Lets Build Something Better
Day 1,652, 08:06
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Acacia Mason
Its been a while since I wrote anything so this will likely be a TL
I don’t spend too much time worrying about what Snimda are doing to ruin this game. I say that because I spend most of my time worrying about what WE are doing as a community, to ruin this game! We jump up and down and scream about changes to this module or that module, gold buying, and what we often perceive as a greedy Snimda trying to “ruin” the game for everyone. When do we take the time to step back and realize that we are doing far more damage to the quality of this game than Snimda ever could?
Im not climbing into my pulpit here. I am just as much to blame as anyone else is, if not more so because I have been here almost 3 years and have had many chances to sit at the levers of power and more often than not, failed to bring about the change we all crave so badly. Let me explain...stay with me on this.
No matter what Snimda does to change the game, the common element that binds almost all of us to this game and keeps us coming back for more is the community on which it is founded. Sure, we log in to gain some personal achievement in game, be it hard worker medals or true patriot or battle hero, etc, but if that is all that brought you here, you would have quit ages ago and you know it. What really keeps you coming back for more are the little regional and larger international rivalries. You know the ones I am speaking of. eCanada and the eUK, Turkey and Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia, and the list could go on and on. We log in to cheer on our own side and fight to help our team win. When we win, we celebrate and when we lose, we plot our comeback. Thus is the very nature of the 3 major alliances in the game. Its all about the community and taking sides.
Where the wheels have been falling off for me, is when the game has crossed into that darker territory. We all know what I am talking about. When the gamesmanship becomes about holy wars and RL political allegiances. When players send messages to other players that cross boundaries to the point where personal safety and sanctity becomes threatened. When RL phone numbers, names, and addresses are reproduced for public consumption. When a simple photo is used to try and track you down on Facebook. This is where the wheels fall off the game for me. When simply questioning or highlighting a players past performance is met with accusations of being “one of the biggest cunts in the game” or being told to “GTFO” or “STFU” and other silly and childish remarks of that ilk. It is at these junctures where I question whether we as a community are killing the very thing that has the power to allow us to do something so much better.
I spend a lot of time on IRC and so I get to know the people behind the screens, and more importantly, behind the persona’s, a whole lot better. I can think of two people in game who, if you took the time, would really surprise you. Both Wally Cleaver and Rolo are two people who’s in game persona’s make them firmly entrenched as villains, and yet, they are nothing like that when you take the time to talk to them. In fact, these are two guys I have never met before in RL, but with whom I would gladly hammer back a few pops at the local bar. Why? Because I take the time to separate the in game person from the real person.
It would have been far easier for me to simply cast stones and insult, cut them down or berate, but that would only serve to perpetuate the very problem that has plagued this game. Instead, I took the time to talk, ask questions, and get to know both of them, and many others of you who are reading this article.
Why do I do this? It’s simple. I find it much harder to muster up the will to say something unkind about you, when I have taken the time to actually get to know you. By getting to know you a little bit outside of the game, you go from being a stranger or someone who is just a name and an avatar, to someone I know to some degree and have likely developed a respect for. Once that occurs, it is incredibly difficult to be nasty with you in game.
So here is the end game to this article. Snimda can change anything they want. It really does not matter, and I have no control over it. What I do have control over is the way I react to the other people in the game and they way I go about building the community. I have a lot of work to do in this respect...I know that...but I am hopeful that this article is a good first step to building a better game, by building a better community. Here is my challenge to all of you who have read this far. Think of someone in game with whom you feel you are at variance, and either find them on IRC or shoot them a PM, sincerely looking to get to know them better and begin bridging a new relationship. Once you have established that connection, build it and then move on to another player. wash, rinse, repeat. Friendly banter is great and should be encouraged, it makes the game fun. Hateful and hurtful remarks should be withheld...it takes a lot of energy to get upset so why not reinvest that energy into something that builds instead of destroying?
Remember...Snimda can only change the game mechanics, but the community changes the environment and the way in which we react and build the game itself.
