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Leeerooooy Jenkins! Seriously, this has been going on forever, and the number one rule of trolls (and griefers are just trolls, as the piece points out) is don'

by markbnj 10y ago

Leeerooooy Jenkins! Seriously, this has been going on forever, and the number one rule of trolls (and griefers are just trolls, as the piece points out) is don't give them attention or the reaction they're looking for, and they go away.

have_faith 10y ago
Been a long time since I heard Leeroy Jenkins. Not giving them attention doesn't work if they are racking up millions of views on YouTube. There is a demand for it so someone will supply it for some e-fame. Tragedy is a cornerstone of comedy but we're in a strange time where empathy rarely travels across ethernet cables and making fun of someone carries little social repercussions on the internet. Until social dynamics change online trolls and griefers will always be close by.
anigbrowl 10y ago
I'm tired of that rule being trotted out. that's like saying the best response to crime is to not let people steal your wallet or they'll keep doing it. Well, duh, obviously, but a) you don't give any guidance on how to deal with them when they're actively interfering with your and b) it's not like these interactions happen in a vacuum or lack a systematic dimension. 'Just ignore it' is not helpful advice. It's an elaborate way of saying 'I don't know what to do about this problem and that lack of ideas is making me uncomfortable so please stop talking about it.'
- DanBC 10y ago
  It's absolutely the best advice for this kind of trolling though. They say themselves that most people (80%) don't respond. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-04-meet-the-griefers-article http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-04-meet-the-griefe... ^^^> The thing is - just as the victims of prank TV shows mostly laugh things off once the setup has been exposed - the griefers maintain that most people simply find their online antics amusing. Obviously they pick the most extreme reactions for their videos, but the majority of people just laugh at the silliness on display. Far from being enraged, most gamers are good-humoured enough that they simply play along. ^^^> Spartan Jay backs this up: "I would say that around 80 per cent of people that play online games are troll-proof. I guess my videos give people an unfair assumption of what the gaming community is really like. Most people I come across on games are fairly chilled out people. Sometimes when making a video, it can take over an hour before I find someone that will get angry over my griefing." When you say > 'Just ignore it' is not helpful advice. Well, it is helpful advice for this kind of trolling.
  - anigbrowl 10y ago
    Yes, according to the trolls, who I don't think are reliable or honest people...because they're trolls. the griefers maintain that most people simply find their online antics amusing Isn't this like how bullies maintain that it's all in good fun? 'But it's just a game' is the #1 excuse bullies give to evade responsibility for their anti-social behavior. And besides, what if 80% of players do ignore it? why does that give griefers and right to go about upsetting the 20% who find it obnoxious or distressing? When griefers say 'they need to lighten up', why is it they think other people should change behavior in order to accommodate the griefers' hunger for attention? Well, it is helpful advice for this kind of trolling. No it isn't. You don't explain how the person who has been targeted by griefers is supposed to make up the lost time/health points/whatever, or how they should go about blocking the griefing behavior from their in-game sensorium. You're just handwaving the problem away and insisting you've solved it. Suppose your purpose here is not to actually discuss this but to troll me. By my replying you got me to stay engaged - a winner is you! If I ignore it you get to have the last word - a winner is you! I've lurked in enough griefer forums to have a good idea of how the circle-jerking conversations there play out. Now maybe you don't understand the point I was making above and you can't see what the big deal is, but if that's the case then endlessly restating your argument isn't going to make you any the wiser.
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by markbnj 10y ago

have_faith 10y ago

Been a long time since I heard Leeroy Jenkins. Not giving them attention doesn't work if they are racking up millions of views on YouTube. There is a demand for it so someone will supply it for some e-fame. Tragedy is a cornerstone of comedy but we're in a strange time where empathy rarely travels across ethernet cables and making fun of someone carries little social repercussions on the internet. Until social dynamics change online trolls and griefers will always be close by.

anigbrowl 10y ago

I'm tired of that rule being trotted out. that's like saying the best response to crime is to not let people steal your wallet or they'll keep doing it. Well, duh, obviously, but a) you don't give any guidance on how to deal with them when they're actively interfering with your and b) it's not like these interactions happen in a vacuum or lack a systematic dimension. 'Just ignore it' is not helpful advice. It's an elaborate way of saying 'I don't know what to do about this problem and that lack of ideas is making me uncomfortable so please stop talking about it.'

DanBC 10y ago
It's absolutely the best advice for this kind of trolling though. They say themselves that most people (80%) don't respond. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-04-meet-the-griefers-article http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-04-meet-the-griefe... ^^^> The thing is - just as the victims of prank TV shows mostly laugh things off once the setup has been exposed - the griefers maintain that most people simply find their online antics amusing. Obviously they pick the most extreme reactions for their videos, but the majority of people just laugh at the silliness on display. Far from being enraged, most gamers are good-humoured enough that they simply play along. ^^^> Spartan Jay backs this up: "I would say that around 80 per cent of people that play online games are troll-proof. I guess my videos give people an unfair assumption of what the gaming community is really like. Most people I come across on games are fairly chilled out people. Sometimes when making a video, it can take over an hour before I find someone that will get angry over my griefing." When you say > 'Just ignore it' is not helpful advice. Well, it is helpful advice for this kind of trolling.
- anigbrowl 10y ago
  Yes, according to the trolls, who I don't think are reliable or honest people...because they're trolls. the griefers maintain that most people simply find their online antics amusing Isn't this like how bullies maintain that it's all in good fun? 'But it's just a game' is the #1 excuse bullies give to evade responsibility for their anti-social behavior. And besides, what if 80% of players do ignore it? why does that give griefers and right to go about upsetting the 20% who find it obnoxious or distressing? When griefers say 'they need to lighten up', why is it they think other people should change behavior in order to accommodate the griefers' hunger for attention? Well, it is helpful advice for this kind of trolling. No it isn't. You don't explain how the person who has been targeted by griefers is supposed to make up the lost time/health points/whatever, or how they should go about blocking the griefing behavior from their in-game sensorium. You're just handwaving the problem away and insisting you've solved it. Suppose your purpose here is not to actually discuss this but to troll me. By my replying you got me to stay engaged - a winner is you! If I ignore it you get to have the last word - a winner is you! I've lurked in enough griefer forums to have a good idea of how the circle-jerking conversations there play out. Now maybe you don't understand the point I was making above and you can't see what the big deal is, but if that's the case then endlessly restating your argument isn't going to make you any the wiser.
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