Fixing Online Gaming Idiocy, AKA Something That Will Never Happen
By Chris on Saturday, April 5th, 2008 at 11:25 PM PST In Computer, Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games, Games Industry, Microsoft, Microsoft, Sony
I hate to create such a cynical title to this story. A fine article by Bill Fulton, who worked on Shadowrun and is an industry veteran, entitled “Fixing Online Gaming Idiocy: A Psychological Approach,” is really a great read. But even he points to this Penny Arcade strip which I think negates the possibility of ever hoping to solve the concept of running into jackasses while playing online.
Of course, the most quotable part of his article was this: “So again, why do I care? Because the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don’t love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people — and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.”
Now, I could certainly be wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But with the current structure of online gaming, where anonymity is almost always secured, there will also be the impulse to be the most rude, vile, annoying person possible.
(Yes, I appreciate the hypocrisy as I, myself, do grief people, but it’s in good fun and I know which lines shouldn’t be crossed, as well as when and where these things are appropriate. There are ethical boundaries you just don’t cross. And yes, I just referred to griefing as having an ethical aspect.)
If you have any interest at all in online gaming, I highly implore you to give Fulton’s article a read. You can find it at Gamasutra.
Meh
I’ve always thought that the jerks online are a minority… just a very loud, and noisy minority. Such as in a MMOG, you’ll run past dozens upon dozens of people just minding their own business, silently doing what they wish to do.
But then you run into that 1 random jerk and suddenly you’re in a foul mood for a good part of the day(depending what said jerk did). Even those groups of people ranting and yelling in some server/broadcast chat channel. Usually it’s at the most 3-4 people cursing at each other. It’s not a lot of people, but the argument itself is enough to piss you off/annoy you indirectly.
Great article!
I know this first hand, because when i play online with friends on the PS3, i talk in spanish with my friends, which is our first language, and everyone else on the server starts trashing us. If i could make a private chat room, i would.