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Hostility. Disconnection. Respect.
First off, let me apologize if spelling / grammar is off, it's the middle of the night, last night I got three hours of sleep. New born baby for the win.
Anyways. I've had these three words on my mind for months. Ever since I got back into the game again. I just didn't really know where I would showcase my thoughts, and after some restless thought I've decided this is a decent enough forum to showcase my opinions / observations.
I've been playing this game since 6 months after release. This was my first MMORPG. Often in this game, I find myself missing the good ol' days of vanilla WoW. Back when server transfers, name changes, faction changes, and character customizations didn't exist. And... sadly, I'm sure most of the people viewing this, don't know of a time like that on this game. Back when a realm was actually a community. You would waltz through Ironforge, not mousing over people to see what their GS was, but you would actually recognize them. You would say, "God damn, there's that Rogue, Crankshanker, working up his way through the ranks in PvP. Wonder if he'll get Grand Marshall one day." And each week, you'd see that person progress. Each week you'd see the same faces around town, you would know almost anyone by their toon. I remember looking at the people from Scion in their fancy Tier 1, and Tier 2, later on Tier 3. Being so jealous and aspiring to be that great.
All of that is gone. Server transfers, name changes... it's destroyed it. You're no longer known by your name of epic porportions. Thorgath. Sidewinder. Muzzum. Crankshanker. We now run through the streets of our profanity polluted cities sighing at, Pigvomitt, Fgtface, and Snorlax.
Hostility. This game has now taken the majority of our fellow gamers back to the primitive nature of our ancestors. We feel threatened, or even superior to another person. We beat them down. Destroy their morale. It makes no difference to us if that is a 12 year old with brain cancer on their deathbed. A single mother, working full time, trying to take care of their kid, just trying to escape the horrors of their life in a video game for a few measly minutes of their day. Or even just a regular 17 year old High School student trying to take his mind off the drama and all else that comes with the fantastic years of high school. If that person can't heal right, if he or she is not pulling 5k+ DPS, if that person can't hold aggro. Fuck them. You can tell them to rot in hell, tell them they're terrible, they're worthless and /ignore them to never hear from them again. You could have destroyed that persons day. You made them feel like shit. They're nothing to you. But on the other side of that screen. There's a face there. A human being with emotions, feelings just like you and I. They are someone that cares for someone else, loves someone, has a life of their own. You don't care about their existence in this world. You care about your boss loot. Your two badges of frost.
There's an utter disconnection here. We play this game, to play with other people. This is a massively multiplayer online RPG. But no. Not to us. We're not here to play with other people. We're here to play a game, and forced to interact with other players. We prefer it when no one says anything in that daily heroic, rather than have a nice conversation with some other people. If they do say something. We don't respond. Hoping they just won't say anything again. We raid with other people. We may not like them all, that's fine. Everyone can't be expected to get along with everyone all the time. But instead of just letting that person be. We seek out every opportunity to make that person look bad. We burden others with the filth that we spread about that person. We can't just let it go. We have to make accusations. Analyze every move they make. "HE DIDN'T MOVE OUT OF THE FIRE!" We shout at the most opportunistic time. We see him standing there. We see his poor avatar suffering the heat of a thousand hells. We don't tell that person, we don't help them. We let them burn, we let them die, and we tell them they're bad. Or. Maybe we do tell them. We don't say it in a calm manner. Perhaps we could say it in an anxiously excited manner. No. We scream at them, and tell them how retarded they are.
There's just no respect. I feel like this game's anonymity factor has driven people so far over the edge of inhumanity that they will become this way in the real world too. And that our children will grow up playing a game like this... with people like the discussed... and they will learn, act, and become. Even a player like me. I've achieved some of the most epic feats in this game. Still. That holds no value to others. It doesn't matter my past achievements. All that matters is that one mistake, that one time. And forever, to that person, I am fail. I am bad. That's the end. No redemption, just absolute colossal failure.
One time, I was chaining heroics with some friends. We had to pug one person per heroic. Just a DPS. At the end of every heroic we would wait for them to leave. A friend, instead of asking, "Hey, we're going to be queuing for another heroic, would you mind leaving the party? Or, would you like to join us?" Created a macro, that spammed the N word. Would flood chat with just that. He would spam it until they left. Being in the same guild, or from the same realm as that just made me ashamed. Such a disheartening thing to witness that we can't even come to the simple solution of politeness. Kindness... what an incredibly insanely thing of me to ask for. He had probably wasted more time spamming that word then just asking the person to leave, what's it matter to him. It was hilarious to him. He enjoyed watching the person get angry, boiling and trying to say something to him, just to be flooded out by such vile. I asked him what he would do if someone did something to him. Just to be retorted with a joke.
