I do not like a lot of the WoW playerbase

[thistlechaser]

I was going to post this on Dear_Gnome, but I don't think I can take the flaming (if it came to that) today.

As I mentioned, I've been doing a lot of PvP lately. As happened last time I threw myself into it, it's making me hate the game and the players of it. Part of it is my own fault, but part of it is not.

I do Tol Barad as often as I can. When the queue is kind to me, I do it a bunch of times on a weekday and many times on a weekend. As Horde wins 90% or more, Alliance doesn't queue as much, so fewer Horde people can get in. This evening, after three times not being called to battle, I got in.

Unsurprisingly, the battle was very one-sided. I'm not sure why, since the game keeps the numbers about even. Why are Alliance doing so poorly? I don't know. It wasn't always like this, I remember when they won more than they lost. Not everyone who fights in TB does.

Tonight was worse than usual, people insulting Alliance in /raid chat. I made the same mistake I always do: I spoke up against it. I pointed out that keeping trying when you lose a lot means something, but I got shouted down. Over and over I tried to point out how easy it is to show up and fight when you win all the time, but no one wanted to hear it.

This is my issue (only worse) in other BGs. When someone uses "gay" wrong or "tard" or whatever, I bite my tongue so hard, but I can't stay quite. If I'd just keep my mouth shut it would be less stressful, but I always have (misplaced) hope that at least one person will listen and learn. (Why would they, when the whole PvP culture says it's okay to "rape" the other team?)

I'm tired and I'm depressed. These aren't just characters run by a computer, these are people who are out there walking the streets. They're not all kids, either. How many adults playing thing it's okay to call other players a "bunch of tards"?

PvP can be fun, it IS fun, it would be just as fun without the stupid insults. I understand (fully understand!) that IC is different, but these people have to know that the people sitting behind the keyboard on Alliance side are the same as them.

I'm just so sad and depressed and hurt that people think this is acceptable.

To quote the late Rodney King, can't we all just get along? At least OOCly?

Comments

[arcane-beauty.livejournal.com]

I just want to hug you so hard right now. I feel the same way and I advocate and "mommy" these people, these ignorant, selfish, intolerant people that think it's acceptable to trigger and upset others because they don't buy into the "politically correct bullshit".

I get laughed at, mocked, condemned for speaking up, speaking out, and somehow I am in the wrong for defending those that ate too afraid to. It angers me, makes me disheartened and sad for humanity as a whole. It scares me, terrorizes my dreams thinking that my children will be living in a society full of bigots, bullies, hatemongers and just generally horrible people.

It's ridiculous that I should worry that my children might be bullied, might be made to feel worthless and overwhelmed by sadness because someone just cannot keep their fucking thoughts to themselves and wants to hurt someone just because they can. I don't know how to make a change in the world, but I want to try. If even one person will agree with me and stop hating and bullying, I made a difference.

Just know that your friends are listening, they care. They will stand by you and they will try to help make a change too. Even if it was just you, even of no one said it, I'm sure you made someone think, made them realize this is not ok.

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

*hugs*, I've gotten into my share of /channelname things about misuse of "gay" especially.

On the balance issue. I think one of the problems w/ TB and WG [wintergrasp] model (vs the other BGs) is that since it is server specific and many (most?) servers have faction imbalances people reach a point where they just stop queueing seriously on the imbalanced side.

Server I'm on is Ally heavy and it shows. For example back in WG days we controlled WG almost non-stop.

Which is another point, TB just never grabbed my attention the way WG did. WG had an epic feel to it that was way bigger than you and TB just feels so compressed: go stand at one of three flags and stay there. A la EoE.

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

Firstly, definitely go check out the video I linked in response to Arcane.

Story time: I've been hanging out with a group of people for about 7 years now online. When I started playing games with them I noticed a bunch of misogynist remarks getting slung around and it got to me every time I'd hear one. I mean, it wasn't constantly all the time but it was still there. After 4 or 5 months when everyone was all hanging out I eventually just brought it up about how I was uncomfortable with the whole thing.

It was incredibly awkward and for maybe a week or so after it there was just a sort of silence that followed me around since people weren't really sure how to handle it. Eventually things got back to normal and I haven't heard anything like it from them again in 6+ years. I also noticed that a bunch of them slowed down and stopped the use of "gay" as an adjective since then as well.

Now it's different then just random idiots in TB since they are my friends but it is still nice to know that sometimes even just standing up and going "Guys, seriously, really?", was enough to change the behaviour of at least a small group of people.

I unfortunately don't think that we'll see a lowering in the use of "tard" unfortunately. Not because people won't listen or "Who cares about retarded people!" but more because "retard" is just becoming a word that has lost it's original use. People who would have been "retarded" are now "mentally challenged" or "mentally delayed" or whichever word combination we are using now-a-days to refer to that set of people. Not that it makes it right to use "tard" as a derogatory remark but it's going to be harder to curb it's use since people aren't looked at as being "retarded" in most of society anymore.

Just remember, can't get sad from stuff that happens in WoW from trade/general! It's what the trolls want, they feed on our pain!

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

I've found an excellent way to stop the "gay" or "fag" comments is to do something like this.

Pug player: This instance is kinda gay.
Ali: I don't know, it seems pretty straight to me. If it were gay, there might be flags, and maybe also a parade.

For some reason, this usually shuts them down and they don't do it for the remainder of the instance, but it doesn't make them shout me down, either.