The Mentor Questionairre - Kaotika
What do you enjoy most about mentoring?
- The people - I meet the most incredible new people on the Welcome Island, many of which go on to become very good personal friends. As much as I have a tendancy to rant from time to time about the 'WoW' types, I thoroughly enjoy and relish the prospect of those people experiencing how incredible the ATITD world is. I just wish that more of them would stay - it's a very hard transition!
What do you find most difficult about mentoring?
- The frustration of seeing people leave. It feels like a failure each time, regardless of the reason.
Where do you find it easier to mentor - on the island or the mainland, and why?
- On the Island - it's a very controlled environment and I've enough experience there that I can generally predict the questions that people are going to ask, and so on... On the other hand, I love the exhileration of showing people around the wonders on the mainland - it's just a lot, lot harder! It requires an immense amount of concentration, careful wording so as not to overdo the amount of information at any one time, etc...
How would you describe your mentoring style?
- I get so excited about showing people around, and sharing my knowledge of the game. Every time that somebody cottons on to how to grow flax its a little triumph, and reminds me exactly why I'm doing it. I get very, very involved with my students. We chat, discuss and I tend to work very closely with them throughout the early days of their life here. Having said that, I also know when to give people room - it's all about understanding the position of the other person. I believe that my enthusiasm for the game is the biggest factor of my mentoring.
Whats the most important thing to teach / do for a new player?
- Community. New players need to be supported by the communities around them. The game is a social sandbox, and people need to feel welcome and part of something special. They need to feel like what they're doing is useful and benefitial. That's especially difficult later in the game.
Whats the best, or easiest, kind of student to teach?
- Those with an obvious delight and enthusiasm in what they're seeing. The kind who, after growing their first batch of flax, writes about how brilliantly different and fun the game is. The mad ones, who've clearly spent forever looking for a game like ATITD, and having discovered it, discover that it's still 100 times more exciting than they'd ever hoped.
What problems have you encountered while mentoring, and how were they resolved?
- One of the things that's always in the back of my mind is a little voice nagging and asking 'Am I doing this right?'. I'm aware that I'm constantly reassessing the way in which I mentor, and refining the process!
What makes you a 'good' mentor?
- I'm passionate about the game and about the people. I pour 110% into everything I do, and have a contageous enthusiasm for the game and its community!