Why are people such jerks? (repost from General)

[Aeraniel]

IMO the reason why it is so prevalent in MMOs now is that there used to be a small minority of players who were jerks in global/general chat and that is what a lot of people were subjected to when they started playing online.

A entire generation of gamer was "trained" by this small minority because they were the loudest and kids thought that this was how the cool kids act when playing with others.

 

Agree with this, also

[BrainSplatter]

WoW server forums used to have something called naming & shaming to reveal players with especially bothersome behaviour.

[Daekarus]

I don't really have anything too constructive to add except: roll Republic. The kiddies seem to like Sith. Also, disable the general chat window. Also, join a guild if you find some decent people... they're worth hanging on to.

 

Your fellow gamers feel your pain. We do.

[Bamajawn]

I remember the early days of the internet when IRC was a big deal. There were always hackers who would take over the bots that ran the different channels and ban people from their chat rooms. It annoyed a lot of people, but there was absolutely nothing they could do about it in the absence of skill in hacking. Some people are griefers by nature.

 

After watching all the chest beating and QQing, I concluded that fighting over cyberspace is silly. The small dot that is being fought over contains nothing of any real value and will not affect my life in any way if it disappeared completely. My nice life will continue regardless of people who are vile on the internet. At the end of the day, they have won nothing. Nobody really gives a crap after a very short time. I don't fight or invest in things that are worth nothing. If the game becomes full of problem children, I'll use the tools at my disposal and move on when I'm weary of it. There is always another game to play. Always.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Bamajawn

[DarthRamette]

I find the worse time is the weekends when people have more time to play and kids are online. Not saying all the teenagers and young kids are jerks but I do tend to notice that gen chat is filled with more jerks on the weekend then on weekdays/weeknights. People can hide behind thier toons and act how they like sadly on games like this. I tend to turn gen chat off because that type of behavior annoys me. I guess I am getting older but I have little patience for flame wars and pissing contests when I am playing.

[Allfader]

Why are people such jerks? | Today , 01:09 AM

 

Maybe I haven't played MMOs in awhile. Maybe I've been out of the loop as far as what goes on these days but I'm getting to the point where I can't handle it anymore.

 

I've ignored FAR too many people in this game for just being all around jerks. People think that because they can hide behind the guise of an avatar, they can act how ever they want to anyone they want.

 

THAT IS NOT OK.

 

If you don't like the way someone is playing their character, don't tell them OMG U SUK, REROLL NUB. If you find a female online, the correct response to them being around is not LOL GIRLZ DON'T PLAY, GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN.

 

MMOs are NOT the place to discuss politics, especially in /general. MMOs are NOT the place to air out your dirty laundry. And just because you don't like the way someone plays their character, it DOES NOT give you the right to be a total douche to them.

 

**a note to the person that replied about the politics thing. Yes, people are able to discuss politics but it always turns into I HATE LIBERALZ, they R SCUM. Or something else demeaning. If you can't have a political discussion, or other discussion without calling someone names... You shouldn't be having that discussion.

 

This player base seems to lack any sort of social skills and I'm not exactly sure why. I've heard of people like this on XBOX Live or other places where prepubescent boys can act like big tough guys.

 

I don't want my ignore list to grow anymore, and I certainly don't want to quit a game I like just because people want to harass me. I should be able to enjoy the game just like everyone else.

 

I'm seriously calling out the community here. This needs to be fixed. There needs to be a better way to write tickets for people that say really mean things. There should be a /report [player] command and people that talk like this should be punished.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels like this game is completely being ruined by people like this. And IGNORE should indefinite, until I remove them because harassment exists.

 

Sorry for the rant. I've just been harassed more than once for many different reasons and I've watched other people harass others in general and I felt like there was nothing I could do to stop it.

 

You want to keep my money and the money of all of the mature adults out there?

Make it so players aren't allowed to harass other players.

 

And to a reply to the people that said "Welcome to the internet", the internet shouldn't always be a place where you have to "hide Yo KIDZ, hide Yo WYFE".

 

And a Reply to the Forum Mod that shut down my post, next time you should just move it. I'm so close to quitting this game because people are ******es, and you LITERALLY made yourself no different than all the jerks that are playing this game.

 

You see these? They're tears. You made me cry.

 

Thanks internet.

 

To put it quite simply, sometimes the "constructive criticism" doesn't get it done. How many warzones must I go through with 2 afkers and 4 farmers before I'm allowed to call people out? Those that have no idea what they're doing should be told they have no idea what they're doing. And since /ignore does not prevent you from queueing with scrubby little d-bags, I like to call them out as often as possible in the hope that their ability to learn will curve just a tad and they'll actually fight at a node instead of nowhere near one.

