Moderators, whether you like em or not- are usually good for the website. They help keep the community in check, punish those who’ve violated the Code of Conduct, and ensure things are in order. However, it’s incredible to get a moderator that does his job and is adored by the community. Having such patience and tolerance is one thing, but to be kind hearted and go out of their way to ensure everyone’s treated fairly? Someone like that deserves praise, so here we are giving tippy2k2 the Community Spotlight! We appreciate you willing to share with us about your personal life Brian!
While i’m not a professional writer like Marter (the previous author of the CS), I shall do my best to make these articles just as enjoyable and fleshed out as possible. With that said, let’s get started with interviewing everyone’s beloved Red Guard.
What brought you to The Escapist, and why do you remain active here?
Like essentially everyone that has ever been on this site, Zero Punctuation. A buddy showed me a video of it, I signed up, and now almost a freaking decade later, I’m still here. I remain active because I’m too old for change :D. It would be nice if I had a more poetic reason but I have a history here and will stay until it dies or I die, whichever comes first.
Besides being a Red Guard, we don’t know too much about you. Tell us some facts about yourself, like hobbies or interests?
I work at a bank as a Professional Mod. You might think that was a joke but it kind of isn’t; I work Service Quality for a collections department so I listen to bankers take calls all day and score agents based on their performance. Their banhammer hits hurt them a little more than users here though…
Outside of work, I love movies (you should go to User Reviews and tell me how great my opinions are!), video games (duh!) and golf. I’m not very good at any of those things but I do enjoy them.
How is it like being a Moderator? Don’t hold back, let us know how you feel about the job.
It’s (usually) not like that as much fun as it is to claim it is. While the job can be frustrating as two users trade potshots at each other and then get mad when they both get bopped on the nose, overall it’s pretty chill. I’ve barely received any death threats! (Since this is text and no one can see my smile, that’s a joke).
What do you see yourself doing a few years from now? Career wise or just whatever you think you’d like to do with yourself?
I’m not 100% sure. My freaking student loans are finally about to die (next year!) so it’ll be weird to have money and buy a house like a real adult. Once those loans are dead, a LOT of doors are going to open up for me so it’s just a matter of figuring out which one to go through. Go back to school using my companies tuition reimbursement program and get a useful degree instead of my less useful Art Degree? Stay where I’m at and move up in Service Quality? Abandon my current life and wander the land solving mysteries? Who knows!?!?
Is there anything in the gaming industry that inspired you to be who you are? A video game, or a character, ect. to help better yourself?
Candy Crush (obviously).
I feel like I’m supposed to have this big profound statement on video games to make here but I really don’t have much. Games have certainly shaped who I am from something as simple as letting me fulfill my dream of playing the drums in Rock Band to giving me a new perspective that I don’t have in real life in The Last of Us or Telltales Walking Dead (in these cases, the life of a parent protecting ones in their care…damn allergies!) or breaking me as a person and question what the hell I’ve become (Hi Spec Ops The Line, I’m so happy you didn’t get spoiled for me because I was devastated by you). I have no dramatic “A HA!” moment from video games but I don’t feel like I need one to have gotten a positive impact from the medium.
Many do not know the story behind your avatar. Do tell us, where is it from and how did it become your avatar?
It’s been my avatar ever since I joined the site (with the most mild of tweaks made in…2011ish that eagle eyed people can catch and I still get PMs every few months from people who only now just notice). I mentioned above that I was an Art Major and that was the first thing I had ever created when I was just messing around on the computer waiting for class to start.
Would you like to give any tips or life lessons to your readers? Anything you feel that’s important enough to share with them?
It’s in my profile but it should be repeated: “I was an Art Major with an emphasis on graphic design. Now I work at a bank…moral of the story? Pay attention to where you are going and what you’re doing at school idiot!”
When you’re looking for colleges, keep in mind that every single one is going to have their interests at heart and will try to convince you to go to them whether it is the best fit for you or not. I learned a VERY expensive lesson in going to a school that I should have never gone to for my degree and I am just now, almost ten years later, finish paying that mistake. Now granted, maybe I would not have the job I have without that degree (in fact, that’s likely) but I lucked into getting a job I enjoy and went through a few I despised to get here.
I suppose to convert that into a more general life advice; a lot of people are looking out for themselves and will take advantage of you if it’ll boost them up so be sure you do your own research and make up your own mind about things rather than just blindly following someone else’s word.
If you would like to nominate someone for an upcoming Community Spotlight, hit me up (Caramel Frappe) via PM or in the thread. When nominating, please tell me why this user deserves to be in the next Community Spotlight, and provide links if possible. Also check out The Escapist Community Spotlight Group if you want to keep in touch with future Community Spotlights.
