt were lacking in my experience working with the game engine as a member of the cabinet, and as GM I will improve it by creating a clear and smooth basis for game operations and innovating the position.

The lack of communication was possibly the biggest driving factor in the collapse of the previous game engine. To put it bluntly, nobody heard from the GM or knew what was going on. Therefore it will be my first priority to establish clear channels of communication between the GM, the future Comptroller General, the government, and the general public. I envision a consistent process for matters of the game engine which will improve efficiency and build trust. The basic concept of the process will start when a major action or policy decision is made, whether by a public act or through a private channel. I would then interpret the action and determine simulated effects, with necessary economic simulation and data calculations being sent to the comptroller general. This information would be compiled and released to the government and/or general public. The cycle repeats for any necessary follow up action. This general idea should make operations clear and not confusing like they were before.

My other main priority is to create a more interest and dynamic game world. Not only will I ensure that stories are released to keep something interesting happening at any given time, but I will also make events more interactive and continuous. In the real world, anything that happens has some consequence, and I feel like that has been lacking for some time in Atlasia. It feels like it doesn't really matter what people do or what policies are put into place, and I want people to be able to affect the world. So, to the furthest extent of objectivity possible, I will release follow ups on policy decision including expected outcomes and public reaction. I also want to include more people in the game world, which recently seems to have been heavily skewed towards the federal government. I plan to create issues affecting areas of regional policy, and allowing players outside of government to take part (within reason), such as by organizing protests. These are things I believe will increase interest in the game and just make it more fun. The other issue I mentioned is continuity. This is because it seems like sometimes things just have a "case closed" feeling when that doesn't make sense in reality. Most notably to me recently is the Korean war, which we haven't had updates on since the peace treaty. With a democratic North Korea, what are the prospects like for reunification? How is China's recovery going, and how do they feel about Atlasia post-war? Those are the sorts of hanging questions which should be answered, and I plan to explore the aftermath of events more.

I hope that I have given you a good idea of what GM Ninja would look like, and I am open to questions.

[Peanut]

I think this nominee is a spectacular choice to lead the Department, but I just have a few quick questions.

How will you work with private citizens on organizing things like protests that you mentioned? I really like the idea of having a Game Engine that is proactive and also reacts to legislation and public concerns, so I just wanna know if you have something specific in mind.

What should the balance be between regional and federal stories?

Do you believe the GM Department has a role in promoting activity? How so?

Lastly, just to see an example of your story-telling prowess, what percentage of Lincolnites support a Peanutcracy, and why is it 99%?

I reiterate my complete support for this nominee.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Lastly, just to see an example of your story-telling prowess, what percentage of Lincolnites support a Peanutcracy, and why is it 99%?

Is the follow up going to be, "Who are the other 1%"?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I envision a consistent process for matters of the game engine which will improve efficiency and build trust. The basic concept of the process will start when a major action or policy decision is made, whether by a public act or through a private channel. I would then interpret the action and determine simulated effects, with necessary economic simulation and data calculations being sent to the comptroller general. This information would be compiled and released to the government and/or general public. The cycle repeats for any necessary follow up action. This general idea should make operations clear and not confusing like they were before.

It is pleasing to have an expression of understanding of the need for such a cyclical process from a GM nominee. Lacking it has often been the cause of a number of problems and led to difficulties in other positions, especially that of SoIA, which you are probably more intimately aware of than most anyone else.

[Sirius_]

How will you work with private citizens on organizing things like protests that you mentioned? I really like the idea of having a Game Engine that is proactive and also reacts to legislation and public concerns, so I just wanna know if you have something specific in mind.

It would pretty much happen if someone says they're going to do something. Of course, there are trolls and jokes that need to be sorted out, so I would consult with the player first, such as with the NJ Italian Nationalist movement thing that I highly doubt is meant to be taken seriously. They could also contact me first if they don't want to announce it ahead of time. I would then release a story detailing the actions and effects on the day that it was intended to be on, and it would open a new storyline for the players and government officials to interact with.

What should the balance be between regional and federal stories?

I don't know if there's a hard way to answer this, as my goal really is to have enough interesting things happening to prevent gameplay from being stale or repetitive while also not being overwhelming, so the rate of new events would depend on how quickly previous events are played out. I can say though that due to the nature of the federal government, its events would generally have a larger scale and/or be more complex, and that the federal government would have a foreign and a domestic event whereas regional governments of course would only have domestic events. So the best way to summarize is that there would be bigger events happening at the federal level, but regions will get much more than they currently do.

