I am an “older gamer” by today's standards. The first video game I played was Pong at a colorful dive my grandfather would take me to when it was his turn to watch over me. Then came Pac-Man a few years later and, fast forwarding nearly two decades, you would find me playing Ultima Online. This gave way to Everquest, and so it goes.

Customer Service is a hard job. Certainly the hardest I have ever worked, and I laid asphalt in the blistering Southern sun for five years. Even when I was in charge of a CS department of my own, back in the days of dial-up, I found constantly dealing with people who had a problem (else why would they call you?) to be a draining, negative experience. One older gentleman, God bless him, once talked to me for two hours about his experiences in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He began crying. It was awkward.

That career was not for me. Luckily high speed internet came along, my boss was a clueless twit who couldn't see a week into the future, and the company was soon sold to some outfit in India. I trust they took good care of our remaining two dozen clients or so at the time of my departure.

I recite this probably boring pedigree only to show, at least in part, some kinship with the modern day mortals tasked with dealing with us: the Hard Core Nerd Gamer Crowd. And I believe they have it worse than I did. My clientele were mostly elderly, and once I was able to connect them to Mahir's 'I Kiss You Page' or, if the grandkids were over, The Icy Hot Stuntaz, then my job was done.

Very binary. One could either connect to the fabulous web of the late 90's and early aughts or not.

Furthering my capacity for empathy, I also ran, wrote, and admin'd for some of the first sites to cover MMORPG's exclusively. I came to know head community managers for games like Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, Jumpgate, Shadowbane, probably a few more.

From my own experiences and the horror stories told in confidence by those fine folk, I came to understand a truth about the clique I am to this day a part of, the aforementioned HCNGC:

There is no satisfying us. There is no binary win scenario. We will *** and moan given the slightest of provocations, and indeed if given none at times. We are a passionate lot, to put it kindly. We are the filthy, riotous and rabid masses foaming at the gates.

Of course a CSR cannot say any of this. Be we genteel or vulgar they must retain the keyboard facade of propriety. At least that is how this game within a game is supposed to be played.

In my 19 years of writing about, and playing, online games I have discovered a proven and distinct correlation: the less professional the CSR gets, the more the game falters. Nearly every game starts with a smiling team of fresh faced and unfailingly polite service reps. But then come the first nerfs and tweaks to the game. What was once a job comparable to a happy stroll through sunlit fields of flowers suddenly and irrevocably transforms into an environment more akin to trench warfare in the Battle of Verdun.

I pity them and would not do their job for less than a very considerable sum.

We're a little over the two year mark for Elder Scrolls Online. This is when I normally start to discern a fraying of the masques. All of the petty, whiny complaints* begin to accumulate into an ephemeral albatross about the neck and God help the CS team should actual trouble arise, such as a server going down or, fates forbid, the dreaded rollback: a fate worse than emasculation to the card carrying HCNGC member.

Then come the talks of lawsuits and purported spokesmen for guilds with the supposed population of a small Eastern European country threatening to leave for another game should some boon or other not be presented forthwith. All of which ignores one of the most basic of facts anyone over the age of four should have come to terms with:

Feces happens.

We accept this as a normal part of life in almost every arena. MMORPG enthusiasts often sometimes forget this. Not all, mind you, but our voices can be very loud indeed even when we are small in number.

Like some of you I have had to, on occasion, interact with the ESO CS team. I state unequivocally that it has always been a pleasant experience. They are, without doubt, the most professional, friendly, and yes, effective team I have ever dealt with. That extends from the admins of these forums to the technical support team in the clouds. I always approach such encounters with trepidation, as by nature I am introverted and prefer to avoid confrontation. Yet they have never given my anxieties life.

Not only does this please me on a personal level, but it gives me great hope for the longevity of the game at large. I have seen the masks fall away with other games. Without exception it is the initial herald of an enterprise about to begin its death throes. I feel very confident that TESO is in excellent health and will be there for me for years to come.

My sincerest thanks and gratitude to those ESO staff members I have dealt with in the past. In an age where pride in one's profession appears to be a rapidly deteriorating, quaint nostalgia from another era, you have always made me feel valued and appreciated as both a customer and gamer. The unparalleled quality of care given strengthens my loyalty to, and desire to continue playing, The Elder Scrolls Online. It is my hope that each of you is commended and paid fair recompense for your continued diligence.

Sincerely,

Mercutio, a Very Satisfied Customer


* Note: I am as guilty of this as anyone, only I should know better than most. I humbly apologize for my less-than-stellar moments.