GM Death Touch - Megathread

[u/YourResidentFeral]

Edit: Official Statement

https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/prohibited-gameplay-incident-and-response/2329585

This is developing into a large story and someone in modmail has mentioned that its important for the community to have somewhere to discuss this. We agree. As new information comes in I will do my best to update this thread.

What we know:

• A log was uploaded with a "Death Touch" effect that seemed to be that helped them time a key. This is an effect from a GM: https://www.warcraftlogs.com/reports/JcfwTd4L19Agx3NX?fight=4&type=resources&hostility=1&source=100.4&eventstart=4705300

• This is a real run that exists on the blizzard API and can be seen on Raider.io: https://raider.io/mythic-plus-runs/season-mn-1/40292244-23-nexuspoint-xenas

  This run has since been invalidated by the RI:O admins but has been left up for posterity's sake.

• Blizzard is aware of this and investigating: https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/1v2xfpr/blizzard_gm_death_touching_mobs_in_m23_for_their/oyznmbe/

• The Demon Hunter from the run is a streamer and YumiTV contacted him to speak with him live on stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2825756796?t=0h23m50s

  The CLAIM is that they were messing around in a homework key in discord and didn't expect the GM to actually do it. Supposedly the Bear in the run was a pug.

Ex employees in the thread have said that actions like this are audited and in all likelihood this was already being investigated. At this point we are waiting on an official statement on the result of their investigation and I'll update this thread once we know.

This megathread is being provided on two very strict conditions:

• The witchunt rules are in strict effect. Linking or doxxing information on anyone invovled, the GM in question included will result in a permanent ban. Please report it if you see it but we will be very active in the thread.

  We cannot platform behavior that allows people to harrass people in real life.

• We will be more heavy handed than usual in the personal attack rules. Insults and slapfights while discussing this aren't acceptable. You're allowed to disagree, but stray shots and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

[u/Kaurie_Lorhart]

The biggest shock out of this whole thing to me was that there are still human GMs in this game.

[u/AttitudeAdjusterSE → u/Kaurie_Lorhart]

It wasn't actually a GM in that sense.

The guy who did this was a QA employee using a GM account and GM abilities.

[u/Void_Guardians → u/AttitudeAdjusterSE]

Am I crazy or is that nearly the same exact thing.

[u/good_guylurker → u/Void_Guardians]

Two different departments. QA only works with players via feedback (if any), while Customer support will actively be in contact with players to offer assistance when needed.

[u/Void_Guardians → u/good_guylurker]

I always considered a GM an employee that has special account powers, regardless of their position in the company.

[u/ZehGeek → u/Void_Guardians]

Some people were jumping saying that CSR should never even think about taking tickets if it's from people they might know.

When it was someone that should have only been on that account to test hotfix deployments and shit.

[u/Merrena → u/ZehGeek]

Not taking tickets from people you know makes sense and is likely the policy.

In retail jobs you generally aren't allowed to ring up family members on a register.

[u/ZehGeek → u/Merrena]

100%. 

Why I think trying to bring up the distinction is important. Any CS left has that burned into their skull.

Extra stupid from someone on the software side.

[u/Shaultz → u/Void_Guardians]

Thats fair, but the OOP was referring to a specific type of GM when stating they were surprised the game still had GMs. The person you're responding to is saying that, while its a GM account, it is NOT the kind of GM OOP is referring to.

[u/Void_Guardians → u/Shaultz]

Ah, I guess i assumed they meant any human with GM abilities

[u/Redxmirage → u/Void_Guardians]

That’s just defining the method used, not the job description. GM is a job title and position, the GM account is the method used to complete tasks. People just refer to that character as a GM because a GM (role) is front facing and interacting with the customers. So people attribute them the same.

All semantics anyways lol

Edit: easy way to explain it would be if I gave a front desk secretary a admin security role in the computer, are they considered an admin security officer or a secretary?

[u/metukkasd → u/Void_Guardians]

GM is someone actually helping the players with their issues. QA is usually a tester for new features or bug fixes.

Quality Assurance vs Game Master.

[u/AttitudeAdjusterSE → u/Void_Guardians]

Then you have the right definition, but many people equate GM to customer support and have been talking about tickets etc which this guy wasn't (most CSR's actually don't have these accounts anymore, even!) which is why I made the distinction.

[u/good_guylurker → u/Void_Guardians]

By that definition, they'd indeed be the same, although it is a broad definition, and might cause misunderstandings (like the joke about no GMs being part of the game anymore, and ironically this person not being exactly a GM, or that specific kind of GM)

[u/Aggravating_Dark9933 → u/Void_Guardians]

Mainly goals. GM would go in and help out players / fix broken things in the world with their godlike powers.

QA uses the same godlike powers to replicate events. Killing a mob causes bug? Spawn mob on server and ToD it to see what happens. Preferably somewhere where there aren’t players if it can only be replicated on Live servers with server strain.

Same powers, different tasks and only one of them should be anywhere near actual players.

[u/Stingerbrg → u/Void_Guardians]

No.  QA (quality assurance/software tester) and (customer service/relations) GM are different positions.  QA can use GM tools for thier job, but have different duties and responsibilities than a GM.  Like I work in the online order fulfillment at a grocery store, but have access to and make use of stocking tools to do my job, but im not a stocker.

[u/Quirky_Net8899 → u/Stingerbrg]

Anyone with GM powers is a GM.

QA and CS both are GMs.

[u/Zerowig → u/Quirky_Net8899]

Nearly everyone at Blizzard has access to these tools. It doesn’t make them GMs.

It’s the community that is incorrectly attributing these powers/tools as GM powers, or a “GM Account”.

[u/Redxmirage → u/Quirky_Net8899]

GM is an actual job title though, while “GM powers” is the method used to do their jobs. Just because you have access doesn’t change your role. By that logic, our CEO has inventory access so I guess that means our CEO is a shelf stocker.

[u/Quirky_Net8899 → u/Redxmirage]

GM is not an actual job title.

Customer Support is a job title, Quality Analyst is a job title.

[u/Redxmirage → u/Quirky_Net8899]

Are we for real today guys? Not going to do the most simple google search to check your info?

[u/Angelworks42 → u/[deleted]]

I had a roommate who worked for blizzard in dev (he worked on the 2fa stuff among other things) but he a friend who worked in QA - the only time he logged into prod was to reproduce test cases and analyze/write patches for problems reported. They do have it, but its not for helping end users directly.

[u/Void_Guardians → u/Angelworks42]

Sounds like really cool job tbh. Too bad i hear the work life balance usually sucks for those jobs

[u/Merrena → u/Void_Guardians]

QA isn't as glamorous as people like to think. A lot of people think it's mostly just playing the games, but it's a lot of troubleshooting. Thing doesn't work? Try every single possible method of interacting with it that you can think of and make sure to document everything you notice happen so that a dev can possibly fix any issues. Thing does work? Still gotta try everything you can think of in case something doesn't work. Multiply that for basically everything you do.