Are we afraid when we play an online game? Meeting new people, finding new friends, guilds, whatever it is. Are we afraid? When i first started playing mmorpgs i would be afraid of talking to people, because one, i didn't know where the people were from, how old they were, or how they would react. It scared me half to death, to be honest. I know there are some people who have that exact problem. It's very hard to overcome. It took me a couple of years to overcome this fear, and sometimes i find myself still afraid. Mainly in my FPS though, because we all know the FPS crowd is a little worse than most. Haha. I am generally a nice person in mmorpgs. I love helping people, partying, and things like that. I used to solo most of the games i play, because i was too afraid of asking for help. Some games have "Zone", or "World" chats. I like the idea of mutiple chat rooms. It is a brilliant idea. Though, i find sometimes it is a pain in the butt. There is always flamers out there, finding prey with noobies. It disgusts me, when newbies ask a question, and receive a cocky answer. You know the answer, why not stop wasting your time, and his/her time and just answer the question? It makes things so much easier. That doesn't happen all the time, but most of the times i have seen that, the newbies get trashed, and made fun of. It puts the player down, and the game too. I'm not saying one player can ruin the game completely, but for that one person, who could have ruined it. First impressions last forever. I respect everyone who do help that newbie out. I applaud them in the highest respect. We were all newbies once, and i think sometimes we find ourselves acting noobish at times. I know i do, just for the giggles. I think, for me... When i get that kind of cocky response, i feel kinda low, because is this how the community is? There are always good people in games. You just have to keep looking, but i know that is hard too do. You don't want to be shot down again. Nobody does. I like the idea of Support Channels. Most of the people who join that type of channel usually get a mature response. I like games that support that function.
Of course, when you enter an mmorpg your expected too interact with strangers, and people you have no clue about. That is part of the game itself. Sometimes, i find mmorpgs as a social experiment. All ages play, some young as ten, and old as fifty. Haha. It's true though, i know ten year olds that play world of warcraft. He is actually a mature player, even though he has a squeeky voice. (I hope he doesn't read that, haha). I try to bring an emotion input on playing games. When you begin, it's like being born again. You have no idea, what the world is like, and what it has to offer. Your meeting new people, over again. Making friends. I have met some of my best friends in mmorpgs. Most of them live in my state too. So, that is a bonus. I think we all have met really great people in games. Making good friends, and sometimes like me, best friends. I find the hardest part, is the initial contact. Asking simple questions, like... Where is this npc, or... Wanna party? I hated asking the question, it's like asking a girl on a date. Haha, well... Maybe not that bad, but for some people it is. I find for every bad apple, there are two apples that are good. Of course, you will have the jerks and losers who make fun of newbies, and don't help at all. There are the people that do help, and are actually nice. You just have to look past those jerks, and find that light in people. My last post, talked about my friends suicide. Tragic, wasn't it? It's true, he got attacked by jerks, and that was the result. You need tough skin sometimes to play games. When i play my FPS, i get yelled at constantly, called some of the nastiest words i have ever heard. I rub it off, because it's how they act in those types of games. Of course, sometimes it does hurt, because after all, it may be just a game, but some people they take it very seriously, i have no problem with that. It's their lives, i have no say in that matter.
Xenophobia: A phobic attitude toward strangers or of the unknown. The term is typically used to describe fear or dislike of foreigners or in general of people different from one's self. Meeting strangers, is so hard for some people. I know it was for me. If you are afraid, you can overcome it. Welcome yourself to the world. Make some friends, sometimes you will get shut down, but there are some good people out there, i know that for fact, in every game. No matter, what it is, Anime, Cute, Hardcore, 2-D, 3-D. Whatever. I used to fear it so much. I won't say i have grown out of it, i just have beat it. I know everyone can that has this fear. Dig deep in yourself, you will find some hope in people!
Hope you have enjoyed this read! Cheers!
Good post. It's true that all ages play these games. I know everyone is aware of that, but I don't think people actually put it into perspective.
For example, I've had play sessions where it was me, my father, and my daughter. All of us sitting in a line, playing the same games. It's a lot of fun. That's a 10 year old, a 34 year old, and a 53 year old all enjoying the same game and enjoying playing together.
You never know how old your groupmates really are. how they generally act can be a clue, but it isn't always the truth.
I know that wasn't the core of your post. As to that, I can't say that I have ever been in that sort of position a lot. I can say that starting new games can be that way. Plus I will never forgot my first MMO. After getting over the fact that all those other players running around were real people, it wasn't too hard for me to get into the swing of things.
For those that do have this problem, *know* that there *are* good people out there in all of these games. Once you find them (or they find you) your game experience will increase greatly.
Best of luck,
Acidon
Tue Nov 24 2009 9:27PM ReportMMORPG.com writes:
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