Community Blog Spotlight: Trash Talking and More!
Every Week, Community Manager Laura Genender takes a look at one or more of the entries being created in our MMORPG.com blogs. This week, she looks at GMTristan's blog entry about trash talking in MMORPGs.
The MMORPG.com community is not just the players - designers, programmers, press, game support, and a slew of others make up the worlds and communities in which we virtually live. This week, our spotlight blogger is GMTristan.
GMTristan, otherwise known as Level Up Philippines' Marketing Manager Mon Macutay, has a blog that sports news from Level Up, but also general gaming topics, such as Cheating in Online Games, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Guildmasters, and more.
GMTristan's latest post, entitled "Trash Talking: A Neccesary Evil?" talks about the standard trash talk that goes on in all of our virtual worlds. "It doesn't matter what game you play. As long as it's online and you have human counterparts either as opponents or teammates, you will never be spared from the likes of 'what a noob!!!' or 'lame play, weakling!'"
While GMTristan points out that most trash talking finds its home in FPS or RTS style gameplay, our MMO realm has its fair share - especially where it comes to faction-based games like WoW, or any game with PvP. "In fact, whenever I play an MMO with my personal character (not my GM avatar), I get around a dozen or so cuss words within the hour. Personally, I am irritated by those."
My trash-talking experiences have really been dependant on what game I'm playing. For example, when I played Lineage II, I constantly saw trash talking, and sometimes dished it out. Enemy guilds would talk big and back it up with PvP action - adena farmers were constantly cursed and sometimes trained, PK'd, and messed with in any way possible. As a freeform PvP game, Lineage II welcomes this behavior, and only the most severe language can elicit any reactions from the GMs.
On the other hand, while Sims Online and ATITD I saw little to no griefing or trash talking. These non-combat games tend to attract less violent players, and while the occasional narcissist sought to ruin the world for the rest of the players, most aggressive personalities were easily bored and moved on to faster paced games.
My current refuge, EverQuest (the original, not EQ2) really doesn't have much trash talking - again, there's a lack of PvP. What trash talking you do find is often a lot softer, and is often said behind the back - "don't join X guild, they suck!" or "I heard that Y guild is using exploits!"
GMTristan's "7 Habits of Highly Effective Guildmasters" is another well done post, listing the key elements to leading an effective and happy guild or clan. For example, Tristan's first tip is "Have a Vision- First, ask yourself the question: 'Why am forming this guild???'. The answer can be one of many choices: to 'dress up' your characters (of yourself and your members), to compete in PVP or in a tournament, to become the best in the server, or simply to 'kick ass' (*hey - that's a goal). Whatever your answer is, it must be clear to YOU and your members. Everyone must share the common vision or else your guild is doomed to failure. It would be wise to discuss this with your 'core group' even before you form your guild."
This is another amusingly resonant blog entry for me. Looking back at my past guild leaders, I can match up who displayed what traits - and who lacked what traits. I'm happy to say that my current guild leader scores a 7/7! For the record, though, I would probably add an 8th trait - never lose your temper, and keep it calm. For everyone who's ever heard/seen the Onyxia Wipe animation ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sxh1xlp3J_Q ), it's evident that a guild/raid leader losing their temper is not effective, only amusing.
Check out his blog here.
