The internet is a wonderful and terrible thing all rolled into one. The wonderful bits allow us to connect with others all over the world about things of interest to us. Unfortunately, the terrible bit often outweighs the wonderful bit. The internet has essentially removed all human interaction and sense of responsibility from our actions online. thus making is much, much easier to engage in behavior most people would never dream of in real life.
MMO’s are a prime example of the “He Stole MY Cookies” syndrome. We’ve all experienced it, someone rolls need on a piece of gear that they either can’t use at all or is inappropriate for their class. We have labeled the “needer” a ninja, but we have utterly ignored the person who then proceeds to produce group drama over the roll he “lost” Said “loser” now begins to essentially bitch and moan to everyone that so-and-so did this to him and he just isn’t fair. It isn’t hard to imagine a three-year-old tugging at their mother’s skirt, pointing, and screaming “HE stole MY Cookies” loudly and repeatedly when this happens. Does it suck, yep it does. Will new, and better, gear come quite easily? Yep.
All games are subject to the “He Stole My Cookies” syndrome, it just seems to happen more frequently in World of Warcraft. That may have to do with the much larger player base or the accepted community standard for dealing with “ninjas” is whining, but the problem is not exclusive to WOW. Star Wars (SWTOR) has it share of community drama over need rolls for companion gear, and I’m quite sure the same thing will hit Guild Wars 2 in the coming weeks.
Is there a solution for the syndrome? Unfortunately, I don’t have one. I generally refuse to vote kick the “ninja” when the “loser” initiates the vote. I try to remind the group that the ninja may not know better or may be a younger adult and it just isn’t worth it to cyber-bully. Put the offender on ignore, move on, and forget about the roll that you lost. Admittedly. rarely is my advice taken but if it helps minimize group drama then it was advice worth dispensing.
No comments:
Post a Comment