 

As for the discussion in general chat, it's GENERAL CHAT! You don't like what people are saying? Turn it off. You don't have to close out the chat box, just go into settings and uncheck general chat. Now you don't have to see the unintelligent rantings of the future leaders of the free world.

 

And as for lacking social skills, where does being spineless rank? In stead of confronting the people that offend you, you quietly add them to your ignore list then come here to complain? How does that help? All you've done is labeled yourself as a target for the rest of us.

 

I don't disagree with your point. In fact, I agree 100%, and I blame wow. The MMO community used to be much closer knit. But once Warcraft broke 10 million paid subs, there was more money in letting the little kids act like little kids than doing something about it. It went so far as me reading a story posted in Trade Chat about a "heroic white knight" slaughtering members of the Hebrew community in the streets of New York to purify it. What happened to him? Two day suspension. That was it.

 

Too many people have gotten away with it, and it's because of people like the OP. Starting a "mean people suck" thread does nothing but make the mean people laugh. Open tickets for harassment and give Bioware a chance to address the issue. This does nothing.

[iloveicarly]

456546

[lorddakar]

Why are people such jerks? | Today , 01:09 AM

 

You see these? They're tears. You made me cry.

 

Thanks internet.

 

Your tears sustain me.

[kirorx]

Coming from SWG the behavior here seems incredibly different.

 

At first i thougt maybe this normal behavior amongt the WOW crowd. *a silly accusation*

 

I realized that this is probally not the case.

 

I think it just population, there are alot more players here then an in SWG and therefore more encounters with these "jerks".

 

Just ignore them.

 

Its just a videogame.

Edited February 14, 2012 by kirorx

[Kabjat]

 

" Oh i was this big Jedi/Sith who harassed people on the interwebz.. i was so bad, all were afraid of me... *coff*coff... can someone bring me my pills "

 

 

This bears repeating, people.

 

OP...I really do understand where you are coming from. Just try and keep it in perspective and not let the big mouths in Mom's basement get to you.

 

At the end of the day, the trolls, jerks, and big talkers are just as human and insecure as the rest of us...the only difference is, they use others as their punching bag.

[Kabjat]

To put it quite simply, sometimes the "constructive criticism" doesn't get it done. How many warzones must I go through with 2 afkers and 4 farmers before I'm allowed to call people out? Those that have no idea what they're doing should be told they have no idea what they're doing. And since /ignore does not prevent you from queueing with scrubby little d-bags, I like to call them out as often as possible in the hope that their ability to learn will curve just a tad and they'll actually fight at a node instead of nowhere near one.

 

So verbal abuse is called for? Nice. I bet that gets you the results you want.

 

As for the discussion in general chat, it's GENERAL CHAT! You don't like what people are saying? Turn it off. You don't have to close out the chat box, just go into settings and uncheck general chat. Now you don't have to see the unintelligent rantings of the future leaders of the free world.

 

Sorry, that doesn't wash. Why should I isolate myself for those same big mouthed twerps who think it's ok to talk about violating your mother in creative and disgusting ways? NO. JUST NO. I REPORT THEM as should anyone else who is offended by it.

 

And as for lacking social skills, where does being spineless rank? In stead of confronting the people that offend you, you quietly add them to your ignore list then come here to complain? How does that help? All you've done is labeled yourself as a target for the rest of us.

 

And confronting savage, sexually frustrated mouth breathers with their foul behavior is a productive and constructive solution HOW exactly?? It's ok, I'll wait while you come up with something. Coming to the FORUMS is the exact RIGHT thing for the OP to do. You are part of the problem by saying they are WHINING when in fact, the majority of responders AGREE with them.

 

I don't disagree with your point. In fact, I agree 100%, and I blame wow. The MMO community used to be much closer knit. But once Warcraft broke 10 million paid subs, there was more money in letting the little kids act like little kids than doing something about it. It went so far as me reading a story posted in Trade Chat about a "heroic white knight" slaughtering members of the Hebrew community in the streets of New York to purify it. What happened to him? Two day suspension. That was it.

 

Too many people have gotten away with it, and it's because of people like the OP. Starting a "mean people suck" thread does nothing but make the mean people laugh. Open tickets for harassment and give Bioware a chance to address the issue. This does nothing.

 

Starting discussion threads is NOT part of the problem. Your attitude that people who are abusive and get away with it should NOT be held accountable and that people like the OP are at fault is so backwards it makes me sad.

