It's just a game.

[Araskael]

I hear this phrase used a lot, and I've just sort of wanted to rant and voice my opinion about it, even if it'll fall onto blind eyes.

First of all, gonna talk about some fluff: It seems like a common phrase dropped to invalidate one's owns feelings they're experiencing, as if their thoughts and feelings aren't justified. Games are an activity that people do for entertainment and fun, and hobby that some people dedicate a lot of time and money towards. So of course, if someone finds a flaw with it or doesn't enjoy something, they will feel the need to voice their concern. Humans are creatures with emotions, they express them, it's a healthy thing to do. To clarify, I can understand when someone is too emotional and heated to be playing the game at the moment and should just take a step back, and that I can completely agree on. Though say, if you ruin my experience with a game, and if I dare speak out about it, I am salty and need to be reminded it's a game; so then, why couldn't I just ruin yours and just be like "lol it's just a game bro"? It would be and is a dick thing to do, and it is nothing more than trolling.

Now to the actual point that's relevant to this server: As far as I'm aware, Aurora is a heavy RP server, which I would come to assume means some more degree of integrity when it comes to genuine characters and playing them correctly. Though, that said, it's just a game, you shouldn't take it seriously right? In my perspective, these sort of role-playing games set a striking difference from other games, in that you are immersing yourself by creating, living, and acting a life in a world that doesn't exist, instead of just pressing buttons to make things go boom and win the video game. Role-playing is not unlike medias like movies or books, where you immerse yourself and suspend your disbelief, except you're the one who is actually living and breathing it. At least to me, serious or high-roleplay is creating a story and characters with meaningful interaction.

What I am trying to say from all of that is it is absurd to me that anyone would complain that someone in a role-playing game is taking it seriously. It is the actual point of these sorts of medias, to get immersed in a different world that is different than your own, and that's why people play it and enjoy it. It is a form of escapism for some as well. When there is a breach in this integrity, it tampers with the enjoyment of this sort of game, so of course people are going to be disappointed or upset over it. The thing is too, people who immerse themselves completely understand it is a video game; nobody is going to take it so seriously that if a character dies in game, they'll actually call the cops in real life. That, and, a good roleplayer knows very well how to separate themselves from their character. Honestly, if someone doesn't understand this concept, and thinks it's weird, either they should do some self-reflection of why they are trying to play this sort of game, or attempt to learn how to play it.

In conclusion, the point of roleplaying is not to win the video game, it's to immerse yourself and create enjoyable stories and characters, and have interactions with them. I get it, it's SS13, where a lot of people are concerned more about being robust and looking out for those validhunters or whatever to be concerned with that petty roleplay stuff. Yet then, why do these people pretend to call themselves a roleplayer? There's probably more to say, or a better way to say all of this, I just had to get this off my chest. Hopefully it made any sense and showed some perspective.

[Taintedglory]

REading it, agreed with it, suddenly crocodile with chicken nuggets on his head and I cant take life seriously anymore

[Baguette]

getting salty when i got fucked over and then being told "its just a game lol" before getting even more pissed off due to them saying that is the reason i was such a shitter on para and am currently permabanned from it.

tl;dr (you lazy sods): +1

[Cronac]

REading it, agreed with it, suddenly crocodile with chicken nuggets on his head and I cant take life seriously anymore

 

Don't you mean Cheerios?

[Zundy]

This a self help group or something?

[November]

I'm basically nobody, but I'm a nobody with opinions.

 

First of all, gonna talk about some fluff: It seems like a common phrase dropped to invalidate one's owns feelings they're experiencing, as if their thoughts and feelings aren't justified.

In my experience, the purpose of the phrase is usually an appeal for someone to reassess their feelings, because from the outside they appear illogical. This is a natural miscommunication, not a result of personal fault.

 

Games are an activity that people do for entertainment and fun, and hobby that some people dedicate a lot of time and money towards. So of course, if someone finds a flaw with it or doesn't enjoy something, they will feel the need to voice their concern. Humans are creatures with emotions, they express them, it's a healthy thing to do. To clarify, I can understand when someone is too emotional and heated to be playing the game at the moment and should just take a step back, and that I can completely agree on. Though say, if you ruin my experience with a game, and if I dare speak out about it, I am salty and need to be reminded it's a game; so then, why couldn't I just ruin yours and just be like "lol it's just a game bro"? It would be and is a dick thing to do, and it is nothing more than trolling.

