My name is Everyman. I live on Example Street, in Standardville. Its a community like any other from the outside. It has all the essential infrastructures, population, services, and activities that you would expect to find anywhere I suppose. Nothing out of the ordinary. Indeed the makeup of the community isn't the point. We all know that things can be very different from expectations or perceptions once you are actually on the inside. That sounds like my community is a secret gated community though. I hate to disappoint, but its not. In fact nearly anyone can join my community, but they seem to be leaving in droves and the ones who stay are nothing but bitter hangers on or idealists. Some folk leave town and come right back, and some stay gone forever. Buy Cheap gw2 gold,Off to some other place I guess. They drive through sometimes yelling about how they don't miss us or Standardville at all. That always makes me ask, “Then why are you coming back here to tell me about it? Haven't you got business to attend to elsewhere?” To be honest though, Standardville really is a miserable place as of late. Seems like every single person you talk to does nothing but yell the single most asinine thing possible and runs away laughing about how they have somehow ruined your day. Not a single person helps anyone these days, and you can just honestly forget about getting a job unless you have already had it for years. Perplexing I know, but times are rough all around in Standardville man.
Now before you scroll to the bottom and start raging away with Care-Bear comments I would like to explain why toxic communities are not only bad for gaming but greatly contribute to loss of credibility and overall population, let alone just simply the pure enjoyment of the game we are playing. I previously stated that the PVP community had the “worst” reputation but that doesn't mean the others aren't without their flaws. The PVE community can be especially brutal in certain cases and on certain games. As, far as the RP community goes, well they do whatever it is they do and you know I'm sure there's stuff... and everything... I know that I personally have been involved in the PVE side of things when it got ugly and it is every bit as bad as the PVP side. The trouble with the PVP guys is that for some reason it seems to be this constant cycle of regurgitated memes, rumors, rage posts, rage at the rage posts, etc. That's just the forums! What about that arena team you joined where everyone was 2900 multi-glad? Lost literally your first match to TSG in grand fashion? Everyone just screamed on Skype for 20 minutes slinging blame and quit the team? Well I suppose its time to badmouth those dudes to everyone you know in-game, on the forums, and to anyone who will listen until the end of time. The legend of the bads that made you lose to TSG. Well, those two guys you played with feel the exact same way about you, and they're just as angry. I am sort of picking on WoW arena here but It's the easiest and most accessible example. This happens how many times an hour? It isn't hard to see how this quickly snowballs into what were dealing with currently. Someone will undoubtedly say the base problem is bad players achieving (through whatever means...) a rating that may indicate a skill level higher than that which they may actually possess. Are these guys ALL bad players? Do they ALL not deserve their rating? Its fairly simple to spot who the elite players in a game are, the tricky bit is the guys just below that threshold.
Many of us come from other games and those gaming communities could probably be summed up like Standardville. Sweeping generalizations being general (and sweeping), I would assume a large portion of you reading this blog would have some experience in MMO PVP or at least MMO's in general. Experience with such games as SWTOR, RIFT, EQ/EQ2, DAOC, LoL, HoN, and of course World of Warcraft is pretty commonplace among many MMO communities. I also think we can all agree that if the only 3 sub-communities discussed are the Role-Playing(RP), Player Versus Environment(PVE), and Player Versus Player(PVP) sub-communities that the latter most assuredly has the “worst” reputation. I say and use my air-quotes (yes I used them IRL) on “worst” because it is a very subjective word and as such I will clarify my intentions for its usage. In the context of communities, the PVP community is by far the most competitive. This competitiveness often, not always, can lead to some intensely toxic forums, in-game chats, voice chat, etc. I am sure everyone can draw upon their own resources and experience for examples of these kinds of things and I wont list any here as it is wholly unnecessary. Also, really what does naming and shaming accomplish besides getting idiots more exposure?