When I started this game. I was immature. I was naive. I was undeveloped, inexperienced and a social failure. Every time I interact with a player in this game now. I try to make it the most positive experience I can make it. A fight may require perfection. But patience, and kindness are an invaluable asset and a bigger motivator. When we make a mistake, and cost you fantasy money repair bills, we know we've caused a problem. We've all been there.
Also. While playing this game, we tend to take everything in a negative fashion, and not just what it's for. This isn't directed at any specific individual, I actually had absolutely no one specific in mind. Just... generally, I'm kind of sick of people being treated like Michael Vick treats dogs.
Uh. Wait what?
:P
I agree entirely. I've said this same thing many times before, but at times even fall into this same trap. It's a very fine line for me to talk, considering my role, but I believe that for the most part anyone who has played with me for a length of time sees that my interest is every player in our guild is genuine and for exactly the reasons Amo states above. The times that this guild were at it's best points were when we were able to able to bring out the positive characteristics touched on in this blog.
I don't want to derail this, but I think that I offer a viewpoint that others may be interested in. While leading a group of people, there are so many different perspectives that you have to account for. In situations where players are making repetitive mistakes, you must keep the morale of the group up and many players expect some action to be taken in order to stop the cycle. At the same time, a player making mistakes is often motivated for a few cycles by the challenge presented to step up. Not long after that they become defeated and continued pressure only seems to cause an even worse performance. The choice almost always boils down to doing what is necessary to make the group as a whole successful, or attempting to revive a defeated friend.
In your defense, I can see where you're coming from.
Amojin,
Very well done. I glad I read it. I regret never having played with you but I will drink one to you today.
But that doesn't make me cooool.
Hehe, thanks Rey :D
And Muzz, I've never worried about you. You know how to go about things the right way 95% of the time. Occasionally you get a little side tracked and frustrated, but as stated above it happens to the best of us and that's just the way it is. It's to be expected. But in my time playing this game, you were always the most calm, coolheaded, logical and rational GM I've had. Err, actually that's not true. The latter is (Logical and Rational), right now my GM is so laid back he doesn't even really care about anything... but that doesn't really make him the GM. lol.
Fuck you dude, this blog sucks. Am I doing it right?
Kidding aside, this was indeed a good read and I would have to say that I agree. Looking outside the box and at my own actions in the game I would say I've been guilty of pretty much everything you've mentioned. Not really even intending to. Life goes on however. I just tend to speak my mind and a lot of people react strongly to it. ;)
Most people react strongly because they don't take kindly to negative comments. Criticism as a whole is a different subject. The way you approach criticism is easy to be taken negatively too. I believe criticism in a positive manner is a better way to get your point across and actually get someone to listen to you, and possibly change the way that they play this game or even perform in the game. Criticism with a negative vibe won't go far people will tend to do just the opposite and do exactly the opposite. Example, my sister with my parents. :P
Speaking your mind is completely your choice. I try to speak my mind with a positive outlook on how I will affect the person I'm communicating with. And like I said in my original post, I'm guilty of plenty of what I discussed as well, I'm not a saint. I acted this way for many years, however I began to notice that the hostility was turning into resentment. Resentment for the people that play this game, resentment for this game, and even for myself. It was stressful, I came online with a negative attitude every day almost seeking out the chance to ruin someone elses day. As I said, it became stressful, I started thinking about the things I was saying to people and I began really hating this game and not even wanting to play anymore. Now with a new outlook on everything, I love playing this game, I love interacting with people and I love the change to the positive outlook.
I'll just have to agree to disagree. If you are ho hum about something and don't deal with the issue head on with an assertive tone/attitude you'll just get taken advantage of. Granted, there's a line and screaming someone's head off won't ever get something accomplished unless you're military. Constructive criticism is subjective anyway. Patting a bad player on their back only allows them to continue being a bad player. If you get on someone's case quickly and deliberately, more often than not they're apt to making a change. Sitting back and just allowing it to continue OR blowing smoke up someone's ass won't fix anything. Now, turning any form of criticism into a 12yr old banter is another issue.
I also think that the problem is that you're specifically talking about raiders. I'm talking about the game in general. Like when I'm doing a heroic daily and for some reason the fury warrior with 2 pieces of t10 isn't whirlwinding. He's missing out on a vital part of his rotation. I'd inform him of that.