Yours In National Unity,
😃R for most of you, meaning it contains more than 250 words and there are no pictures of scantily dressed women in seductive poses...I apologize, its all business today
I don’t spend too much time worrying about what Snimda are doing to ruin this game. I say that because I spend most of my time worrying about what WE are doing as a community, to ruin this game! We jump up and down and scream about changes to this module or that module, gold buying, and what we often perceive as a greedy Snimda trying to “ruin” the game for everyone. When do we take the time to step back and realize that we are doing far more damage to the quality of this game than Snimda ever could?
Im not climbing into my pulpit here. I am just as much to blame as anyone else is, if not more so because I have been here almost 3 years and have had many chances to sit at the levers of power and more often than not, failed to bring about the change we all crave so badly. Let me explain...stay with me on this.
No matter what Snimda does to change the game, the common element that binds almost all of us to this game and keeps us coming back for more is the community on which it is founded. Sure, we log in to gain some personal achievement in game, be it hard worker medals or true patriot or battle hero, etc, but if that is all that brought you here, you would have quit ages ago and you know it. What really keeps you coming back for more are the little regional and larger international rivalries. You know the ones I am speaking of. eCanada and the eUK, Turkey and Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia, and the list could go on and on. We log in to cheer on our own side and fight to help our team win. When we win, we celebrate and when we lose, we plot our comeback. Thus is the very nature of the 3 major alliances in the game. Its all about the community and taking sides.
Where the wheels have been falling off for me, is when the game has crossed into that darker territory. We all know what I am talking about. When the gamesmanship becomes about holy wars and RL political allegiances. When players send messages to other players that cross boundaries to the point where personal safety and sanctity becomes threatened. When RL phone numbers, names, and addresses are reproduced for public consumption. When a simple photo is used to try and track you down on Facebook. This is where the wheels fall off the game for me. When simply questioning or highlighting a players past performance is met with accusations of being “one of the biggest cunts in the game” or being told to “GTFO” or “STFU” and other silly and childish remarks of that ilk. It is at these junctures where I question whether we as a community are killing the very thing that has the power to allow us to do something so much better.
I spend a lot of time on IRC and so I get to know the people behind the screens, and more importantly, behind the persona’s, a whole lot better. I can think of two people in game who, if you took the time, would really surprise you. Both Wally Cleaver and Rolo are two people who’s in game persona’s make them firmly entrenched as villains, and yet, they are nothing like that when you take the time to talk to them. In fact, these are two guys I have never met before in RL, but with whom I would gladly hammer back a few pops at the local bar. Why? Because I take the time to separate the in game person from the real person.
It would have been far easier for me to simply cast stones and insult, cut them down or berate, but that would only serve to perpetuate the very problem that has plagued this game. Instead, I took the time to talk, ask questions, and get to know both of them, and many others of you who are reading this article.
Why do I do this? It’s simple. I find it much harder to muster up the will to say something unkind about you, when I have taken the time to actually get to know you. By getting to know you a little bit outside of the game, you go from being a stranger or someone who is just a name and an avatar, to someone I know to some degree and have likely developed a respect for. Once that occurs, it is incredibly difficult to be nasty with you in game.
So here is the end game to this article. Snimda can change anything they want. It really does not matter, and I have no control over it. What I do have control over is the way I react to the other people in the game and they way I go about building the community. I have a lot of work to do in this respect...I know that...but I am hopeful that this article is a good first step to building a better game, by building a better community. Here is my challenge to all of you who have read this far. Think of someone in game with whom you feel you are at variance, and either find them on IRC or shoot them a PM, sincerely looking to get to know them better and begin bridging a new relationship. Once you have established that connection, build it and then move on to another player. wash, rinse, repeat. Friendly banter is great and should be encouraged, it makes the game fun. Hateful and hurtful remarks should be withheld...it takes a lot of energy to get upset so why not reinvest that energy into something that builds instead of destroying?
