In-Game Abuse - What to do...
We've all seen it before, people who abuse and use inappropriate behavior. While I don't see this totally as wrong, there is a line that should not be crossed and we're going to look at an example where a line is crossed and what you should do about it.
I've heard of it before. It often happens more to competitive female players who rub a guild or some players the wrong way. I received some distressing feedback from one of our long time readers.
Hi m8 I thought i'd come to you for feedback because you've helped me alot which I appreciate I just wanna start with I did PoS 1st boss dps all doing 3k and 1 dps had 30 stacks now he told me to bubble and normally i dont bubble and can do the fight with my eyes shut not being cocky but it's true so then he says "where did I buy my account and I should l2bubble" now I speak with other ppl and they said dps is low and holy pally isnt a aoe class so they should clear there stacks as you can't concentration on ppl with 30 stacks or ppl doing 1.5-3k dps.... so we quicked him he made 3 chars level 1 on my realm racist and abusive to me I've done 9/12 on ICC 10 and 7/12 on ICC 25 and ulduar hardmodes etc and i've got alot of healing experience but this racism and uncalled for abusive made me wanna step down as a pally and think I ain't good enough sorry for the long post but i'd like to hear your take on it m8 as you have far more experience than me.. cheers.
First and foremost, it's irrelevant what brought both of you to this situation. Whether or not you healed right or wrong in this situation has ZERO relevance. This should be made very, very clear. You can perform like a total and complete nubcake, even to the point where you go /afk during a battle. There is nothing you can do to make their performance acceptable. Therefore I'm going to completely ignore what led you to this situation in the first place.
Next is all of my opinions and my views. I've been dealing with gamers in an professional capacity for over a decade now. That's a lot of experience to draw upon these opinions. While some of you may not agree with these opinions I have found them to work best.
There is a difference between someone letting off some steam and someone who crosses the line into personal and directed abuse. If you die due to someone’s idiotic actions of course you're going to get frustrated... sometimes even to the point where some harsher words escape your lips, especially if it happens multiple times. It's human nature to blow off steam. While this isn't always acceptable depending on what's said, I personally don't see too much of a problem with it.
Where does it go from semi-acceptable to straight out wrong?
Irrelevant Directed abuse:
Making coments about someone's race, sexual orientation, sex etc in a derogative manner is just plain wrong.
Going too far and too long:
Blowing off steam is one thing. Going on and on well after the fact is going too far.
Cyber-Stalking:
I believe that someone who cyber-stalks is somewhat deficient.
Why do people do this?
The Internet gives people the ultimately ability to remain anonymous. This and their misguided believe that there is nothing that can happen to them. Some people then do things that so many others would never consider acceptable in real life.
Some simply forget that there is a person at the other end of the computer.
Often this behavior could stem from a mental deficiency or deficient in other areas of their life. Normal healthy people just don't do it. Sometimes it can also come from boredom. World of warcraft is a game after all, and games are supposed to be fun. Some people are so demented that they derive pleasure from other people’s pain. Ever wonder why Jerry Springer is so popular?
What to do about this in World of Warcraft?
First, don't drop to their level. Don't swear at another player and don't abuse them. If you do it, they know they have you. If they thrive on abuse, you're fueling their fire.
Second, reply to their whisper and tell them not to talk to you. Often they won't comply, but telling them to stop talking to you is the first step. If they continue, put them on ignore. If they make another character to continue this, ignore another toon.
Keep evidence. Screen shots (press Print-Screen).
If you believe they've gone over the line, you have a responsibility to report them to a game master.
Doesn't that seem like tattle-telling?
Yes and no. I assume that most of my readers here are adults. There are many children who play this game. If you have someone cyber-stalking others, you may be able to handle this, but others may not. You should spend the minute or two to report them to a Game master. Part of a game masters job is to ensure there is a safe environment for you to play in.
Final notes:
Point 1: Remember this is a game. You're here to have fun. If someone is making it un-fun for you, leave the situation or ignore them. I highly recommend reporting them. I used to be very aggressive on the auction house and I'd receive abusive and sometimes threatening in-game mails all the time. Even though I found them entertaining, I'd still report them since it's unacceptable behavior.
Point 2: You shouldn't get all worked up over other people. You cannot control other people. Other people will do things for their own reasons. Don't let yourself get all bent up over some toss bucket who decides they're going to have fun at your expense. Realize that they mean nothing to you. Treat them like what you'd do to lint you find in your pocket: Throw it in the bin and not give it another thought.
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