Hello folks,
Since earlier this month, the Senior Staff has been busy working with the Moderation staff regarding hackers. In particular, we wanted to make sure that our moderators' abilities to stop hackers, in addition to specifying what types of hacks are being used, are as accurate as they can be. As such, we have done a series of Hacker Identification Training Sessions for the staff, which walked people through what hacks are, what they do, what they look like, and how to best identify the hacks in question. Even the most veteran mods were able to learn a thing or two from these dedicated training sessions, and the staff is more capable because of it.
However, hackers are not just the staff's responsibility. With the number of Reports and Report Abuses that are sent to us every day, it is clear that the community has a significant amount of impact on the presence of hackers as well. As such, I feel that it is important for regular players to be skilled at identifying hacks as well.
So that now begs the question: should we offer some Hacker Identification Training Sessions to public players as well?
If we were to offer such training sessions, they would likely be identical to the ones we give the mods, and we may even teach mods alongside the attending players as well. However, given the nature of the training sessions and the subject matter at hand, the sessions would likely be limited in seating to those who offer to attend and agree to take the training seriously. Current course format involves discussions, verbal questions, and demonstration videos, and current hacker identification training sessions take between 1.5 to 2 hours.
I'm curious to know everyone's thoughts. Feel free to toss your opinions below.