1st
sod off.
I feel I need to expand my thoughts on what transpired over the World of Warcraft commentary concerning the said named community diving into Vanguard. Just to note, I dropped in yesterday and today to grind up some diplomacy to entertain me for thirty or so minutes and there were still people stating, at least in so many words:
“Their community is full of hate and bile, we don’t need that sort of venomous spit infecting our game”
“We don’t want too many players in our game, it will ruin the feel of the game”
Now let’s get one thing 100% clear, I’ve highlighted the words which I think are dangerous, a threat even to those trialling the game or simply passing through, because they’re words of identification and that’s one thing people pick up on very quickly. I understand #we# does not mean everyone and #our# isn’t a representation of real ownership, but if you state something is yours you imply personal effect, responsibility or control of, even if everyone knows that’s a submissive or unrealistic point, it becomes logged, noted for later, e.g. It can be used in an attack, such as “you’re just saying that because…” as a personal jibe to unhinge an opponent within a discussion. It’s volatile.
What’s more dangerous though is that because you’re stating something is ‘yours’ there’s a implication it can not be someone else’s, and when that revolves around a community and a game that needs to bridge social connections and therefore embrace and accept new, old and otherwise, there lies within a problem. Are you blocking someone off from coming into your community, into your game? Do you even realise you’re doing so? Are you implying expectations must be met or criteria met? Don’t forget, this isn’t a secluded club or secret membership; this isn’t a guild, clan or dojo.
If you push those away who are interested, even if you don’t mean it, by stating this game isn’t theirs and they won’t be allowed in unless they jump through hoops or pass the secret trials, then you’re not actually helping your game or your community, you’re not supporting the company trying to keep the game afloat and you’re definitely not providing a stable base for others to come into and experience the game. Old school MMORPGs are for the most part a two way thing between players and developers, and well, with the drop of Tabula Rasa and Matrix Online, with the decline in population concerning Pirates of the Burning Sea, Planetside and Archlord and that lingering point where people question how long Vanguard or Dungeons and Dragons Online will stay on our screens, do you really want to be causing harm upon an activity in which you’ve invested a part of your self, both personal and time related?
Not everyone is a bad cookie and not everyone has a ‘wow-ist’ attitude, whatever you might think that term actually means. If you actually want your game to succeed and stay active, if you want to play a game that, for whatever reason you enjoy and more so, enjoy it with others (you are playing Everquest, Vanguard, Age of Conan for those reasons right?) then telling potential new players, guild friends or rivals to eff off, might not be the best approach.
Just a thought anyway.
