itzg/minecraft won't create a creative server

hello, setup was generally a breeze, however the container always wants to be in survival mode. the goal is only to setup a bedrock/java compatible server for the kids, in creative mode. i've nuked the data directory and forced a world regeneration multiple times, but it seems like my GAMEMODE env var is ignored.

am I missing anything here?

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server:latest
    container_name: kids-minecraft
    pull_policy: daily
    environment:
      VERSION: "LATEST"
      PAPER_CHANNEL: "experimental"
      TYPE: "PAPER"
      EULA: "true"
      GAMEMODE: "creative"
      MEMORY: 10G
      DIFFICULTY: "easy"
      FORCE_GAMEMODE: "true"
      DOWNLOAD_PLUGINS: >-
        https://download.geysermc.org/v2/projects/geyser/versions/latest/builds/latest/downloads/spigot
        https://download.geysermc.org/v2/projects/floodgate/versions/latest/builds/latest/downloads/spigot
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"     # Java Edition Port
      - "19132:19132/udp" # Bedrock Edition Port
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    stdin_open: true
    tty: true
    restart: unless-stopped