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| A Particular Concern Pt II: Abrasive Gamer |
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Untitled Document
Since my last submission, I have cancelled my account to Xbox Live…
Which leaves me free to complete my analysis of the Abrasive Gamer (AG). As a quick synopsis, the AG label is applied to any gamer that devotes time and energy into the act of detracting from another gamer's play experience. This can come in a number of different forms of abuse, harassment, and aggravation. As the video game industry advances, AG's benefit with new ways to harangue their targets. With the implementation of headsets for many game platforms, we now have the pleasure of hearing the 9 year old who can not only type, but talk in leet…sorry…1337 as well.
Before this, online gamers simply had to deal with the typed word. In WoW, like other MMO's, players will communicate primarily through the keyboard on different channels with filters and restraints. I for one breathe a sigh of relief that WoW will be a charged online service. This means our friends at Blizzard will be able and expected to police the game for AG's, and likewise have the power to stop them.
Anyone who has played on the different Battle.net networks will agree that those channels and games could become completely asinine. The message areas became flooded with acronyms, threats, or simply “go” a dozen times in a row. More frustrating is the futility in trying to calm the AG's down. In roughly three seconds, they've spewed more geek speak than you can shake a stick at, and likely made you pretty cross. The scary thing is this almost seems to be something of a status symbol. The most annoying and quickest AG with the most incomprehensible vocabulary feels he is something of a Top Dog. I'm sure he brings the bragging rights with him to the cafeteria too…right after his lunch money gets stolen.
It isn't that I expect these children to act like adults. Video games are for everyone, and incorporating everyone means dealing with different maturity levels. What I do expect is a small bit of civility. Even (most) kids can behave in a decent manner most of the time, why is it no-holds-barred when the computer is loaded up?
I touched on this last time, because I feel I know the answer. Young males (this is the majority…I have yet to encounter a true female AG) who fit the above description more than likely have no social skills whatsoever. Therefore the online gaming realm gives them the courage to act however they like to people they otherwise feel inferior to. Think of it like the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard has this huge intimidating persona, which is like the gaming avatars. AG's dedicate a huge portion of their time to gaming, so they posses some skill. Add a cool looking avatar with all the best gear and an immaculately unsophisticated vocabulary, the analogy is complete.
Like the Wizard, the man (or snot nosed brat) behind the curtain is only marginally intimidating while at the same time being wholly pathetic. There is no way to pull back the curtain in MMO's, so all you can do is ignore the smoke and noise. The other annoying factors of AG's – Kill-Stealing, Spawn Camping, and Cursing are all eliminated by Blizzard by having chat filters, single-instance dungeons, and having a guard against attacking a creature already in combat, an innovation I first witnessed in FFXI. Blizzard staff will do their best to quell harassment and general belligerence, but AG's will likely exist until the end of time. Just understand that there is no real antidote for these people. For whatever reason they actually enjoy aggravating others, and it's likely due to self-esteem or ego issues. Don't tell them this; they know it good and well already and it will only lead to a more deliberate avalanche of ignorance. Don't post about it; Flamewars serve as much purpose as a freezer in Antarctica. In truth, AG's fall into that miniscule category of things that will eventually go away if you ignore them.
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