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> “Basically,” he said, “if you’re a jerk in real life, you’re going to be a jerk in any kind of social setting, and if you’re not, you’re not.” I have anecdot
by piptastic 10y ago
> “Basically,” he said, “if you’re a jerk in real life, you’re going to be a jerk in any kind of social setting, and if you’re not, you’re not.”
I have anecdotal evidence that this isn't the case.
I can be an extreme jerk in games: textually abusive, team-killing just for fun, etc.
But I can also be super nice: lead clans, go out of my way to be helpful to everyone, etc.
Not sure what triggers my behavior one way or the other. Perhaps it has to do with consistent worlds (MMO) vs team deathmatch (FPS). Once it's manifested itself for a particular game, it stays that way.
In real life I'm a pretty nice guy. But I still go home at night and kill people while simultaneously insulting them.
- wccrawford 10y agoSo you somehow think that it's okay to be abusive online, but that you're perfectly squeaky clean face-to-face? I have my doubts. I'm sure you come off as a lot nicer, but I suspect you're doing subtle things constantly that you might not even be aware of, or that you write off as normal and therefore perfectly fine. My ethics and morals don't stop at my router. I don't attack people online any more than I attack them in person. People's feeling matter, no matter the medium.
- shmerl 10y agoI think this also shouldn't conflate IC and OOC behavior. Some are just jerks in OOC fashion, and that's not OK. If IC behavior dictates certain actions story wise, it can be different. Mixing up IC and OOC behaviors is the first major mistake that should be corrected by any roleplayer.
- emerongi 10y agoTeamkilling in an FPS is not roleplaying. It's called being a dickhead. The user above enjoys ruining other people's fun.
- shmerl 10y agoOriginal discussion was about roleplaying though. Non roleplaying games is a different category.
- Terr_ 10y agoI think the key is that any game with "in character" modes almost always has explicit game mechanics about how to be a jerk and what kinds of repercussions may occur. Edit: To be more explicit, when those mechanics don't exist anybody saying "I'm just role-playing a jerk" is full of crap.
- shmerl 10y agoYes, usually there are various rules / guidelines about it. Unacceptable behavior is supposed to be handled by GMs, which is critical for good multiplayer RPGs. Without some moderation things can degrade pretty quickly. It's also one of the reasons why it's so challenging to make a good RPG of that sort - it's hard to scale. With bigger player base, you need more GMs, and most ignore it in attempt to commercialize the "massive" aspect of things. Quality plummets in result.
- sethrin 10y agoI'm a lot snarkier on Slashdot, where I can click the 'post anonymously' button. I comment less on here, because I'm concerned that I won't be considered insightful or informative enough, or that someone will take issue with some principle of mine. Yes, I would probably agree with you in general that personality defects are to some degree inherent, that the change in behavior is typically in degree, not in kind. However, you fail to consider alternatives. Human behavior is pretty complex. My girlfriend picked up a box of offensive greeting cards, and if she sent one to her boss, she would probably be cleaning her desk out on Friday. Sending one of those cards to her sassy girlfriend will be received in an entirely different manner. You have to consider the context of the behavior. So while I do not disagree with the general principle that antisocial or anti-tribal behavior in one context is a strong predictor of a more general misanthropy, I don't think that you have quite enough data to support your moral judgment.
- piptastic 10y ago> I'm sure you come off as a lot nicer, but I suspect you're doing subtle things constantly that you might not even be aware of, or that you write off as normal and therefore perfectly fine. Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm sure I'm not the world's nicest person or anything, but unless everyone is lying to me: I have a fun personality and people prefer to be around me than not. If your ethics and morals don't allow you to let the other player feel bad, how do you even play games? Usually the point of games is to win, or to at least out-achieve others. How do you spare their feelings while you shoot someone in the face in an FPS?
- Holoryn 10y agoYou can be competitive without being a dick. It's just like playing any other sport.
- navbaker 10y agoIt's called good sportsmanship and (some) online games are the only place you can get away without practicing it. Anywhere else (board games, pick up sports games, etc) it's required regardless of whether you win or lose or you'll be ostracized.
- piptastic 10y agoVideo games aren't the only place that you can get away without practicing it. Places I've seen bad sportsmanship do fine (or prosper): - All major sports (NFL, NBA, college, etc.) - Business: Steve Jobs, (everywhere else) - Presidential Elections People in these cases (and more I'm not thinking of) generally don't care about how much of a jerk you are and some even respect you more for it.