Remember...Snimda can only change the game mechanics, but the community changes the environment and the way in which we react and build the game itself.
Yours In National Unity,
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tl;dr
Keep real life in real life. Game life in here. Most of us come here for a break from real life. Come here to build new bridges not fight past conflicts. This game does has no effect on the real world. You cannot change real history here.
You're right Druid and I should clarify. When I say, "get to know you better" I mean in the sense of game life. Get to know what brought you here, what you enjoy about the game, stuff like that. If it leads to discussing RL things then so be it, but I quite enjoy hearing what others enjoy about this game.
There is much in what you say.
For those who wish a quicker way there is a different, complementary, prescription which may be more bitter but unerring: courtesy, always courtesy.
The present president of eCanada is a skillful practitioner.
What Druid said x2
plus the Maple Leaf adds a nice touch \o/
I enjoyed your article and I agree with many points. However, being someone who tried "getting to know" other players led me to the position I am in now. Some players do deserve the negativity that surrounds them and are potentially dangerous to people in real life.
Do try to create a better atmosphere, I *hug* everyone. But do also be very careful.
Go build me a teepee u damn whitie
Very thoughtful article.
Regarding RL politics. I like to find people with similar beliefs as mine to hang out with "in game". I see nothing wrong with that, as long as I don't use the excuse of somebody having differing political beliefs as mine to troll, harass, or bully them.
v+s
"the common element that binds almost all of us to this game and keeps us coming back for more is the community on which it is founded"
very well written and very true. thank you for writing it.
I can admit I'm part of the problem, and I can acknowledge why: to me the notion that I see advanced is that I should be civil to some "irl" when what the person means is that I should act as if their in-game actions are morally neutral, even those that detract from the majority of other player's enjoyment of the game. I;m supposed to "be a good sport" about the fact that some people play destructively, to "not take things too seriously." Note I am not talking about rl threats.
I am talking about selfish play somehow elevated to role play with this false air of sophistication "that's not what I am really like as a person." Of course that's not what you're really like as a rl person, what I am reacting to is whether the way you play respects me and adds to me enjoyment or takes away from it.
That's what we do here, and frankly, I am not going to give destructive role players the normalization out of saying that if only I really just got to know them...
.. then no doubt I'd find they are great blokes I'd want to introduce to my sister.
I began by saying I am part of the problem. I find no pleasure in acting out and playing in a destructive and selfish way. I recognize that others have the right to do so, but I don't give them the cheap out of going "wink, oh I know you aren't really like that, haha".
Like I say, I'm a dinosaur. And I live in a self-imposed exile from my home because of it. Not bitter, It is what it is.
As always, AM brings a thoughtful take on this. We've disagreed on this central issue lo for several years now, but I think it accurate to say it's never altered our fondness for each other.
I still love you Rigour6...the best parts of our relationship have come from our differences of opinion on the finer points of the social game. I cant imagine the game being as fun as it has been if not for your moral compass.
Right back at ya, bro.
Rigour: you aren't part of the problem- rather a streetlight which shines a light on the path. I too have no hesitation in conforming myself to bright line rules, expecting the same of others and, like you, politely but firmly insisting that some choices are just plain wrong. I'm only too aware that perfidy and competence are not mutually exclusive, and that the very manipulative are also very skilled at making good friends and building strong networks. Madoff/Black/Ponzi - all very likeable
As you know, because easterners are amongst the most polite people in the world, courtesy and civility does not include lying to oneself about another's merit, nor inventing false justifications for others. "He's a good guy" is just such a false justification. However, I got the sense that Acacia was more concerned the too frequent resort to name calling and abuse as a kind of indiscriminate sport. On that score, I hope most agree: it is to be avoided. Maybe not.
I've gotten to know a bunch of players from here on a personal level, Wally Cleaver being one of them. Sure, he's a jerk in-game, but a pretty decent guy outside of it. The game is just a game, beyond it lies personal connections if you open yourself to get to know other people and let them know you.