The Mediation Department
Mediators are a specifically trained group of players who are responsible for helping to diffuse conflicts onsite and mediate between players. It is a department that is under the social umbrella. Once you have passed the social exam and the Mediator Training Program you will be trained to assist in the conflicts here on Vaxia. There will still be conflicts that have to be mediated by leads. However some of the time you may be tasked with overseeing a mediation yourself. There will always be at least one other lead involved to sure that the mediation stays on track, but as a mediator you will be guiding the dialogue as the primary voice of neutrality.

One of the primary jobs of the mediators is to help prevent small IC or OOC outbursts from becoming bigger ones. They are also able to help by assisting with OOC problems between players through encouraging dialogue and discussion, while they maintain a presence as a neutral third party to keep things civil.

It is important to note that if you are part of this group, you will need to conduct your own behavior accordingly. If you are engaged in a conflict with another player, you may find that you are temporarily unable to mediate for others. If you receive a strike, you will be unable to become a Mediator for several months. It is unlikely that this will happen but there is a chance that you may receive a lot of flack for stepping in to mediate. Players may not appreciate what you are asking them to do, and they may respond harshly. If they do, they will face repercussions for their actions. But they may be reflexively rude or hurtful to you as a Mediator.

If you see a conflict beginning and feel as though it may spiral, keep close track of it, and make sure that you step in when necessary to prevent it from boiling over. Often times a gentle nudge to a more pleasant topic is all that it takes. Sometimes though no amount of persuasion will be enough. In those situations you may need to involve another mediator or a lead to assist you. As a trained mediator you are one of the few people on site that are actually qualified to step into the mediator role. Asking other site members to stop harmful behavior is fine for anyone to do. But when it starts to border on mediation territory it is a problem if they have not been trained in the various ways to handle conflicts amicably. If someone not trained in mediation begins to impersonate a mediator, stop them immediately. That is a strikeable action if it occurs more than once (after a warning the first time).

There may also come times where a conflict is too much for you to handle. There is absolutely no problem in stepping back and saying that you cannot handle a case you have been given. After all, your mental health and well being as a mediator and player is just as important as those who you are mediating for. You should never feel like you are “forced” to help. Tagging out is preferred rather than causing yourself distress. In this case, contact one of the Social Department Leads (preferably the one in the mediation with you already) and they will take over. If they are not already involved, make sure you take notes or link to any relevant mediation you have done to make it easier on the person who takes up the mediation. This will help everyone involved.

Before you take the test, it is important to very carefully analyze yourself and your behaviors to see if you would be right for this position. If you find yourself easily annoyed, hurt, stressed by other players actions, or quick to anger, you may not want to put yourself in the position of mediator. This is an optional position. You can decline or step aside at any time. However, if you are part of the program, you will be expected to help when you can.

It is important to note that unlike the other tests on the site, the Mediation test is an essay test. Much like our SH test. The reason behind this is because conflicts rarely have clear A,B,C, or D answers. There is a subtle hand at play in working on mediation, and so the test needs to show that accordingly. Your test will be graded by the other mediators. You will need at least a 3/4ths majority in order to become a mediator. You can take the test again if you don't pass the first time, but please take into consideration any notes you are given by the Evaluators before attempting to retake the test.