I stopped online multiplayer gaming for awhile back in 1999, I think, and I didn't really start back up until about 2003 or 2004 (shortly after XBox Live launched, actually).
One of the biggest reasons why I stopped was because my first few encounters with the "next generation" of elite online gamers was left me feeling like they only cared about number one.
And today, I ran into that yet again. Earlier this week, I declined someone from joining an open game of Dead Rising that I didn't even know was open - and it doesn't help that this is the default setting (so, anyone just downloading Dead Rising 2 for free by way of XBL's Games With Gold program, remember that). His reaction was to cuss me out for it.
This is unacceptable behaviour to begin with. If someone does something stupid, sure, it's okay to call them out. But not with an F-Bomb. Second, who are we to judge?
One of my favourite things about my gamer friends is that we only act like jerkbags with each other, we don't drop it on others.
This is something to consider, especially since you never know who you're going to offend in a monitored community. If you get enough proven complaints against you, you're no longer welcome - and this is definitely true of XBox Live.
The internet, has unfortunately, shown just how deep our yellow stripes can run, and it's more important than ever that gamers remember their "netiquette". As games get bigger and the number of players increases, tensions are going to rise, sure.
But if you don't pick your battles, you'll undoubtedly find yourself ostracised.
No comments:
Post a Comment