I Love You All
Posted by Stropp on October 5, 2010Yet another insightful post by Tobold, in part responding to a post by Klepsacovic on negativity in the MMORPG blogosphere. Tobold’s main point is that since every other hobby/activity that is represented on the Internet appears to draw people together, then why does the gaming genre, in particular, seem to breed such negativity and resentment between the various bloggers and even between bloggers and fans?
First thing to be said. It’s quite an assumption that other groups all get along. The sad fact is that they don’t. Not really.
Arguments and negativity abound in any group that allows for differing opinions. Hey, back in the day the Star Trek newsgroup had a huge thread devoted to the behaviour of a bottle of champaign in a micro-gravity vacuum. And I’ve seen no small web-rage in any number of programming forums.
Where people are, dissension occurs.
Having said that, I do agree on the main point. There’s too much negativity in the blogosphere, and there’s too much hatred directed at players who don’t fit into a particular play-style, or who like one game over another.
Does it matter if someone likes World of Warcraft the way it is? You’ve got Darkfall, Eve, Everquest, and a myriad other games available to play.
Does it matter if a casual player has a different path to get the same gear that you raided your arse off for? Really, does that lower your enjoyment of the game?
Does it matter if a hardcore player gets access to content that you, a casual player, cannot because they’ve done a ton of hard work? If you’re enjoying the content you do have access to, what does it matter?
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
I Love You All
I love reading blogs on gaming. I love seeing what others think of the different games, and different game mechanics. I enjoy the humour. And yes, sometimes I enjoy the conflict between different bloggers.
It doesn’t mean I agree with everything I read. Sometimes I read posts that make me shake my head, laugh at the inanity, or get a little hot under the collar. I move on when this happens, or make a remark.
I’ve met a lot of people online over the years, and have gotten along with most of them. There are people I love hanging out with in a game. And people I really enjoy grouping up with.
I love the gaming community, despite the bitching and negativity.
I love you all.
I guess I’ve missed the Negative Nelly week through being too busy to read any blogs for the last month, or is it just one of those periodic backlashes?
Several things irk me about the assumptions that get made.
One, that *argument* is bad. Debate is NOT a bad thing and the root of the word argument doesn’t automatically have to imply a Freudian vision of one’s parents shouting in the next room. It really is okay to discuss things. When did it become okay only to nod and agree? I do know that political debate has been impossible here in the US since 9/11, so now I just nod and agree (unless I know the people really well). I guess it’s going the same way with gaming blogs – pardon the parallel – agree with me or I’ll cut your comments?
Two, that bloggers are somehow authorities on anything. The only thing I’m an authority on is what *I* think. Which is what I put on my blog. It’s not Rules For Living or anything – just my opinion. I have never claimed that it’s more – or less – that Wot I Think.
I have a feeling the gaming blog community needs or wants to self-flagellate every once in a while. Or maybe I just missed a storm in a teacup somewhere – which is good. I left that crap back in high school and I really don’t need the drama these days.
I was going to post something, but Ysharros beat me to it.
Healthy debate is good, so long as it doesn’t feel like a personal attack. What constitutes a personal attack, however, is different for each persaon, and so we have people who are hurt more easily than others by dissent.
@Ysharros and Victor — Please don’t think I’m making an argument against arguing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Argument, in the logical (is that Greek?) sense, with sensible, rational, and as Victor put it, healthy debate is one of the fundamental ways that society grows, both in knowledge and culture.
What does seem to afflict the game community is the ad hominem style of linking an argument to a persons characteristics, or in this case biases. “He likes WoW, so he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Which then tends towards devaluing the contributions of anyone involved in ‘that’ camp.
@Ysharros I think that a very large segment of society are no longer taught to think critically, or even logically, so that they cannot distinguish rational debate from the nasty arguments of their parents or peers.
I’m not sure you missed a storm-in-a-teacup. It could be the start of a SIATC, the posts I referenced here are the first I’ve seen, and I could just be adding to the storm.
I guess the point I was trying to make is that there is a lot of positive in the gaming community, and it’s a community I enjoy being a part of, even if a little absent lately.
I always get accused of being negative on my blog. I just like to point out the things about games that irritate me. I am sure I am not the only one that feels that way about things in the game.
Personally I find to many bloggers drinking the kool-aid, and kissing up to community managers, and devs. I never did it in management at my job, and I don’t plan on doing it on my blog.
My readership keeps growing so someone likes reading, and watching my rants.
@Wasdstomp — That’s fine, I wasn’t saying there isn’t a place for criticism or rants. I’ve done plenty of those myself. Personal attacks on the other hand…
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