Curse

Corwin_Andros · Nov 08, 2007, 02:50 AM // 02:50

Although this will most likely and unfortunately result in a flamefest and get this thread closed, I have to ask the question. What is it that makes some people go into GW, or any game for that matter and start griefing, harassing, scamming or otherwise deliberately go out of their way to make other peoples' gaming experience a horrible one?

As I said I'm not asking this to start a flamefest, but out of genuine curiosity. I'm almost 40 and I have children that are of an age to play this and other online games. I've done my best to teach them to be polite, helpful, and enjoy the games they play and to try and not let the bad things others do ruin their own fun. Having a better idea of what makes some people do things I personally could never see myself doing and certainly would never allow my kids to do and get away with might help me better prepare them for the things they might face out here in the big, bad internet.

I don't know if it was because I was raised in a different era so to speak, or raised with better manners in general, or what, but I just don't quite get what makes these people tick and really would like to on something more than a superficial level. I'd hazard a guess and say I'm not the only person curious about this.

What prompted me to ask this after pondering it for a while is that there seems to be something of a trend of people not only perpetrating this sort of behavior, but coming into this and other forums and actively bragging about it like it is something to be proud of.

If possible, I'd like for there to be some inputs from both sides of the fence. I don't need or particularly want to know what was done. We've all either witnessed, read about or done the things I'm asking about. What I want to know is WHY it's being done in the first place and how it effected the victims.

So if you folks are up for it.. do try and keep things on a civil level so that everyone on both sides of the fence can voice their thoughts without becoming targets. This might get closed or moved of course, but maybe, just maybe, it might help people garner a little bit of understanding of folks who have a wholly different idea of what fun is.

L.J · Nov 08, 2007, 02:57 AM // 02:57

I once made a sin running build in RA. Longest I lasted was 40 mins untill they all left. I was just bored, and at the time was just generally annoyed. I only did it a few times. Hmm but I did become friends with one of the 'victims' lol. weird...

Heh i'll probally get flamed for this but who cares

Zeek Aran · Nov 08, 2007, 02:57 AM // 02:57

Scamming = greed
Harrassing = bad character
Griefing = done between the times the players have fun playing the game

They wouldn't do this if they didn't like the game. Minus Zinger. They play it, then they take a break and harrass/whine.

I pwnd U · Nov 08, 2007, 02:58 AM // 02:58

Because they like to get their self esteem up and make themselves feel good. They think if they insult people they will feel better about themselves. It makes people feel powerful to call others "An 8 year old child" or whatever they want. People just want to be cool, it's kinda like people talking in caps lock. "Caps lock is cruise control for cool" People love to use it because they feel it makes them powerful. Really it's a bunch of bs and people just need to grow up.

Omniclasm · Nov 08, 2007, 03:00 AM // 03:00

Some people actually do not believe that they are griefers, RA Leavers for example.

Leechers in AB grief people for their own benefit of title and/or gold.

Tanking Eles in AB might sometimes be considered grievers, but they are actually playing a fairly tactful way to win.

For some, I would think that it is an attention issue. People who NEED attention just want it, good or bad. It doesn't matter if people are calling them great, or if they are calling them an f'ing noob. It is attention.

For some, I even fall into this occasionally, it is a good way to vent a little bit of steam. I know this is wrong, and I try to refrain from doing it, but it does help. If I join 10 games in a row, and all of them are retarded, won't listen, won't attack the same target, and frustrate me, then the best way I find to deal with the frustration is to pass it off to other people. Keep getting beat because I have teams of wammos in RA? Screw it, I'll run a 55 monk once or twice just to annoy them. Then afterwards, I will go back to normal playing. Wrong of me, but it does help.

chowmein69 · Nov 08, 2007, 03:00 AM // 03:00

people scam because they dontk now a faster way to make money or they cant get the item they really want

RPGmaniac · Nov 08, 2007, 03:00 AM // 03:00

One time me and a guildie ran suicide necro builds in TA because we were on the bored side. In the end we made friends with a couple of the people we got paired up with. And we haven't done anything like that since then (which was around 7 months ago).

I think sometimes people do stuff like that because they're bored or they don't feel good (not physically, I mean emotionally mostly). Then there are those who just generally take pleasure out of other peoples' misery.