 

So first, while expressing unfiltered emotion can be beneficial to individual health (see catharsis), it is not always beneficial to group or community health. Others displaying signs of distress is inherently dismaying, and depending on your viewpoint most people will try to eliminate this release of emotion that they don't associate with. In other words, when you're the only person in a room complaining about the temperature incessantly, you're going to be chided because you are outside the majority. There are a lot more dynamics to this, so all I really want to convey is that the thinking only from the perspective of what you want, or what is good for you does not have an intrinsic value. I am very anti-individualist though, so I'm probably biased about this.

 

Now to the actual point that's relevant to this server: As far as I'm aware, Aurora is a heavy RP server, which I would come to assume means some more degree of integrity when it comes to genuine characters and playing them correctly. Though, that said, it's just a game, you shouldn't take it seriously right? In my perspective, these sort of role-playing games set a striking difference from other games, in that you are immersing yourself by creating, living, and acting a life in a world that doesn't exist, instead of just pressing buttons to make things go boom and win the video game. Role-playing is not unlike medias like movies or books, where you immerse yourself and suspend your disbelief, except you're the one who is actually living and breathing it. At least to me, serious or high-roleplay is creating a story and characters with meaningful interaction.

 

I believe your goals align with many people, myself included. I RP mostly because I don't have the attention span to read or produce a novel, but still love stories. However, other people also have equally valid goals that they seek to accomplish by playing on the server. It is up to the moderators of the server to determine which uses and goals they wish to promote or eliminate. In concept, this seems simple. In practice, the same action you need to take to eliminate an undesirable aspect also hampers the ability to carry out your desired goals. The classic example of this is liberty vs security, where the increase of one begins the decline of the other.

 

What I am trying to say from all of that is it is absurd to me that anyone would complain that someone in a role-playing game is taking it seriously. It is the actual point of these sorts of medias, to get immersed in a different world that is different than your own, and that's why people play it and enjoy it. It is a form of escapism for some as well. When there is a breach in this integrity, it tampers with the enjoyment of this sort of game, so of course people are going to be disappointed or upset over it. The thing is too, people who immerse themselves completely understand it is a video game; nobody is going to take it so seriously that if a character dies in game, they'll actually call the cops in real life. That, and, a good roleplayer knows very well how to separate themselves from their character. Honestly, if someone doesn't understand this concept, and thinks it's weird, either they should do some self-reflection of why they are trying to play this sort of game, or attempt to learn how to play it.

 

Alright, the meat of your issue is here. I was present during one of your displays of discontent, and so I'm going to be extrapolating some of that content to here. If you read only one thing, let it be this: Yes it is okay to be upset about something you feel strongly over. No it is not okay to display this in a non-constructive fashion. What constitutes a constructive action is not something determined by the individual, but by the people the action effects. If you are complaining, and people are becoming upset, irritable, or displaying otherwise negative responses then it's fairly obvious that your opinion is not valued by the group or it's meaning has been misunderstood. Being emotional makes us terrible communicators, so if you want anyone to ever understand something do so when you are feeling the least emotional to have the greatest chance of success.

 

In conclusion, the point of roleplaying is not to win the video game, it's to immerse yourself and create enjoyable stories and characters, and have interactions with them. I get it, it's SS13, where a lot of people are concerned more about being robust and looking out for those validhunters or whatever to be concerned with that petty roleplay stuff. Yet then, why do these people pretend to call themselves a roleplayer? There's probably more to say, or a better way to say all of this, I just had to get this off my chest. Hopefully it made any sense and showed some perspective.

 

So what it comes down to, is that when people tell you "it's just a game", the best message you can take from it is that other people don't believe your plight is all that valid. This is a good thing. There is a classical image of the child who has the slightest cut wailing away like it's the worst thing that's ever happened. This is because to them, this may be the worst injury they've ever endured. When people reject the idea that someone should be upset, what they are communicating is that they are perceiving the injury you have sustained, and by their standards it is not as painful as you are making it seem. You are literally being told that they don't understand, that you are communicating ineffectively. The fault in communication is always, always, always upon the sender. Yes there are some people that may never listen, but then it is your fault for pressing them beyond what they are capable of.