Do you believe the GM Department has a role in promoting activity? How so?

I believe that the GM should shape an interesting world for Atlasia, and that in doing so activity would be promoted. While there is plenty that can be done when it comes to creating original legislation and partaking in elections, and I believe that these things should remain core gameplay activities, I also find that it can become repetitive, especially during times of political stability like we are seeing now, which may make Atlasia less enjoyable for players. I'd certainly hate for players to feel excited about running campaigns, only to be disappointed and bored for the following 2-4 months. The GM, with its immense power, has the ability to make the world exciting and dynamic. Atlasia is a game after all, and games are supposed to be fun.

Lastly, just to see an example of your story-telling prowess, what percentage of Lincolnites support a Peanutcracy, and why is it 99%?

January 3, 2020
New York, LN

Earlier today, top government officials in the region of Lincoln were shocked to hear that a New York Times poll of the region found that 99% of citizens would prefer sitting senator and former governor Peanut to hold absolute power of the region to any other form of government. The implications of the poll of far outstripped the expectations of those who conducted it, who were simply amused by the Senator's remarks that Lincoln should adopt a "Peanutcracy", and included the question with others asking citizens of their preferences in the next election. Upon questioning about the news, Governor Jimmy's Press Secretary stated that "The Governor is dedicated to upholding the democratic principles of Lincoln and Atlasia. He understands the popularity of Mr. Peanut and asks that citizens show their support at the voting booth." Chancellor S019 has yet to make any statement. Citizen John Planters of Chicago told our reporters that "During his time in government Mr. Peanut has shown great leadership abilities and we have benefited immensely thanks to him. If we've already found the perfect leader anyway, what's the point of elections? We know Peanut can handle it!" This sentiment seems to be common throughout the region. Crosstabs of the polling data shows that the 1% opposing Peanut's rule are also the 1% of voters who backed John Dule's presidential campaign.

[Devout Centrist]

I support Ninja's nomination and will vote to confirm him as soon as possible.

[Dr. MB]

As GM would you create situations which require a hard choice? For example say, creating a hostage crisis in Egypt which requires the president to immediately act one way or the other.

[Sirius_]

As GM would you create situations which require a hard choice? For example say, creating a hostage crisis in Egypt which requires the president to immediately act one way or the other.

Yes, I'm open to doing that, but I wouldn't do anything that like results in a nuclear war or something else catastrophic if a bad choice is made.

[Sirius_]

Are there any more questions?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

How long do you for see remaining as Game Moderator and what steps would take to ensure that the gains made especially in terms of communication, which as you mention was a big problem previously, are maintained to the extent within your power? Granted, any successor would naturally be free to ignore or change stuff, my question is more focused on what steps you would take in terms of having a transition plan in place with an aim towards preserving those improvements?

If communication has been the problem recently, over the span of the decade, abrupt/disorderly and nonexistent transitions (Vacancies for periods of time) has encompassed a range of problems including that and ended periods of improvement.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

What happened here?

[Sirius_]

How long do you for see remaining as Game Moderator and what steps would take to ensure that the gains made especially in terms of communication, which as you mention was a big problem previously, are maintained to the extent within your power? Granted, any successor would naturally be free to ignore or change stuff, my question is more focused on what steps you would take in terms of having a transition plan in place with an aim towards preserving those improvements?

If communication has been the problem recently, over the span of the decade, abrupt/disorderly and nonexistent transitions (Vacancies for periods of time) has encompassed a range of problems including that and ended periods of improvement.

I plan to stay in the position for at least the majority of 2020, probably all of 2020, and possibly longer, depending on when I feel ready to move on from the position. I would make advanced notice of my planned departure, as I believe Former GM Truman did, so that the president could line up a replacement before I leave. I would at least explain the whole process to the new GM, and like you said how much they adhere to it is really up to them. However by giving them a rundown I could at least make sure they have a clue of what to do.

[Attorney General, Senator-Elect, & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Can we get a senator to motion for a final vote?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I motion for a final vote.

[Pericles]

24 hours to object to the final vote motion.

[Pericles]

A final vote has started on the nomination. Senators have 72 hours to vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE

[Peanut]

Aye, of course.

[ON Progressive]

I am satisfied with this nominee.

Aye

[Pyro]

Aye

[Pericles]

The nominee is confirmed 4-0-0-2.
Aye; 4 (North Carolina Yankee, Peanut, ON Progressive, PyroTheFox)
Nay; 0
Abstaining; 0
Not voting; 2 (Devout Centrist, MB)