Giving a full reply here is going to require a lot more brain power than I have here at ass-o'clock, so I'll boil down the talking points:
Chivalry isn't dead, but it isn't exactly a good construct either. Putting people on a pedestal based on gender is usually how that ends up, and that doesn't really help anyone.
People need to be kinder to each other. Yes, even in a game where you can shoot people on the street, rob them blind and send them to the hospital.
Anyone who says "Tits or GTFO" is saying a lot more about themselves than they realize. There's so many reasons to disagree with each other - we can do better than picking something the person in question has no control over.
And if you need a more supportive space, there's nothing wrong with that. "Place where people who have shared experiences can let it out" seems like a solid plan. Go nuts.
I'd argue that their wage increase sounds good on paper, but they employ a ton of people through subcontractors, who will end up making a fair bit less than that.
And yes, NYC was a terrible choice for the congestion. It's already incredibly expensive there - adding a headquarters on top of that, especially considering the lack of tax Amazon tends to pay, would destroy their transit system and make the place even more unaffordable.
And 15 an hour US might get you a two bedroom apartment shared with three other people in the area, if you're really lucky.
Overall, I think it would have been a terrible deal for NYC, both in the short and long term.
I can understand the need to step away from a game sometimes. Best of luck, dude, and if you decide to come back (and I'm around) feel free to ask for anything you give me (or the equivalent) back.
One has to assume that Torn staff have some of the basic rules in place for voluntary (or even paid) moderators - no cheating or giving unfair advantages to other people. Ched, I also assume, has some safeguards in place to keep tabs on people that need to have tabs kept on them.
I'd argue that if there was to be a "happy medium" it would be to have dedicated moderation accounts, to separate business from pleasure. Most other MMOs I know of do that - the people who work on the game can play on their play accounts as regular players (sometimes with restrictions - I know a few have a "no leading a guild" clause in theirs) and this way players can actively tell when The Law is here as opposed to someone playing as a player.
HAVE there been any instances in Torn of staff abusing power/knowledge they wouldn't have as a player?
Giving a full reply here is going to require a lot more brain power than I have here at ass-o'clock, so I'll boil down the talking points:
Chivalry isn't dead, but it isn't exactly a good construct either. Putting people on a pedestal based on gender is usually how that ends up, and that doesn't really help anyone.
People need to be kinder to each other. Yes, even in a game where you can shoot people on the street, rob them blind and send them to the hospital.
Anyone who says "Tits or GTFO" is saying a lot more about themselves than they realize. There's so many reasons to disagree with each other - we can do better than picking something the person in question has no control over.
And if you need a more supportive space, there's nothing wrong with that. "Place where people who have shared experiences can let it out" seems like a solid plan. Go nuts.
As a new player, yeah - this is what I'm seeing from this side. Keep your head down, figure out all the things that are possible at the pre-15 stage (because apparently once you hit level 15 you can make millions of dollars a day or something? I'm still figuring that part out) and accept that random people are going to attack you because of course they are.
And try to not be too vocal on the forums, because that paints a target on your back.