In summation, if people tell you it's not a big deal, it's because they think it isn't. Re-evaluate the way you are communicating, or the people you are communicating to. Always look to yourself first for fault, because your own actions are the easiest to change.

EDIT: Also your sig stresses me way the fuck out. It seems like that croc is gaping out of stress or fear, also being displayed by their stillness. There's a fine line between teasing your animal a bit and harassing it, and I hate seeing animals in distress. Keep it if you want though, I'm not your mom.

[Skull132]

In most cases of this, you're looking at a defencive reaction. Know that emotions are contagious, so to speak, and we are subconsciously aware of this to a very high degree. This is why, if you walk up to a random person on the street and start wailing towards them, a good chance exists that they'll simply ignore you: they are doing so to defend themselves, and their mental state. This is also why environments where people tend to form close knit teams (the military, police, firefighters, etcetera), people with a negative outlook are very aggressively weeded out on the grounds of them lacking motivation: it is done to protect the rest of their future team.

Now, yes, we aren't a bunch of strangers. But we aren't your bestest buds, either. In the majority, you can probably describe the rest of the community members as positive acquaintances, I imagine. There's a certain limit of emotional display that this sets out for you, before folks get defencive and start dismissing you in favour of their own enjoyment of the game.

This is, of course, all reliant on you being negative and unconstructive at the same time. If you're constructive towards an issue, and have actually gone through the proper channels to resolve it, then they can suck it the fuck up

Also, +1 to what the dude above me wrote. Pretty much covered everything I already wrote.

[Araskael]

[and this post too]

 

I will admit I am a very terrible communicator. In my core, I am very socially inept and shy, and sometimes have to force myself to speak. Many times I am not bold enough and it is drowned out by others or forgotten, but when I try to speak out and have myself heard in a bold manner, people mistake me as upset. I like to think I am a logical person, and I am much more prone to holding in my feelings than to just babble them out in an incoherent emotional mess. In a way however, roleplaying in games like these helped me socially to try to break out of that cycle for the better, that and a little bit of therapy and mindfulness. That said, I still find a lot of issues with the game that I wish were addressed, but I completely understand playing a multiplayer game with others is a compromise. I very much do care about these sorts of games, but I probably just have a terrible way of expressing that. Thank you for the thoughtful replies though.

And, I can see why you think that November, I changed it anyway since it wasn't my intention.

[November]

I will admit I am a very terrible communicator. In my core, I am very socially inept and shy, and sometimes have to force myself to speak. Many times I am not bold enough and it is drowned out by others or forgotten, but when I try to speak out and have myself heard in a bold manner, people mistake me as upset. I like to think I am a logical person, and I am much more prone to holding in my feelings than to just babble them out in an incoherent emotional mess. In a way however, roleplaying in games like these helped me socially to try to break out of that cycle for the better, that and a little bit of therapy and mindfulness. That said, I still find a lot of issues with the game that I wish were addressed, but I completely understand playing a multiplayer game with others is a compromise. I very much do care about these sorts of games, but I probably just have a terrible way of expressing that. Thank you for the thoughtful replies though.

And, I can see why you think that November, I changed it anyway since it wasn't my intention.

 

My suggestion would be that when you feel like something is wrong, or you've been wronged then avoid making statements in OOC. One of the best ways to defuse a miscommunication is to ask why someone did something. If you then find their answer dissatisfactory, deliver it to the staff and they will do their job (deciding on if it's enough to act on, if it's a legitimate concern, etc). At that point, it's out of your hands and that's a good thing. Keep on being you and doing what you can to enjoy yourself.

I can also accept that that is a happy iguana who probably just finished banana time. Even if it's a little "it makes me feel bad so get rid of it", as a vet tech student and a herp lover, I appreciate not having stuff like that gif around.

[Youbar]

"It's just a game."

It's also an investment of time that I don't want ruined. I wouldn't go to a movie to have somebody constantly talk on their phone throughout it.

I hate this phrase, too. :l

[Bokaza]

Relevant video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urcqQC02YbY

[Araskael]

Relevant video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urcqQC02YbY

 

There it is. I was expecting someone to post this.

[Guest]

Hello. I've returned from the land of the dead and waited out my time in forum ban limbo.

