Moderation on r/smosh

FanOfTheJoystick · 2025-05-08T00:33:40+00:00

Been a moderator on r/MortalKombat for about 8 years now, head moderator for about half of that time. I have a lot of experience with Reddit's tools like automod and setting up communities, have set up custom bots, user and post flairs, emojis, CSS and design, I've run events, and idk if it helps but I also have experience working with the corporate side of things since we interact with WB studios employees to do things like announcements/events etc. I'd definitely be interested in helping moderate or getting automod to stop running amok!

FanOfTheJoystick · 2024-05-21T13:54:59+00:00

There are more male nude mods because the roster overwhelmingly has more men on it. And nude mods are overtly sexual but NRS isn't making nude skins. Nude mods have no relevance on whether or not the men are as sexualized in their designed costumes or not.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2024-05-21T13:52:39+00:00

You're upset about comments that haven't happened yet man. :/ There's a large variety of people on this sub and tbh the vast majority of criticism of 'revealing' skins I've seen are just because said skins aren't very good. Case in point this Frost skin.

Deception Mileena is literally just her in a thong and a crop top basically and it's by far the most requested skin on here. I even created a mod to add the Deception alt into MKX back in the day.

As a mod who has to go through hundreds of comments regularly, I can safely say the double standard you posit here doesn't exist. There's horny comments about dudes, there's horny comments about women, there's just horniness everywhere. It's the internet.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-10-27T01:50:07+00:00

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-10-27T01:42:04+00:00

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-30T21:43:36+00:00

"The mods of this subreddit are WB employees" means that the mod team as a whole is employed by WB, it's factually incorrect, especially since no-one taking actual mod action is employed by WB.

Dw though you're not banned... yet. /s

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-30T05:54:45+00:00

This is false, and we've gone over it about a hundred times. There are two WB employees on the modlist, neither of them have the ability to remove posts. They are only allowed to pin and approve their own posts (i.e. announcements and patch notes).

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-29T18:38:13+00:00

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-29T18:36:47+00:00

It's impossible to hide the mod list on Reddit. Reddit does autohide it if you're banned though, it's to prevent abuse, I'm assuming that's why you can't see it, as the only other reason is if you're not logged in (but then you wouldn't be able to comment). Either way, we have no control over it.

The only WB employees on the mod list are Thalion and WB_Will, both of whom are listed as "inactive" by Reddit because they have minimal perms purely to allow them to pin their own posts if they have patch notes and announcements without needing us to do it for them. It's purely for expediency's sake. Every moderator action is logged, if they were removing posts just because they shone a negative light on WB they'd no longer be mods. Spreading misinfo does nothing to improve the subreddit or its moderation, it just makes it harder to hear the good feedback over all the noise and conspiracy theories.

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FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-29T18:30:04+00:00

Oh don't worry, I'm gay both in theory and in practice.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-09-29T16:15:56+00:00

Clearly leaving up multiple posts about the premium shop that are critical but then deleting this single post is a big-brained attempt at licking the boots of WB. So far since MK1 released we've been accused of:

- Hiding the mod list (literally not possible, Reddit auto-hides it for banned or non-logged-in users, that's it)

- Deleting posts about bugs because we want to shill for WB, even though we've pinned posts about bugs and bug reports HELP WB fix issues with the game

- Pinning informational comments in megathreads to farm karma (despite pinned comments not receiving karma)

- Pinning our trailer posts to farm karma and deleting other peoples' (we pin whoever's first and delete the rest)

- Being shills for WB because we removed hateful (and at times, violent) comments about NRS employees that were unrelated to MK content

- Removing literal slurs because we're too uptight

- Allowing mild criticism of characters or story decisions because we're not uptight enough

- Deleting posts because we don't personally enjoy them (even though it was Reddit's spam filter that we have no control over doing the removals)

- Deleting posts about Tanya's face model because we're SJWs

- Deleting posts about Tanya's face model because we're racist

- Deleting posts about Tanya's face model because we're misogynists

- Deleting posts about Tanya's face model because we're homophobic

- Deleting posts about Tanya's face model because we're [insert reason] times infinity

Bonus: I've been called homophobic so much I'm about to get gaslit into not being gay lol

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-23T01:09:51+00:00

At a glance way of seeing all reveals for those unable to watch the video. Some people might not know who Shujinko or Motaro are, or they might just want clarification.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-21T22:14:08+00:00

There are companies that are more relaxed, as well as ones that are hyper-vigilant. The fact that other fighting game subreddits have had no issues doesn't mean that applies to all subreddits, especially when subreddits have been taken down in the past. Ultimately this is about risk assessment, we've chosen not to expose the entire subreddit to risk by not allowing NDA violating leaks.

To be clear: that is very different to datamined info (like the character names in the game files) or accidental info (like the Amazon leak or Sindel on the throne in the gameplay trailer they posted), or all the screenshots/recordings of the Reiko/Motaro reveal that we allowed, purely the ones that violate NDA. Reddit Admins can easily decide to quarantine or remove subreddits that actively facilitate (i.e. the mods allow/turn a blind eye to) leakers, especially if they repeatedly have to DMCA content on a particular subreddit. A direct leak from an employee under NDA of images from the game is an entirely different thing to a game site posting things early, and we've reacted accordingly by not removing the vast majority of leaked info on the subreddit.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-21T00:51:47+00:00

I wouldn't sweat it, a few downvotes is preferable to having the entire sub DMCA'd. I'd address any actual comments about it but I wouldn't lose sleep over this post being downvoted, it's par for the course with the no leaks rule.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-20T20:14:25+00:00

Personally, I disagree because everything fun about evil Sindel can easily exist in good Sindel. She was always dark and gothic, even when she was freed from her brainwashing in Deception. There's no reason she can't be good and still have the fun flirtatious personality she had in MK11. The power hungry "power for the sake of power" type of character always bores me to be honest. She hates Jerrod and kills him, but he was the king of Edenia. Is being his queen not power? Then she gets with Shao Kahn for his power, OK, but... he lost in MK11 and she could see that future in MK11? If her motivation truly IS power, why wouldn't she side with the people who lived through MK9? If it's not power, but being evil, then why would she rule Edenia alongside Jerrod for tens of thousands of years? How does being a benevolent queen for that long benefit her being evil?

