I'm just going to come right out and say it. We as a playerbase are defective people. And I say that with the full intention of also including people in general as being flawed, of course. But for one reason or another, text games seem to have a higher percentage of players that are mentally imbalanced in some way, shape, or form. It may have something to do with some of us having never moved on from an earlier time in life, as most of us have played for 20+ years, on and off. I don't know. I'm not a psychologist, and that's just a wild guess.

But it should be said that we have one of the most absolutely toxic communities of people short of 4chan on the internet. It should be said because we as players need to be the ones who address it. If the company would like to encourage and help that process, all the better, but it's not their job.

And no, "It's the internet" is not the correct response, nor an accurate one. I've been on the internet, like all of you, for many years. Having come back to Gemstone in 2015, I can say that a large number of people here seem desensitized to just how toxic an atmosphere Gemstone has compared to the internet at large. Having come back from a decade long hiatus or so, I was able to look in from the outside, and I was floored.

Harassment is not only accepted, but encouraged in certain large, loud circles (The other forums, Lnet, these forums in a more rule-skirting way, the wiki. Yes, the wiki.). It's applauded by those who find it entertaining. Egged on by those who find it boring to not be participating in or watching people spew bile at each other. We're adults. Interacting with other adults. What the hell?

The first step to rectifying the situation is acknowledging it. We are, on the whole, horrible to one another, and it needs to stop. You may find it entertaining to watch or egg on people fighting about nonsense, but it only serves to give you fewer people to play with, one at a time. It lowers new player retention. It drives old players away. And yes, I know a good number of people don't participate in any of that, but it's the loud minority that has become accepted over time. Celebrated even. If we just keep ignoring it, only bad can come of it.

To clarify about the wiki: in itself it is not a toxic environment. My own experience with it is limited to having written a single guide for a profession that lacked one, but that single wiki article caused three people to take my account name there, cross reference the few posts I've made here, seek me out on the PC forums and on LNet with the specific purpose of griefing me for it and have done so now for months in an attempt to I'm not sure what.

Don't get me wrong. I've received a deluge of positive messages regarding it as well, but there remains an element that took something from the wiki and used it to track and attack me via the other available methods. In itself it is not a toxic environment, though.

The "acceptable" behavior of the community at large is the issue. The wiki and official forums not having the capability of overwriting one's account name with a front facing alias is just a tool used by some of the problem elements here. I'm not really terribly happy about having my last name and first initial publicly visible to a community this unstable, but that is a separate issue, and more suited to a website security discussion.

Not trying to disparage anyone else, but Platinum's current community is the complete opposite of toxic. It's very inclusive, friendly, and helpful to newcomers and veterans alike.

But ya, lnet and PC might as well be reddit. Just avoid and ignore both places.


As I gaze over the horizon, the wind tugs at my cloak and whispers, "Adventure" in my ear.

AIM: Kaight (Matt) GS4

@DICEISTHELIFE - you are not registered as a user on GSWiki. Were you using a different account?

>>I'm not really terribly happy about having my last name and first initial publicly visible<<

I think you can contact Simu's office and have your account name changed. This might not solve all your problems but this might help give you a degree of comfort.

---

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. - Albert Einstein

Flimbo, the thing about your guide is that it's decent and helpful.

Any time you make something that's good or popular, you'll get some haters. Let the deluge of positive and appreciative messages you received counter the few bit of negative ones out, and don't let them get to you. The best way to troll the few haters back is just to make sure that your guide is as good as it can be, and that it stays prominently on "their" wiki as a permanent and appreciated fixture. You troll the haters by becoming even better, and rubbing your success in their face, not by getting mad at them. Your guide being on "their" wiki makes them fuming mad. You posting this complaint probably made their day. Just some advice as someone who's also managed to make a couple of popular stuff in other places online.

Incidentally, I'm from 4chan and the people there are perfectly fine <_<

I don't completely agree with your assessment of the community. My experience in-game have been that the players are GENERALLY very friendly and helpful. If you lose a weapon, people scramble to help you recover it. In other games I've played, a lost weapon is probably gone or stolen. Downright scams are rare, and people are comfortable enough to even trade without using the old exchange verb. Lnet and PC is mostly goofy older nerds that are decent to deal with. I have observed bits of passive aggressiveness, but more often on forums than in game. Speaking for myself, after I've gotten used to dealing with a mostly nice community, the few times I've bumped into passive aggressiveness, snarkiness and whatever does surprise me and hit me initially harder than it should. Take a break from posting & reading the forums, stick to playing the game.

Regardless of whether the community is really toxic as you claim or nice as I do, You're not going to change other people. Heck, if specific people annoy you in game, best you can do is just ignore them. That has been enough in my experience.

Take a break from forums/game, ignore specific individuals as needed. You'll be fine.

"people are comfortable enough to even trade without using the old exchange verb." -- JTU

NEVER take this viewpoint! ALWAYS use 'exchange' with any item you value.

It's not a matter of personal trust; it's a matter of internet hiccups, server crashes, character/locker corruption, or whatever other 21st century computer plague you care to name.

Use of the 'exchange' verb means that GemStone writes a record of the item moving from one of you to the other. This is hugely important.

Big fan of 'exchange'.

.

I have not--yet!--gotten to the point where I use 'exchange' on a regular basis for items I'm handing to my other account... but I do use it for when I'm shifting Auction items around, oh yeah.

*raises a lighter*

I also came back in 2015, and had the same reaction.

Most of the population now exceeds the 30+years marker. Many are broken for various reasons, but still sentimental to this game and to their characters. Examples for some, it could be temporary: a divorce or a loss of a job. Or it might be permanent: unmedicated severe depression/anxiety or bipolar personalities.

I've literally had people tell me that GS is their therapy.
This "therapy" ranged from guilting people over their suicidal tendencies, to tearing into people both in and out of character in purposeful attempts to push them to quit...because it's fun and makes them feel better.

Anonymity empowers people to escalate their normal persona. A text game gives allowances for people to act out in ways they can't or know they shouldn't in real life. Make note.

You see this behavior (as a friend pointed out to me) in CHEs and MHOs mainly where people jockey for position for their slice of the pie. Some organizations actually cultivate that toxicity by not taking action against it. Much of the time in revolves around certain individuals that like to promote their own importance by trying to kick others down, seek attention through dramatic angst or are happy to follow the mob mentality and truth be damned.

Most, I can generally say - falls into the category of keeping their head down. Afraid of being targets themselves, they avoid the situation and choose to say and do nothing. This just reinforces the scales to tilt to support negative behaviors.

Luxelle is on point. You see the people that matter by the positive they bring. It's not just in scripting and wikis, but in face to face interactions too. Those you have to look for, but it's worth it when you find it.

-Talinvor


















-==Social Media Stuff==-

Facebook:
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"Some organizations actually cultivate that toxicity by not taking action against it." -- InSpades

"By not taking action against it" does not mean "actively cultivate". By definition, inaction is not something that you are actively doing.

I will completely agree with you that someone may not be acting to prevent the continuance--or even spread--of a behavior, but they are certainly not actively cultivating it by what you've described.

Errrr... You're right. Robert Fail Reading Comprehension. :(

(However, cultivate is an active verb. 'Tolerate' would be more accurate if all that they do... is nothing to stop it.)