So I was listening to the latest episode of the The Instance podcast (Episode #354 - find it here at theinstance.net), and right at the very start of the show a short sound clip was played of a call they had received from a very angry person. Seriously, go and just click play on the episode there and listen to the first 15 seconds of it...
Back? Cool.
Now if you were even remotely like me, you laughed your ass off at that guy and frankly he deserved it. The hosts, Scott, Dills and Turpster clearly weren't affected by it negatively and they constantly mention how they get emails about including non WoW related content on the podcast (for example the recent inclusion of Hearthstone talk). But think about that call. While the guy calling in clearly deserves to get laughed off, he was so angry that something unrelated to WoW was included in the show, that he took the time to call the show, rather than just unsubbing from it and moving on with his life.
As a new player to WoW (I started in June last year), I've noticed that there is a lot of negativity in the community. I'm sure that it's not the prevailing attitude of the game, as the vast majority of the people I talk and interact with in the game are really positive people. They are encouraging, happy to teach a new player the ropes and just generally chat with you. That being said however, in almost every LFR group there is that one guy who just rages at people for not "knowing how to play." All across the forums, reddit and twitter there are people throwing rage at devs, new players and just everyone in general.
This doesn't just relate to WoW either. Moba games such as DoTA and LoL have some of the most toxic communities of any game I have ever encountered. Visiting almost any FPS game is bound to have someone tell you all about the sexual relations they had with your mother last night. Why? Why do we as a gaming community tear ourselves apart? Why does every single disagreement about something have to result in people throwing crap at each other verbally?
I'm not saying that we all need to get along one hundred percent of the time. In any group of people, no matter how small or large, disagreements are bound to happen. I personally dislike PVP in WoW and think that it is a complete waste of time. But I don't ever feel the need to write, or even call, Scott about the fact that Dills spent 5 minutes talking about PVP because I am (generally) a sane, well balanced individual who enjoys hearing the opinions of others in all areas. Part of the reason I write this blog is to get involved in whatever gaming community I am involved in by putting an opinion out there. I post on reddit, and used to post on the forums for both Eve and WoW until the people there put me off so much I had to stop. I recently unsubbed from Eve Online, a game that had been with me for 7 years of my life, because the most vocal people were completely opposite to the close knit community I had known when I first started playing.
To end this, I feel that I am extremely lucky in WoW to have found the group of people that I have. I would like to take the time to thank you if you have been a part of that experience for me. Tainted, Slash, Gobspitt, Natta, Dracmor, Whalebit and countless others. All of you have made WoW fun for me, as you take the time to actually be human and hold a conversation, to tell me what I can do better without the swearing and anger that I find if I ask in an LFR.
I would also like to give a massive shout out to the guys at The Instance. Part of the reason that I love the show is the fact that you guys are so obviously friends, and that even if you have a disagreement on air (and I don't remember any major ones at all in the short time I've been listening) you are able to just keep on keeping on. The friendly banter both on and off the topic of this game we love has and will keep me listening to you guys for as long as you keep doing the show, regardless of if I keep playing the game or not.
But for now, remember that you can always dislike something without reverting to rage. Good luck and as always...
GAME ON!
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