 

replied to this person in red >.>

[Elkard]

You said it with Xbox. The multiplayer function of "console" games is NOT like MMORPGs, yet many of that persuasion play the MMOs with a console-like attitude. What people in MMOs fail to understand is that there is more than one way to fight (play, run, control [sic]) a toon.

 

It was that type of commentary the OP speaks of that drove me out of WoW and other games. People wanting, or expecting, cookie-cutter toons with just one way to control the toon. Often resorting to name calling and other nasty things when someone does something different even if it is better. That's just how some people who are emotionally immature react.

 

Watching chat, in and out of groups, and during PvP was becoming an irritating experience. Especially, when some of the people making those comments were the ones standing around in the corner...nvm. There was a guy in one WZ that was making all those kinds of comments during the battle, as we all sweated and faught the battle, and when the scores came up, yup, many of us 22+ kills, him 2. But he was the one saying other people...well.

 

It's kind of like driving in traffic; nearly everyone is cranky and one-finger salutes are everywhere, yet everyone is a pro.

 

When the community becomes too exclusive and too one demensional, then good people will leave. People are not droids--nods to you-know-what about you know which--but sometimes they act like them.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Elkard
misspellings

[SpaceDwarf]

It could be that alot of gamers are grumpy cause they have no life and it makes them feel better. Some people win at life, some win at games. Dont sweat the 30 year old failure at life taking out his or her aggression on you. I just remind myself that playing these games are just my reward for being a real world winner!!

[Allfader]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSjLiQxEZlM

 

This reflects the OP perfectly!

[Baalazar]

Why are people such jerks? | Today , 01:09 AM

 

Maybe I haven't played MMOs in awhile. Maybe I've been out of the loop as far as what goes on these days but I'm getting to the point where I can't handle it anymore.

 

I've ignored FAR too many people in this game for just being all around jerks. People think that because they can hide behind the guise of an avatar, they can act how ever they want to anyone they want.

 

THAT IS NOT OK.

 

If you don't like the way someone is playing their character, don't tell them OMG U SUK, REROLL NUB. If you find a female online, the correct response to them being around is not LOL GIRLZ DON'T PLAY, GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN.

 

MMOs are NOT the place to discuss politics, especially in /general. MMOs are NOT the place to air out your dirty laundry. And just because you don't like the way someone plays their character, it DOES NOT give you the right to be a total douche to them.

 

**a note to the person that replied about the politics thing. Yes, people are able to discuss politics but it always turns into I HATE LIBERALZ, they R SCUM. Or something else demeaning. If you can't have a political discussion, or other discussion without calling someone names... You shouldn't be having that discussion.

 

This player base seems to lack any sort of social skills and I'm not exactly sure why. I've heard of people like this on XBOX Live or other places where prepubescent boys can act like big tough guys.

 

I don't want my ignore list to grow anymore, and I certainly don't want to quit a game I like just because people want to harass me. I should be able to enjoy the game just like everyone else.

 

I'm seriously calling out the community here. This needs to be fixed. There needs to be a better way to write tickets for people that say really mean things. There should be a /report [player] command and people that talk like this should be punished.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels like this game is completely being ruined by people like this. And IGNORE should indefinite, until I remove them because harassment exists.

 

Sorry for the rant. I've just been harassed more than once for many different reasons and I've watched other people harass others in general and I felt like there was nothing I could do to stop it.

 

You want to keep my money and the money of all of the mature adults out there?

Make it so players aren't allowed to harass other players.

 

And to a reply to the people that said "Welcome to the internet", the internet shouldn't always be a place where you have to "hide Yo KIDZ, hide Yo WYFE".

 

And a Reply to the Forum Mod that shut down my post, next time you should just move it. I'm so close to quitting this game because people are ******es, and you LITERALLY made yourself no different than all the jerks that are playing this game.

 

You see these? They're tears. You made me cry.

 

Thanks internet.

 

These forums aren't here for you to openly rage. If you have a problem with someone in game open up a ticket. I'm guessing thats why the mod closed your last post.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Baalazar

[oujii]

100% agree .

Sadly it's not this game or the internet that provide the problem.

people are 100 more jerk, because their self centered , self preservationist parents raise them this way ...

If u leave your child to be baby sitted by a video game/television/anything but you .

then u open the door for there perspective of common decency to warp or just go away.

 

Sadly some of the worst people in these games are also defending our own country(for wich I appreciate greatly!) unfortunately that profession isnt exactly skilled at teaching its employees common decency , and community relations..

 

The norm for every game I have played in the last ten yrs seems to be a random bunch of jerks shouting the same BS thinking its somehow amusing beyond their limited ability to realize that , If someone is not doing so good in game , maybe u should help them so that u can both succeed ?..