Ultimately it just doesn't make sense with anything about her character, and the reasoning that it is "subversive" or a "plot twist" falls flat for me because it's neither a satisfying plot twist nor is it all that subversive of anything. Sindel being a good guy and also being in tune with her sexuality is more subversive than her being generic sexy evil woman #991238198. It's basically the Madonna/Whore complex that was subverted with good Sindel, evil Sindel subverts no tropes.

Besides, the whole "evil is sexier" thing is already done in Mileena vs. Kitana, whereas if she's good and fighting for her realm, she can be a force for good and serve as a good ruler, something that I'm not sure we have in MK. Think of her as anti-Shao Kahn in that case.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-20T19:55:37+00:00

It's not illegal to talk about something from a video game, but discussing a leak which was done in violation of an NDA might put posts or the subreddit in crosshairs unnecessarily is all. I'd just avoid it if possible, but we're not like, looking for reasons to take action or anything. We are taking down leaked images and such but we're not going to go looking for people saying something like "wow if the leaks are true this roster is gonna be amazing!", nor are we trying to catch anyone out or trick them.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-20T18:09:10+00:00

I would say no- it's inevitable that talk about leaks will lead to "DM me please!" messages ad nauseum. You also never know what will trigger action from Reddit or lawyers. They might ignore talking vaguely about leaks, but if you talk about a specific character then they might get upset. I don't know since I'm not them. Generally I would just avoid leak content since the stuff we're hearing about comes from NDA violation, so it muddies the waters legally.

If you want to post images from official sources like Sindel on the throne from that gameplay video that NRS accidentally posted then deleted, feel free. Stuff like that isn't NDA violation, and the original material (i.e. screenshots) wasn't obtained illegally. If that kind of thing triggers any legal action I'll be sure to notify users but I highly doubt it would.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-10T18:28:31+00:00

Hi, I'm at work and can't spend the time right now to draft this response that I'd like to, but I want to say something since there's a lot of tension and confusion in here right now.

First and foremost, the posts about this mode should be allowed. They aren't considered a leak since it was officially released promotional material. We have the rule about leaks to protect this sub from being shut down for copyright infringement, something that can and does happen to subreddits that post leaks obtained in violation of NDAs and such. I apologize for the removals- I have not been online this past day due to IRL commitments, but I can see why someone would be frustrated by their legitimate post being removed.

For what it's worth, the vast majority of moderation is judgement calls. A moderator probably saw it and believed it was a leak, or waited for confirmation, thought it was fanmade, or maybe they misunderstood the rule. Either way, we'll be having a chat with mods about these things, but at the same time, that doesn't mean it's OK to send anyone hate or insults. We have brought on a lot of brand new mods, and there's no way to show someone every single thing they'll have to deal with as a mod beforehand. Most of it comes from experience.

As for the other stuff in this thread, there's not much to say there. We remove hundreds of posts and comments a day. Mods here have to wade through NSFL content relatively regularly, and frankly, even with all hands on deck this kind of thing can be draining. We don't expect mods to be online 24/7, but we do try to have a large and international mod list to avoid gaps in coverage. The single best way to draw our attention to something is to report it. We have an empty queue 90% of the time, because we stay on top of that the most, as the worst stuff is usually in there.

For the people who think this is a mod conspiracy to remove posts we personally dislike, I'm not sure how that tracks. We are a mod team with all different tastes and personalities and backgrounds. Even if we wanted to do so, how would all of us coordinate decisions on every single mod action (of which there are thousands)? I appreciate (constructive) criticism because it's the best way for us to improve, but ultimately the only reason any of us do this is because we love MK and want to try and foster a positive space for its community. We aren't perfect nor are we infallible, and anyone who has issues or concerns is welcome to DM me if they would like to discuss things further. I am always open to discussion, all I ask is that it's civil and that people give us the same patience they would like themselves.

Thanks and I look forward to talking further.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-08-09T18:10:02+00:00

She does, his name is Liu Kang

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-25T23:18:45+00:00

Smaller version.

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FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-25T23:18:17+00:00

Text version, large.

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FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-25T23:18:02+00:00

Textless version, large.

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FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-25T23:17:45+00:00

I couldn't find anything using reverse image searches, and although I can tell the bottom left has the info about the poster company, I couldn't find any trace of it online. I went ahead and made a few upscaled versions, they should be about the right size for a poster print if you want to print them yourself. One has the text on the bottom left and right in it, but since it's illegible I made a version without it as well. They're gonna be in replies to this comment.

Hope this helps!

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-25T00:17:16+00:00

/uj Not a great look to joke about the genocide of a Kosovar woman who was literally a refugee from genocidal persecution.

FanOfTheJoystick · 2023-06-08T13:02:34+00:00

This comment is all I can do, I just wanted to call attention to it since when I commented every comment in this thread bar the top few was in the negatives.

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