WoW is a game where your gear gets more powerful stat wise as it goes up in item level. Essentially every PVP season you are forced to acquire the latest and greatest set of gear as quickly as possible to have any shot at being truly R1 competitive. That's really only a few guys though (unless its a 14 way tie I guess) so the rest of everyone else is still doing the same thing just at a slightly slower pace. It is fun to get new gear, it is not fun to be required to grind new gear every few months to be able to continue doing what you are already doing. Does this contribute to toxic communities? Yes I believe strongly that it does. Your lower echelon players will always feel that they only lose because they don't have good enough gear. Your middle echelon guys will always be upset that they don't have it fast enough or they don't have a PVE legendary or what have you. Your top echelon will generally be upset that they must be bothered to obtain new gear in the first place. Again, the gear is not just to look cool, this gear is required to be competitive. Thus, making it required to PVP at any serious level. What about the relatively low barrier for entry into PVP? Does this hurt communities? This is where it might get weird. Yes and No. Low barrier of entry is excellent and absolutely necessary for any game to be successful long term on a large scale, but at the same time it must be only entry and not low barrier of skill. This is not meant to diminish anyone's in game accomplishments past present or future. This is not an attack on anyone's team, comp, or similar. It is however a fact that throughout the life-cycle of WoW PVP there have been gimmicky comps, classes, abilities, hacks, you name it. Some folk have indeed achieved things they otherwise may not have been able to through the utilization of these things. It's a fact and we all know it. The key is that we don't need to sit and argue amongst ourselves because game companies put out bad or unbalanced products. I understand why you would be angry at the OP whatever that is talking shit, but if they are legitimately OP or whatever the case may be, I feel that is recognized by the good players and those comments can and will be overlooked. On most forums those things will be removed, unless its in the general, or shit talk section. These are just two examples of things that can and do contribute to the toxicity of our gaming communities, they are not the only ones. I am sure that people will fill the comments with things like addons that play games for people and the like. Of course, the number one contributing factor to community toxicity is plainly the players themselves choosing to conduct themselves in this manner.
Some of you may be asking how all of this is bad for gaming and how it affects credibility and population. Some of you may be asking why are you talking about WoW on my GW2 site. Some of you may be getting the door right now because the pizza guy just arrived. Either way, I must press on with this crusade stuffed crust or not. All of these factors contribute to a toxic community. I define a toxic community as a game where in general more often than not your experience will be negative for reasons directly relating to the community and your interactions with the player base. I honestly feel WoW PVP in general is on that level currently for the reasons listed previously as well as many others. There are circumstances, guilds, teams, and what have you that are still doing it right and have excellent communities but by and large we all know whats happening not just in WoW but in other similar games. When players stop having fun in a game, many of them stop playing that game. I know that I have done so in the past, and sub numbers don't lie. Community is not the only reason for the dip in overall population in many of today's top games, but without a doubt it is not only a factor but a factor that is multiplying. MMO's are social games. When players friends are no longer playing the game, they themselves unsubscribe. Without a population, without balance and serious tournaments, without an avid PVP community, without great players and great teams and guilds what real credibility will a game have when trying to break into the E-Sport market? Something to think about at the very least.