 

More than anything what I have learned is People have run out of patience.

We have a world of government brainwashed ,corporate incensitives.

 

Heck the last time I tried to address an issue with the unfair treatment in the work place that I tried to point out was happening to ANOTHER employee I was simply told (life is not always fair.)

 

Thats it, thats all .

 

This is a world with no Common sense, common decency, and very little moral value installed on anyone -

because all anyone is worried about is survival , and thier families survival .

 

Not in the least about anyone else... unless of course they want to adopt a child or get a tax right off, either way doing something nice for no reason at all with no expectation of personal gain is pretty much NON existent .

 

welcome to this world !

(sorry to all u grammar nazi's who will surely get a quick out of correcting 75% of this

[Lumanotti]

Why are people such jerks? | Today , 01:09 AM

 

Maybe I haven't played MMOs in awhile. Maybe I've been out of the loop as far as what goes on these days but I'm getting to the point where I can't handle it anymore.

 

I've ignored FAR too many people in this game for just being all around jerks. People think that because they can hide behind the guise of an avatar, they can act how ever they want to anyone they want.

 

THAT IS NOT OK.

 

If you don't like the way someone is playing their character, don't tell them OMG U SUK, REROLL NUB. If you find a female online, the correct response to them being around is not LOL GIRLZ DON'T PLAY, GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN.

 

MMOs are NOT the place to discuss politics, especially in /general. MMOs are NOT the place to air out your dirty laundry. And just because you don't like the way someone plays their character, it DOES NOT give you the right to be a total douche to them.

 

**a note to the person that replied about the politics thing. Yes, people are able to discuss politics but it always turns into I HATE LIBERALZ, they R SCUM. Or something else demeaning. If you can't have a political discussion, or other discussion without calling someone names... You shouldn't be having that discussion.

 

This player base seems to lack any sort of social skills and I'm not exactly sure why. I've heard of people like this on XBOX Live or other places where prepubescent boys can act like big tough guys.

 

I don't want my ignore list to grow anymore, and I certainly don't want to quit a game I like just because people want to harass me. I should be able to enjoy the game just like everyone else.

 

I'm seriously calling out the community here. This needs to be fixed. There needs to be a better way to write tickets for people that say really mean things. There should be a /report [player] command and people that talk like this should be punished.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels like this game is completely being ruined by people like this. And IGNORE should indefinite, until I remove them because harassment exists.

 

Sorry for the rant. I've just been harassed more than once for many different reasons and I've watched other people harass others in general and I felt like there was nothing I could do to stop it.

 

You want to keep my money and the money of all of the mature adults out there?

Make it so players aren't allowed to harass other players.

 

And to a reply to the people that said "Welcome to the internet", the internet shouldn't always be a place where you have to "hide Yo KIDZ, hide Yo WYFE".

 

And a Reply to the Forum Mod that shut down my post, next time you should just move it. I'm so close to quitting this game because people are ******es, and you LITERALLY made yourself no different than all the jerks that are playing this game.

 

You see these? They're tears. You made me cry.

 

Thanks internet.

 

There are many factors that play a part in why people in this game seem to be such jerks. The two most influential factors in my opinion are maturity and social skills or lack there of. First lets take an in depth look at the player base. They will fall in to one of two groups. Either they are die hard SW fans from the 80's( meaning an older generation of nerds ) or they are a reclusive gamer ( younger generation of nerd) looking to dominate or discover the latest hyped up MMO. Rarely but still possibly one in the same for some. Either way to gain any form of success in this game ( e.g., reach level 50, get the higher tier gear, beat end game) alot of time will be dedicated. The casual player is the least likely to be affected or fall into the category of jerk when it comes to online gaming because they tend to have the least invested.

 

The way I have presented my opinion may seem hurtful. I get it. You can deny it. But in the back of your mind you know its true. If you are an adult male or female spending X amount of time on this game day in and day out there is an obvious underlying reason. This is my take on it. They have no life because for the same reason they are put on your ignore list in the game they suffer being ignored in RL. MMO's give them an opportunity to finally be heard and interact with others forcefully. Meaning they finally get to talk and there is little you can do to shut them up thus they take the opportunity to act out. Why? Because the indirectness of the internet gives one the illusion of anonymity. Thus they ( being the jerk you speak of) take full advantage of this opportunity to act an ***. Some us of fall prey to this because that same anonymity tricks us into letting are guard down.

 

The other type of jerk I spoke of is the kid gamer. On the back of my game box, in fine print it states this game is intended for ages 13+. I never expect children to behave as anything but asses when given the opportunity.

