A lot of folks say "hey, it's just a game, don't get bent out of shape" if somebody starts playing the "lame" card, and I'm generally one of those people. However when it comes to my own self respect this rule is reversed.. BECAUSE it is "just a game" if I see something wrong I'll speak up, because if you don't act when there's not even any cost, who are you really?
if I see people doing things that I think bring discredit or shame I'll work to correct that as best I can, and that goes double for my guild mates and even guild leaders. I know it's hard to put your hard earned tagged toons with their access to guild mules, etc on the line, but if you really do care about your character then "just a game" is a fine place to show your quality.
Nobody needs to go on a crusade or save the world or anything, that's silly. But take a stand, SHOW a stand when you see people taking you and your name in a direction you don't want to go. And just maybe you can turn the ship around with all crew aboard.
And even if it doesn't work out the way you intended, hey, it's just a game right?
take a stand
As a former, longtime Phantasy Star Online player, I was often disgusted by people taking advantage of exploits and glitches for the sake of bypassing countless hours of earning their items/levels.
I was often met with the argument, "It's just a game."
Then I realized the invalid nature of that statement.
For we could take anything- a game, an object, or an idea; and when someone tarnishes it and we object, they could conceivably reply, "Oh, it's just a X."
Well, value is placed on things based on time investment and enjoyment.
Imagine two men playing chess in the park. The particular scene itself has little bearing on the world as a whole. However, if I were to walk up to them and overturn the chessboard, I would not absolve myself from wrongdoing with the claim, "It's just a game."
It's just a "this" or just a "that" is merely a tautology. After all, this universe is just a universe. The statement itself says nothing of the value placed upon said "this" or "that."
The people who take the shortcuts or use exploits in a game do so to get ahead to look cool, yet they are the ones who run, like babies, back to the statement, "It's just a game," when their actions are disputed.
And that, my friends, is the problem of online gaming as a whole. A simple mixing of language games. For the statement, "Oh, it's just a X," is typically reserved for when a person loses something on which no value was placed. However, it is obvious that great value is placed in gaming in general, for we participate in all of the "stuff that matters" in the real world such as working and earning money so that we have TIME TO PLAY GAMES.
So yeah, they're actually pretty important to people. The people who attempt to diminish the importance of games when caught red-handed exploiting/cheating have no excuses after reading this. This is it, plain and simple.
I was often met with the argument, "It's just a game."
Then I realized the invalid nature of that statement.
For we could take anything- a game, an object, or an idea; and when someone tarnishes it and we object, they could conceivably reply, "Oh, it's just a X."
Well, value is placed on things based on time investment and enjoyment.
Imagine two men playing chess in the park. The particular scene itself has little bearing on the world as a whole. However, if I were to walk up to them and overturn the chessboard, I would not absolve myself from wrongdoing with the claim, "It's just a game."
It's just a "this" or just a "that" is merely a tautology. After all, this universe is just a universe. The statement itself says nothing of the value placed upon said "this" or "that."
The people who take the shortcuts or use exploits in a game do so to get ahead to look cool, yet they are the ones who run, like babies, back to the statement, "It's just a game," when their actions are disputed.
And that, my friends, is the problem of online gaming as a whole. A simple mixing of language games. For the statement, "Oh, it's just a X," is typically reserved for when a person loses something on which no value was placed. However, it is obvious that great value is placed in gaming in general, for we participate in all of the "stuff that matters" in the real world such as working and earning money so that we have TIME TO PLAY GAMES.
So yeah, they're actually pretty important to people. The people who attempt to diminish the importance of games when caught red-handed exploiting/cheating have no excuses after reading this. This is it, plain and simple.