There is a new promise on the horizon though as we're all very much aware. Guild Wars 2 will be out soon, and I feel that they have the correctmindset and plans in place to avoid common pitfalls that contribute to early community collapse into the sludge. TELL ME MOAR! The most glaring difference I see rightoff the jump is that Guild Wars 2 lacks the subscription fee that we generally see attached to our beloved MMO's. That is always a good thing less money I have to spend, wait a minute there must be a cost. MICROTRANSACTIONS?! It's true. Guild Wars 2 will have an in game cash shop and will most definitely subsist off of micro-transactions. In the past this has been a death blow to many games simply because the developers were stupid and they did it wrong to put it bluntly. They literally sold power in the store. That is to say they sold in game items that provided in game advantage for real money. That will not ever sit well with gamers. Ever. In fact, the mere mention of micro-transactions has a lot of folk up in arms currently and ArenaNet is busy re-clarifying and re-explaining the entire system. Recently Mike O'Brien gave an interview specifically addressing micro-transactions in Guild Wars 2. (http://www.arena.net/blog/mike-obrien-on-microtransactions-in-guild-wars-2 ) Guild Wars 2 and ArenaNet are taking the best and correct approach to a non-subscription based MMO. The developer has to make money without the subscription and micro-transactions are the way to do that most efficiently. That’s the business end of the deal, it makes them money with the potential to be cheaper for the consumer and at the very least offers more choice in the amount spent on the game. That is always good. Now that we have established that they have a sound business practice behind these micros, lets examine the proposed implementation. ArenaNet has stated that items sold in the cash shop will not be exclusive to the cash shop and will be available in game as well through the usage of their gem system. The items in the cash shop are not final as of yet, and not released either. Keeping all of this in mind, I feel that there is no better way to handle micro-transactions in an MMO than the way they are currently planning. The single biggest concern I hear about the cash shop is that players will be able to just buy the best gear and zerg down the poor guys with the Sword of MasterCard who don't have big bank accounts but merely a passion for the game etc etc. Luckily for our downtrodden heroes, gear does not matter in Guild Wars 2. That is a bold statement and I don't make it lightly. Aside from destroying the trinity (that is an entirely different blog), in my opinion, it is the single biggest reason Guild Wars 2 is doing it right and will be successful. In traditional MMO's you must constantly go to great lengths to acquire the latest and greatest gear with the highest stats to be the most competitive you can be. In Guild Wars 2 obtaining gear with the highest available stats will be easy for most players and a very attainable goal. The difference really comes in right here though, you can just keep that gear if you want. You don't have to get a new set every week necessarily. If you would like to get a new look cosmetically or some aesthetic changes that is more than fine, but not required. If you would like to get a specific dungeon's set of gear (each dungeon has a set of gear) its as easy as getting your personal loot chest off the boss. Nobody liked the gear grind, it was stupid and it is finally gone. Why is this good? Now everyone just gets the best gear and you can't tell who's good anymore this sucks! Not so fast my whiny compadre. There are many sets of gear to obtain that are difficult and that will set you apart as an elite player the only difference is that the stats aren't going to give you an advantage anymore. You will still look awesome, but now it will truly be just you and that massive skill you have been carrying around all these years and I know its been heavy. This is really an excellent opportunity to finally have the truly skill-based MMO PVP combat that we have all wanted and cried like COD players for.
What does it all have to do with community? Why does any of that stuff even matter? Luckily for you, my intrepid reader, all these rhetorical questions again will be answered herein. The PVP community is a huge part of the success of not only an MMO, but most assuredly the e-sport PVP side of an MMO. Buy Cheap gw2 gold,A good community doesn't endlessly bitch and moan about balance blindly, rather submit good feedback with good data and test cases to back it up. A good community helps to identify problems in a game and helps to troubleshoot them without just screaming for nerfs across the board (except my class/profession of course). That is definitely not to say that it is your responsibility as a consumer and player to fix a developer's product, but there is no argument to be made against helping them help you. Too often communities fall onto the toxic wayside. I see no reason to act like a moron on forums and the like. Don't flatter yourself kids, you're not trolling anyone, you don't have haters, that meme is not new and interesting, you are simply looking like an idiot and further contributing to the degradation of the community of the game you play and apparently enjoy. Now I am not to be misunderstood here thinking that everything and everyone should be wonderfully nice and pleasant all the time. Sure there is definitely a time and a place for all of those things we've talked about. In a shit talk designated forum for example. I love that stuff as much as anyone and its undoubtedly an integral part of competitive anything really, but the problem arises when it becomes the only thing you encounter in regards to that specific gaming community. That is unfortunately the case for some games currently and in the past. I think ArenaNet is on the right track with their plans and goals with forming this community. Now we as the individual players have to sort of do our part I guess. I know I would personally love to enjoy this game for years to come. I would also love to see it reach its full e-sport potential, and a large part of that success is going to have to be community driven. Just sayin.
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