 

At the end of the day it simply boils down to some people do not know how to act in public. They never developed the social skills needed to successfully acclimate into a diverse community. Its like the preachers virgin daughter who goes off to college. Once she gets a taste of attention and freedom from judgment she acts out. Just like an antisocial nerd loses their inhibitions when no longer constrained by his physical appearance or faced with the threat of bodily harm, that can come in response to anal retentive whit. That is why they show off, troll, criticize, insult. TO get a taste of that attention they cannot otherwise achieve in RL.

 

I find this type of behavior comes from a deeply rooted self hate and low self esteem. The children I encounter who lack the maturity god gave a gnat are simply ignored. The one's who seem to have a bit of maturity I offer words of wisdom but I try not to get too deep in depth because that is their parents job, not mine. To the adult child, aka loser jerk, bound for my ignore list, I do not put them on the ignore list right away because all that does is prevent me from hearing what is being said about me and defending myself. I instead use reverse psychology. I have found that for all their mathematical know how and nerdy anal retentive elitist whit, what they lack is an emotional intelligence. Which you can be easily exploited for the use of putting them in their place.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Lumanotti

[Bocherel]

TS should just go back to the kitchen

[master_endymion]

LoL well whose money are they wasting trolling people instead of playing? But I really want them to burn, or like, kill them in-game especially when you're on the same faction as them. Those basterds.

[Jonoku]

Internet=Trolls.

[Helig]

That's one of the reasons I usually play "strong silent". I do my job, while keeping my mouth shut (I do shout out tactical stuff like incomings in warzones, but not much else).

 

I also have a guilty pleasure of watching people argue. The more primal and savage it gets, the more gratification I receive. I guess I have the Internet Troll gene, because not only do I enjoy it, but I sometimes fuel the e-hate myself.

[Nyvan]

My husband and I have both noticed that the community in SWTOR seems to be...um...icky. Although since Diablo 3 came out it has become much more tolerable - one to one correlation if you ask me . For the most part, we turn off the general chat and only play with each other or our other real life friends who play. We lucked out and got into a guild with pretty nice people, and although the play style they enjoy is a bit fast paced for me, they are friendly and helpful. Part of your problems may arise from the fact that many (although certainly not all) people who are drawn to PvP can be jerkish: I mean, what's more jerkish than wanting to kill other people's toons right? Anyways, I would always advise to turn off general chat and play with your real life friends if possible anyways. And, if people in PUGs or PvP are rude, don't be upset at putting them on ignore. Honestly, you can't control other people, but you can control how you feel when you play. So, take a deep breath and determine whether or not that person is actually harassing you - which should clearly be reported - or whether they are simply gross or rude and can be put on /ignore. Trust me though, asking people in the general chat to stop being gross or rude is totally futile. Best thing to do is turn the nasty buggers off and don't bother with it ever again

[Setsugetsuka]

I don't think it's too bad, the one thing I'm incredibly glad about the internet is that if someone is bothering you, there is a plethora of things that you can do to combat the situation that will resolve it. (Albeit sometimes not immediately, or professionally.)

 

I've come across several people on the Aussie PvE server who buff me randomly as we run past each other, I've come to do it myself now too.

[Rescue_Bear]

Hmm...

 

I've received a lot of harsh comments in PvP and in general chat but I don't take them personally. I know that despite what they're doing in-game, they don't mean to hurt me personally. It's just a game.

 

It's your choice if you're gonna get something as petty as taunts from other players get to you, or just choose to ignore it so it won't develop into something more of an annoyance. I've seen very few players in game who are able to do this and I think it's really sad. /ignore command does wonders for spammers and harassing players.

 

Aside from this game, you have your families, work, school and friends who can ensure you that you're doing well, despite negative comments from a player with an avatar in a game. Don't let this kill you over.

[Rafaman]

You know such great comments makes me wonder if the "trolls" and "jerks" are just a very small but unfortunately vocal minority. I'll weigh in with this:

 

First OP. I hear you. It is sad that some people can ruin the game experience for others. But... they play for different reasons has has been pointed out. What I would add is that there seems to be a sense of entitlement which lends credence to their disgusting behaviour. "They" get rewarded for being good gamers (if they are) and it validates their bad attitude and further entitles them to be jerks, elitist jerks.

 

However, they are in the minority. I've had a few jerks cross my path, but I simply ignore them and they can't stand it. Personally, I stay friendly and help out people when ever I can. I try to be the opposite of the internet jerk and go out of my way to help a newbie or give others a hand. It's the only way to combat the jerks. I end up having more fun that way anyway.

Edited June 12, 2012 by Rafaman