I MP I · Nov 08, 2007, 03:23 AM // 03:23

Well having played with people of all walks of life (if you can call some of them that), they do certain things due to:

1. Mother and father aren't around to spend time with them (depends on age)
2. Pure boredom
3. Lack of self esteem
4. For the thrill of it. Yea people are into it as weird as it sounds. This is the internet and nobody can tell who your are or where you live. Just being a jerk can be entertaining to some people.
5. Bipolar disorder
6. Behavior modifying drugs
7. Being genetically defective
8. All of the above

crazy diamond · Nov 08, 2007, 03:41 AM // 03:41

It's all really #4. Everything else is just wild speculation on the victims part to justify it happening to them, villainize the griefer even moreso, and make themselves feel better about being griefed.

RPGmaniac · Nov 08, 2007, 03:41 AM // 03:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by I MP I

1. Mother and father aren't around to spend time with them (depends on age)

Adding on to that one: because they crave attention (which could be caused by lack of parental attention). Good or bad, it's attention to them.

Productivity · Nov 08, 2007, 03:44 AM // 03:44

When I played, I used to leave RA frequently based on how bad my team was. I wasn't doing it to intentionally grief, just I didn't want to play with people who suck.

In a way, by sucking/running bad builds in a random arena, you're griefing me.

I MP I · Nov 08, 2007, 03:53 AM // 03:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGmaniac

Adding on to that one: because they crave attention (which could be caused by lack of parental attention). Good or bad, it's attention to them.

Oops! Forgot that one.

Thx!

Sir Green Aluminum · Nov 08, 2007, 04:00 AM // 04:00

I think they do it for fun or just because they're spiteful. I say you have to crush them and humiliate them if you can infront of the audience they are trying to mess with, chances are the audience will go with you. If not whisper a few friends who are'nt guilded to say Yeah!!! in agreeance. Oh yeah make sure to set do not disturb because once you get them booed out of where ever there's going to be a pm coming your way most likely.

aapo · Nov 08, 2007, 04:20 AM // 04:20

People have been trying to look for answers to question why is there evil in the world before. I guess there are multiple reasons, but I think the biggest (along with vulnerable personality) is learning by social example. When someone is being unfair when dealing with you, the attitude tends to spread. We already have many examples in world, so called vengeful cycles. It depends on system (laws & enforcement) how much abuse there will be. Any imaginable loophole will be abused by malicious people.

I can't say for sure, but perhaps decadence in strong faith has caused much of what we experience today. When the whole world is viewed as "up to you" individuality where subject himself chooses which ideologies and moral codes are what he likes, not many choose path of empathy. It's no wonder why there's so much dirt when success is associated with ruthless attitude time and time again.

MMSDome · Nov 08, 2007, 04:40 AM // 04:40

Get a rise out of people and for self amusement. Sure we all get pissed off when people are assholes to us such as like you mentioned scamming and things like running in RA forever or talking shit. They are having a good time when we bitch and moan so they arent going to stop. Just something that people do, not gonna stop happening tough.

jinzo7 · Nov 08, 2007, 04:41 AM // 04:41

because guild wars has no monthly fee and thus and attracts the shittiest playerbase including but not limited to those who don't make enough monthly income to pay for WoW and little kids who's parents won't pay a monthly fee.

«Ripskin · Nov 08, 2007, 04:52 AM // 04:52

Everyone keeps saying that, jinzo, but I never actually meet little kids. Mostly 16+.

I mean you never know about someone spamming local chat...

Chthon · Nov 08, 2007, 05:12 AM // 05:12

Honestly, I do not know. I have never been able to comprehend it.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the root of it is a failure to fully appreciate that there are real people on the other end of the network cable. I think perhaps it's too easy for some people to forget that what they do in-game can affect a real live person with real feelings and worthy of being treated with real human decency, and to behave as if they hurt no one but computer-generated sprites.

At least, that's what I'd like to believe, as the alternative is to accept that a large portion of the population turns into vicious little sociopaths when you give them the anonymity of the internet...

RPGmaniac · Nov 08, 2007, 05:19 AM // 05:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chthon

If I had to guess, I'd say that the root of it is a failure to fully appreciate that there are real people on the other end of the network cable. I think perhaps it's too easy for some people to forget that what they do in-game can affect a real live person with real feelings and worthy of being treated with real human decency, and to behave as if they hurt no one but computer-generated sprites.

That's a pretty good point. I never really think about that at times (not that I act like a complete a-hole to everyone I meet online) but sometimes when I do things (like the suiciding necro thing I said I did earlier) I don't think that maybe I could be negatively impacting someone who had a rough day or something. And especially with people in my age group (I'm 15) we don't think about how our actions affect others.

Akuma · Nov 08, 2007, 05:28 AM // 05:28

Try it. It's funny as hell.