We're all familiar with the saying - "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Whether we like it or not, authority has always been the world's most powerful aphrodisiac, with the strength to sway even the straightest of arrows and the purest of souls.

However, it's not to say that there are no exceptions - there are the chosen few who have been given authority and are trusted with it, for the sake of professionalism and love of the game. We hope it's the same case here, as user Siang of the WoW-Europe forums has reported an encounter with a GM that seems not to be all that nice.

Apparently, user Siang was happily checking the map for more information during a match, when all of a sudden, a GM notified the aforementioned user to start participating in the said match, or else face the consequences.

Siang of course objected to this, saying that he/she was merely perusing the map. Nevertheless, the GM stood by its warning that yours truly felt just a tad bit dismissive. The entire conversation was screencapped and documented for posterity, and posted on a thread for all to see.

While I can't say I've had experience being a GM in WoW, what yours truly can remember about how a general GM should hold himself or herself in public is certainly not in a way that incenses or provokes players, even if the message being conveyed is a warning of some sort. Be curt, be direct, but never be dismissive or cynical.

Here's hoping that this is a confined case, and not becoming a trend. Updates as we get them, and you can read the entire encounter on the read link below.

Thanks for Mark for the tip!