It would very much seem that this topic has been answered and covered, but this is actually a rather interesting subject I've seen across all communities, specifically, discussing the dichotomy between treating an issue very seriously (or, hardcore, for the sake of simplicity) or treating said issues very casually (which we'll lump for argumentative sake into 'casual'). So yes, we have two sides of the coin here, hardcore and casual. You will naturally have people who feel very strongly about some issues and will defend them to the death, but the same people will be rather apathetic about other issues because either a.) they don't care or b.) they clearly have a different thought process and outlook on what they consider to be issues, and some issues rank higher in priority and relevance than others.

Now that the summary premise has been set, let's dig into some posts here.

 

First of all, gonna talk about some fluff: It seems like a common phrase dropped to invalidate one's owns feelings they're experiencing, as if their thoughts and feelings aren't justified.

 

I'll add my own perspective here: No, not really. It's a phrase dropped by members of the community to effectively say, "What you're saying does not really seem like an issue from my point of view" although it may not be phrased with the same level of efficacy and delicateness. And by that, I mean, it rarely will be handled well.

As this is the internet, and identities are protected as no one really personally knows one another as we play with absolute complete strangers over an archaic and outdated video game client that hardly has a userbase of over 10,000, and a video game community spread across all servers numbering to around the mid-high thousands range, it can be very much said that nobody has much to lose from getting rather pissy over the internet and pitching silly fits over meaningless crap.

I would know, I'm one of the best at complaining, baiting, arguing for the sake of arguing, and unravelling the worst out of the best attitudes.

But, honestly? It is rather unreasonable to assume every single person that says "It is just a game" is fully intending to bait you into !FUN! discussions of your pains, miseries, angers and frustrations at the game. I would think most of the time, they are saying it in hopes you will cool down and approach the issues you're facing from a more level-headed and intelligent perspective. As much of a lost cause that will be for a staunch majority of the loudest complainers, it's nice to know there exists a good majority of people who actually prefer when OOC is not laden with composting where it hardly belongs. What do you think the complaint boards are for, anyway?

I mean, a few would, but those people are indisputable krokheads anyway.

 

Humans are creatures with emotions, they express them, it's a healthy thing to do.

 

And too much raw anger, internal feelings of impotence, frustration and such will absolutely kill the character of an individual from the inside out if it's allowed to broil for too long. And the worst part of this is that it is fucking infectious. This is why people are referred to as "toxic", because these types of unconstructive, unproductive composting will lead to nothing more than-- well, more of it!

I even got a ban for that because I was pissing too many people off. Yeah, you can be banned for that, apparently. But! I've learned something. Toxicity is a genuine problem. It's a buzzword, oh yes, sure. I personally blame the League of Legends community (which has millions of players) for overusing it and not attacking the actual sources of it to solve said problem of toxicity and thus making it a shitty meme buzzword. But there's so much truth to it. Toxicity kills community morale, and eventually it'll snowball downhill if left untreated. Defining snowball in case no one is familiar with the phrase: An advantage one gains that gives one an even greater advantage later on. And in this case, it just keeps going and building even more traction.

This is generally why the community gets very much defensive about complaints. Or why any community gets defensive about criticism, really. Because no one wants the userbase of their favorite videogame to burn down all the fun because none of them could actually agree on something, leading to associated shitflinging.

There are naturally ways to go about criticizing a community or the game the community is built upon:

1.) Creative humor and satire, carefully constructed to humorously define the conditions of the community without outright viciously mocking the "opposition" or any displayed parties. Also, avoid strawmans. It's totally fine to highlight what makes certain sides completely silly in their serious delivery of their gripes.

2.) Constructive breakdowns of issues, preventing usage of buzzwords and etc. in the delivery of the argument.

3.) Bringing up personal misgivings with people without resorting to harassing them, without using colorful insulting vocabulary to insult them and their family, and genuinely attempting to resolve whatever personal issues they have with individuals of the community.

But these require tactfulness and effort, which in turn requires a decent human upbringing, education on language and a great deal of self-control to avoid (creatively or not) calling your opponent's mother a hamster.

Let's get on with this shit, though. I can imagine this'll be a giant fucking post.

 

Now to the actual point that's relevant to this server: As far as I'm aware, Aurora is a heavy RP server, which I would come to assume means some more degree of integrity when it comes to genuine characters and playing them correctly. Though, that said, it's just a game, you shouldn't take it seriously right? In my perspective, these sort of role-playing games set a striking difference from other games, in that you are immersing yourself by creating, living, and acting a life in a world that doesn't exist, instead of just pressing buttons to make things go boom and win the video game. Role-playing is not unlike medias like movies or books, where you immerse yourself and suspend your disbelief, except you're the one who is actually living and breathing it. At least to me, serious or high-roleplay is creating a story and characters with meaningful interaction.

