This article is about a month old, but it is probably one of the best things I've read online in a long time and should be shared here. Not only does it hit home with a situation near and dear to our hearts here at StrafeRight, but it is written in a clear and distinguishable tone that says
WTF!?.
Have a look at Gamasutra's piece about how assheads online are ruining gaming for all of us...and what can be done to stop it once and for all.
Quote:
Why do I care? Some gamers might be thinking "If he's so thin-skinned that he can't take the online banter, maybe he shouldn’t play online." Unfortunately, many people do just that -- they stop playing online.
Even more gamers go online a few times and then never play again. This isn't just my personal speculation; I have seen convincing data from two different sources that the biggest problem with online gaming is the behavior of others. The biggest problem isn't the cost; it isn't connectivity issues, or even the quality of the games -- it is how people are fuckwads online.
To make this concrete, here's a thought experiment for you: imagine you go to a new restaurant, and decide to try the meatloaf. A big guy at the next table overhears you, looks at you, and yells: "Meatloaf? What kinda newb are you? Hey everybody, this r-tard just ordered the meatloaf!
God, I'm glad you're not at my table." Laughter breaks out at the tables around you, as they crane their heads to look at the newb. The restaurant staff is nowhere to be found, and you're not entirely certain they'd do anything anyway -- you can tell this is normal behavior at this place. How good or cheap would the food have to be to get you to go back there? Who would you bring there? The vast majority of the world population wouldn't go back there, and would warn everyone they knew to avoid it.
|
What are everyone's thoughts about this? Do any of you think that online asstards are making people unplug their gaming rigs from the internets?
Thanks to
Joe for the link.
