Wow, great response, Mark. Lots of food for thought there.
I've often thought this question as well. Why are so many people you meet in online games such total jerks? At first blush, your answer might be to internalize--"Well, it can't possibly be that all those people are jerks; it must be me." Yet, time and time again, I run into good folks who have similar experiences.
A few explanations I've come up with over the years...One, most people you meet online are decent people. However, you don't tend to notice or remember "decent people" nearly as well as the person who causes you pain or anguish. Thus, you can drive 90 miles in peaceful traffic, but if you get run off the road by a single idiotic driver, you're liable to say something like "The people in this state drive like nuts!!!" or some such. In other words, you're making a hasty generalization. I'd say that jerky behavior is compounded by the fact that these people generally WANT the attention, and being obnoxious and rude is a cheap way to get it. New players (noobs) are typically easy targets, since they are still learning the game and probably insecure about their performance anyway.
I've also noticed a pattern in many of the people I know who hate online gaming, but who love other types of gaming. I won't name names, but it seems to be that folks who have "big personalities," or leadership qualities--who generally work hard on their image and public persona--tend to hate them. I think this is because no matter how popular or well-respected you are outside that game, inside the game you're just another noob. You're expected to give up your own ideas about how to play the game as "noobish" and learn to imitate the current champs (down to the precise set of gear and battle strategies!). Furthermore, the aspects that make you popular on the outside--good speaking skills, witty persona, etc.--are detrimental in the game. No one wants to hear your jokes, stories, thoughts, or experience your personality (try it and see how long it takes someone to tell you to shut up and everyone else agree with him). They just want you to execute a precise sequence of actions over and over and over again. You're a cog, so get over it and shut up. My response to that is--oh, hellz naw!
I eventually learned what it would take to become an accepted member of the WOW community--quiet, obedient, always on, generous with loot, and very knowledgeable of whatever role you've taken on. That last bit doesn't amount to "critical thinking" in the least. It amounts to going online (or studying your fellow raid members like yourself) and getting whatever set of equipment is the best (this can take weeks or even months of hard work--work, not play.) Then you must watch videos of a dungeon or raid over and over again, studying every detail of the "pattern" and "boss fight" so that nothing will be unexpected. In short, you're trying to make it as much a rote operation as possible.
To me, it'd be like sitting down with a dungeon master before a session and grilling him on every last detail of a dungeon *before* you enter. Who are the bosses? Where are they? What are their patterns? What's the easiest and fastest--most efficient--way to get in and out of this dungeon with the best loot? Oh, and *stop the chatter, everyone*--this is serious business. To be fair, the guy who keeps calling everyone a " gay $@$ $!!$-tard" is permitted to speak, because he's so funny, hahahaha. But everyone else shut up.
Wow, great response, Mark. Lots of food for thought there.
I've often thought this question as well. Why are so many people you meet in online games such total jerks? At first blush, your answer might be to internalize--"Well, it can't possibly be that all those people are jerks; it must be me." Yet, time and time again, I run into good folks who have similar experiences.
A few explanations I've come up with over the years...One, most people you meet online are decent people. However, you don't tend to notice or remember "decent people" nearly as well as the person who causes you pain or anguish. Thus, you can drive 90 miles in peaceful traffic, but if you get run off the road by a single idiotic driver, you're liable to say something like "The people in this state drive like nuts!!!" or some such. In other words, you're making a hasty generalization. I'd say that jerky behavior is compounded by the fact that these people generally WANT the attention, and being obnoxious and rude is a cheap way to get it. New players (noobs) are typically easy targets, since they are still learning the game and probably insecure about their performance anyway.
I've also noticed a pattern in many of the people I know who hate online gaming, but who love other types of gaming. I won't name names, but it seems to be that folks who have "big personalities," or leadership qualities--who generally work hard on their image and public persona--tend to hate them. I think this is because no matter how popular or well-respected you are outside that game, inside the game you're just another noob. You're expected to give up your own ideas about how to play the game as "noobish" and learn to imitate the current champs (down to the precise set of gear and battle strategies!). Furthermore, the aspects that make you popular on the outside--good speaking skills, witty persona, etc.--are detrimental in the game. No one wants to hear your jokes, stories, thoughts, or experience your personality (try it and see how long it takes someone to tell you to shut up and everyone else agree with him). They just want you to execute a precise sequence of actions over and over and over again. You're a cog, so get over it and shut up. My response to that is--oh, hellz naw!
I eventually learned what it would take to become an accepted member of the WOW community--quiet, obedient, always on, generous with loot, and very knowledgeable of whatever role you've taken on. That last bit doesn't amount to "critical thinking" in the least. It amounts to going online (or studying your fellow raid members like yourself) and getting whatever set of equipment is the best (this can take weeks or even months of hard work--work, not play.) Then you must watch videos of a dungeon or raid over and over again, studying every detail of the "pattern" and "boss fight" so that nothing will be unexpected. In short, you're trying to make it as much a rote operation as possible.
To me, it'd be like sitting down with a dungeon master before a session and grilling him on every last detail of a dungeon *before* you enter. Who are the bosses? Where are they? What are their patterns? What's the easiest and fastest--most efficient--way to get in and out of this dungeon with the best loot? Oh, and *stop the chatter, everyone*--this is serious business. To be fair, the guy who keeps calling everyone a " gay $@$ $!!$-tard" is permitted to speak, because he's so funny, hahahaha. But everyone else shut up.
Does *that* sound like fun to you???
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com