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 | This page in a nutshell: Rather than gaming to retain the tools, which damages both your reputation and the project, consider desysopping and resysopping when you're able to return to active editing |
At any point in time, there are a number of formerly-active admins who remain minimally involved, making a few dozen edits a year, organically and in a non-gamey way, not using the tools much, but using them enough to prevent automatic desysopping for inactivity. As long as when they do use the tools, they aren't abusing them, potential damage is low. Until proven otherwise, assuming an admin is either doing their best to keep up, or is cognizant of their lack of knowledge of current policy and won't use the tools in situations they know they don't fully understand, is part of assuming good faith.
But many editors do object when they see an otherwise-inactive admin apparently gaming the system in an apparent effort to retain the tools. This generally takes the form of an otherwise inactive admin reacting to an inactivity notice by making a flurry of edits, then relapsing into inactivity until the next notice.
When an admin starts gaming to retain the tools, several issues arise, all of which harm the project.
If you're an admin who finds yourself reacting to aninactivity notice by making a flurry of edits to get you over the hump, then relapsing into inactivity until the next notice, other editors will likely think you're intentionally gaming the system. At least some editors will find the behavior concerning. Some will assume you'd realize others will find it concerning, conclude you don't care what other editors think, and will suspect the reason you want to keep the tools is to impress friends outside of the Wikipedia community at the cost of retaining respect and trust within it. And some will assume that not caring about losing the respect of the community means you really don't ever mean to return. Which will confirm their suspicion that you're gaming the system for reasons that have nothing to do with building an encyclopedia.
TL;DR: Gaming damages your reputation and damages the project (see issues above).
Consider insteaddesysopping, then when you find yourself actively editing again, resysopping. That shows other editors that you aren't gaming. Ifan extended period has gone by since you desysopped, actively editing for a few months and then re-RfAing shows other editors you respect the community's opinion.