So this can be quite a controversial topic, if the reaction posts from this past competition is any indication. Here are my opinions on it, and how i think it should be changed:
I think it is silly that staff members can participate in competitions along with normal members, for the following reasons:
My suggestion on what is to be done is this: Allow no staff to enter into the same pool of entrants in any room building competition. Instead, have a separate competition for staff members, even with identical prizes (Though the number of prizes given would have to be modified obviously, due to the low number of staff players), and have the community vote on which rooms they like best. Ask staff to keep their rooms locked during building/judging so the community does not know whose rooms are whose, to avoid a popularity contest. This way staff get a chance to build a competition room, compete for the same prizes, and get the attention they like when they win. I think this approach is more more fair to the normal players, and is not too unreasonable to consider.
I think it is silly that staff members can participate in competitions along with normal members, for the following reasons:
- Staff judge the competitions. Now you can post all you want about how staff are not biased at all in the judging, but the truth is of course there will be some biased. It's human nature. And when it is someone you work closely with, or even is considered your "boss" (As in an Admin to a HOST or something like that), there is going to be even more bias. It is simply not fair to allow staff to judge staff entries. If an elementary school held a science fair, and the winner of the science fair ended up being one of the teachers...would that make much sense?
- Staff have the ability to see their competition, even when it is not wanted. I am in no way saying that anyone has done this, there is no way to confirm or deny it. But staff have the ability to enter locked rooms. Rooms that the user has wished to keep secret. They can enter invisible.
- Staff have insider information of the (re-)release of items, allowing them to sell/trade items and have a good idea on what is to come. Now this is more a point towards abolishing staff anonymity, but i think it applies here as well. Some staff certainly has to be aware of what items will be coming out, which of those items are re-releases, when they are coming out, what items are planned in the months ahead. Even if they do not consciously act on this information, it is still present for them for their player accounts. If black flip hat were to be re-released in a week or two, even as a rare HOST or SITS prize, it would not surprise me to see some staffs players account to be suddenly trading away their black flip.. Simply said, with the information staff possess, it is easier for them to acquire items to build with. The more items you have to build with, the easier it is to build better looking rooms.
My suggestion on what is to be done is this: Allow no staff to enter into the same pool of entrants in any room building competition. Instead, have a separate competition for staff members, even with identical prizes (Though the number of prizes given would have to be modified obviously, due to the low number of staff players), and have the community vote on which rooms they like best. Ask staff to keep their rooms locked during building/judging so the community does not know whose rooms are whose, to avoid a popularity contest. This way staff get a chance to build a competition room, compete for the same prizes, and get the attention they like when they win. I think this approach is more more fair to the normal players, and is not too unreasonable to consider.