Raiding, you get what you sign up for. You are signing up to play with the biggest min/maxers in the game that squeeze everything out of every player they have. In which case, sure a more firm tone would be necessary. Going to the extent of a Simon Cowell and telling them they play like a Cat Walking on Keyboard does nothing for that person, it doesn't give them any criticism. It doesn't help them improve. It only demoralizes them. And THAT is what I'm talking about, that is the kind of shit I see on almost a daily basis. Just, "Man you're so fucking bad." "BADDIE BADDIE LAWLZ BADDIE U DUN NO HOW PLAY." I'm all for, "Dude, you really need to stay out of the fucking fire. Seriously, just LOOK at your character. Blink, Sprint, just get the fuck out."
Amen brother, people are way too fucking ignorant these days and this game makes a lot of them worse. The fact that you're hiding behind a screen and no one can see you gives people even more "balls" for a better lack of a word since anyone with real balls would not treat others in that way. I've hung my head many a time seeing someone treat another with utter disrespect and if I stick up for them more often than not I'll take their rebuke as well. Sadly the whole treat others as you would be treated mantra has been all but forgotten. Even what you say about trying to help people out that are obviously lacking something in their game. The majority of the time they just tell you to fuck off or something of that nature when all you were doing is offering to assist them.
When I was a kid vampires sucked blood, not cock.
Pirus in the manner u r saying is very true to an extent. There are really some players who are truthfully striving to be better, but for some reason at the present time are uncapable "for some reason or another". There are also other players who really try to help others out "which I must say a few of the members in sauce have done for me" which I really do appreciate. Amo I ahve to agree with u in many regards that chewing someones ass out does not make them a better player it is more of a way to resent and not wish to transfer servers or to the extent of not wanting to play anymore. If someone does screw up and they finally figure out where they are lacking and do fix it that the past should stay in the past and u just really need to move on. Am I saying they will make the same mistake again I hope not, but if they are really genuinley trying to better there game play they should be offered another chance, but in the same regard how many chances are truthfully enough. That is yet to be determined, do to the fact of how hard they are really trying to improve. I can honestly speak first hand of this, do to the fact I have had these thoughts which I mentioned above. Yet I am still here trying to be the very best that I can. Everyday I am here waiting for an oppurtunity to show the extra lil things I have picked up and been taught by others. I always also believe in paying things forward in all do respect. For those that have helped me greatly or even in a small way I really do appreciate and I thank you all for that. I feel alot of things are truthfully a respect factor where alot of players truthfully lack. In that regard I do feel they all should fuck off, because it is there ignorance that holds them back. Like my grandmother always said if u r an ignorant person u can b taught, but if u r a stupid person u will never learn anything. I have a few toons on dif servers and I must say khadgar is truthfully the worst with all the children on there who feel they are interent tough guys. "Hence I will sue" muzz u know what I am talking about there. Well that is my 2 cents in the matter take it or leave the choice is up to u. I also apologize for my bad grammar " was never to good in english".
I think you'd be surprised, as bad as we may think Khadgar is, there is much worse out there.
In your defense, I can see where you're coming from.
WoW is full of the "Internet Tough Guys"
The only part I disagree with you about Clouse is Khadgar. I'm played across three different realms and jumped on plenty of other servers. Khadgar's not the only one with children, or bunches of trade chat trolls or just people who don't know the game in general. Every realm is like that, every realm has their BHX, every realm has people who sit in trade just waiting to pounce on their next victim. Every server has the guy asking in trade, "Wut duz i do wen i hit 80?" - Level 16 Night Elf Druid.
Every server has those, because there are personality types of people, and those personalities are spread through out every realm, like they are the world, and they take on those characters in game. That's how they choose to spend time.
Also. I hope this topic isn't making anyone mad. That's the last thing I wanted to do. This was just something floating in my mind that I wanted to share somewhere. The intent was not to create MORE hostility, disconnection, and lack of respect. <3 Just take the blog for what it is!
"If that person can't heal right, if he or she is not pulling 5k+ DPS, if that person can't hold aggro. Fuck them. You can tell them to rot in hell, tell them they're terrible, they're worthless and /ignore them to never hear from them again. You could have destroyed that persons day."
This is the whole fun in wow though. Im not hear to make peoples day lol. I play to rape pve content, strive to be the best and in arena i play to melt faces and make kids cry lol. Idk i guess thats the enjoyment i receive from this game, be it civil/ethical or not lol
I'm sure it makes you feel good about yourself Swag.