Tip.it Times 14 February 2010

[X3EN]

The first article encouraged me to log on to f2p and throw some major insults (the ones that people are really sensitive about - racial, gender and age related) at random people. Nice work, Forsakenmage, I thought, you made me remember it's possible to kill people without leaving a trace.

 

However, it was a total disappointment. Either RS players don't know english nowadays or all of them play with public chat off. Noone even noticed major insults thrown straight in their face.

Erm... gratz on your potential mute anyways?

 

and boo you for making people cry.

 

Another misguided player... Half of the RuneScape players don't strive for player-interaction, but that doesn't mean you must ignore them just because they don't talk much. And you are thinking that everyone who plays runescape is taking random statements seriously and sensitively. That's exactly what large clans and people with full friend lists want you to think. However, my short test proved those illusions wrong. Not everyone in RS is acting as a little kid taking random words said by total strangers to heart.

 

And about muting, potential is the keyword. I have never been muted and wont ever be.

[Racheya]

The first article encouraged me to log on to f2p and throw some major insults (the ones that people are really sensitive about - racial, gender and age related) at random people. Nice work, Forsakenmage, I thought, you made me remember it's possible to kill people without leaving a trace.

 

However, it was a total disappointment. Either RS players don't know english nowadays or all of them play with public chat off. Noone even noticed major insults thrown straight in their face.

Erm... gratz on your potential mute anyways?

 

and boo you for making people cry.

 

Another misguided player... Half of the RuneScape players don't strive for player-interaction, but that doesn't mean you must ignore them just because they don't talk much. And you are thinking that everyone who plays runescape is taking random statements seriously and sensitively. That's exactly what large clans and people with full friend lists want you to think. However, my short test proved those illusions wrong. Not everyone in RS is acting as a little kid taking random words said by total strangers to heart.

 

And about muting, potential is the keyword. I have never been muted and wont ever be.

No they won't take it to heart because they'll think you're just being a complete idiot not worth wasting their time telling 'Shut up' to. <_< I know I'd not waste my time responding to someone just shouting insults at me that I don't even know.

 

Some people will take offence to it though so don't be so confident about not being muted. And you can't blame them. Sure, not everyone wants to have player interaction, I'm personally one of these people. I'm happy to go about my business in silence. However just because I'm not talking it doesn't mean that I'm not listening.

[Me_Hate_Libs]

The first article encouraged me to log on to f2p and throw some major insults (the ones that people are really sensitive about - racial, gender and age related) at random people. Nice work, Forsakenmage, I thought, you made me remember it's possible to kill people without leaving a trace.

 

However, it was a total disappointment. Either RS players don't know english nowadays or all of them play with public chat off. Noone even noticed major insults thrown straight in their face.

Erm... gratz on your potential mute anyways?

 

and boo you for making people cry.

 

Another misguided player... Half of the RuneScape players don't strive for player-interaction, but that doesn't mean you must ignore them just because they don't talk much. And you are thinking that everyone who plays runescape is taking random statements seriously and sensitively. That's exactly what large clans and people with full friend lists want you to think. However, my short test proved those illusions wrong. Not everyone in RS is acting as a little kid taking random words said by total strangers to heart.

 

And about muting, potential is the keyword. I have never been muted and wont ever be.

No they won't take it to heart because they'll think you're just being a complete idiot not worth wasting their time telling 'Shut up' to. <_< I know I'd not waste my time responding to someone just shouting insults at me that I don't even know.

 

Some people will take offence to it though so don't be so confident about not being muted. And you can't blame them. Sure, not everyone wants to have player interaction, I'm personally one of these people. I'm happy to go about my business in silence. However just because I'm not talking it doesn't mean that I'm not listening.

 

Plus she'll blind you with the sun glaring off her super paleness.

 

That is of course on the rare day when the sun shines in England. :P

[Earth_Poet]

The first article encouraged me to log on to f2p and throw some major insults (the ones that people are really sensitive about - racial, gender and age related) at random people. Nice work, Forsakenmage, I thought, you made me remember it's possible to kill people without leaving a trace.

 

However, it was a total disappointment. Either RS players don't know english nowadays or all of them play with public chat off. Noone even noticed major insults thrown straight in their face.

 

And basically that means the article was written without looking at the current situation. We have roughly a 50/50 situation, where 50% are the occasional RS players who always played RS because of it's strong (much better than in other MMOs) solo gameplay element. In solo games, if someone tells you something along the lines "**** *******? ****** ******* ********* ****** ****!", you don't really care about that. Hence such people don't take EVERY word, that a random PC (player controlled character in this context) says, personally. Even if that's said directly at them.

However, the other 50% love teamplay (the aspect in which RuneScape is severely weak up to this very day), also like player interaction, chatting, making friends on-line, etc. They seem to CARE about what others say ALWAYS, even when they SHOULDN'T. Honestly, I don't give a [censored by author] about them, because it's better if a game teaches them not to listen to everything random strangers say (think insults, scamming, false accusations etc).

 

Setting aside the made-up statistics fail, you have a rather immature and irresponsible outlook on things. In fact, I think you got the point of the entire article backwards. It wasn't aimed at those who might take comments too seriously in the game. It was aimed at those who don't think or care about what they say to others.

 

The internet gives people a degree of anonymity, and some people are believing they can say or do whatever they want without consequence. I believe most people, though, fail to keep in mind they are interacting with real people. I've been yelled at in Runescape the same way an angry video game nerd might yell at his television screen when a game doesn't do what he wants. I know how to handle myself, but out of context the situation can look like someone losing his self-control and going off the deep end. What's worse is can't just be unintentional; somebody frustrated for a moment. No, they have to think about what they say, then type it out, and THEN they still have to press enter to pass their message along.

 

I know what I can do in that situation, but the player yelling at me doesn't know that. That's the real point I believe Forsakenmage was trying to make. Player-controlled characters don't speak in Runescape. Players do. And you're not speaking to an avatar in the game. You are speaking to another player. The fact that they are strangers, that you don't know who they are or what state of mind they could be in should make you a little more conscious of what you say. I have a ten year old cousin who plays the game, and I know there are even younger children who play. I'd rather they not be the target of racial and sexist comments. I know of several players (some ranked very high) who have severe physical handicaps. Even leaving their homes can be very difficult, and so Runescape becomes an outlet to the world, their community. We don't know the mental state of some players, whether they are fighting depression, agoraphobia, anxiety, etc. We don't what kind of day they've been through in the real world. They could've been fired from their job, kicked out of school, broke up with their partner, just got home from their parent's funeral...

 

And yes, there are those who are oversensitive, who will dramatize every statement made and take it way over the top. Should we give them some respect? Yes, if we want to have any respect for ourselves in the game. Unfortunately, the tolerance of many veteran players grows over time, and we learn to ignore most of what is happening around us. The message was simple: Have enough respect for yourself to respect those around you. They have a right to enjoy the game as much as you do.