What I am trying to say from all of that is it is absurd to me that anyone would complain that someone in a role-playing game is taking it seriously. It is the actual point of these sorts of medias, to get immersed in a different world that is different than your own, and that's why people play it and enjoy it. It is a form of escapism for some as well. When there is a breach in this integrity, it tampers with the enjoyment of this sort of game, so of course people are going to be disappointed or upset over it. The thing is too, people who immerse themselves completely understand it is a video game; nobody is going to take it so seriously that if a character dies in game, they'll actually call the cops in real life. That, and, a good roleplayer knows very well how to separate themselves from their character. Honestly, if someone doesn't understand this concept, and thinks it's weird, either they should do some self-reflection of why they are trying to play this sort of game, or attempt to learn how to play it.

 

I'll just sum up what you're trying to say here: We're a heavy roleplay server, thus we have much higher expectations as to the quality and content of roleplay being exercised on the server, thus we should take the sanctity and quality of RP very seriously.

Well yes. Absolutely. Screaming at antagonists over OOC for doing a thing you wish they didn't do is not really a great way to go about "upholding standards of heavy RP", now is it? There's a difference between wanting to maintain RP and lore standards and then just outright attempting to police another in their own playstyle. Those who unapologetically belong in the latter, bugger off! The administration does enough of RP policing, we don't need backseat drivers determining what each can and cannot do. If you got a problem, file a DONOS and wait for it to be resolved. And then back off, regardless if it's resolved the way you wanted it or not.

Rare is it that antagonists actually play to "win", but rather to fulfill RP goals that their RP position as an antagonist requires them to fulfill in one way or another. Also known as objectives. I lament that we do not have objectives, honestly, because half of the contracts that have been up in the WI have been up there unfulfilled for the past few months. Doesn't help half of that half is focused on individuals. Reminds me of the crap we had with the bounties designated to screw over special snowflake individuals. That was a total disaster.

I will state, in regards of "escapism". This server's quite great for me to take a load off, kick off my work boots, chill out and focus on a game and not the stupid crap I have to deal with in real life for awhile. I know I still have to deal with those problems when I decide on turning off my monitor, calling it a night and then waking up the next morning to do real life things again. It would be deluded of anyone else to put this game on a higher priority than issues that dictate their attention in real life. There are degrees to which someone can genuinely complain about a video game or the community. If you're complaining about Rusty or Borna acting sarcastic on the forums and making good fun of you, you need to wonder for a moment if someone could get in trouble for strictly-not-against-the-law types of dorm room shenanigans in real life. And perhaps whether if you should just tough it up, grow up and learn to live with the fact that Borna/Rusty will exist to funpost just as Chad will exist to punk on you, put a whoopie cushion in your dorm bed and seduce the wimmins you had individual crushes on.

 

In conclusion, the point of roleplaying is not to win the video game, it's to immerse yourself and create enjoyable stories and characters, and have interactions with them. I get it, it's SS13, where a lot of people are concerned more about being robust and looking out for those validhunters or whatever to be concerned with that petty roleplay stuff. Yet then, why do these people pretend to call themselves a roleplayer? There's probably more to say, or a better way to say all of this, I just had to get this off my chest. Hopefully it made any sense and showed some perspective.

 

And in the end, it is still a video game. You play with a bunch of strangers who probably don't care about your own issues and have their own things to worry about, and just want to play the game like you do. Roleplay characters still have their own ambitions, wants, desires, needs, et cetera, and I see people mix up IC and OOC motivation all the time just to get someone banned for one player's character goofing on their own character. Incredibly important here, as these things are roleplay staples. Every little detail counts and makes the experience a lot more whole. It would be fucking boring if the malf AI hosted a game show every round, it would get stale. A rare phoron fire apocalypse every once in awhile is genuinely fun to experience, survive and watch. Given the setting of the roleplay environment, people die all the time due to accidents, murder, natural causes, so on. Having an entire crew survive a shift would be rather rare, or it's simply a really uneventful extended round.

But petty condescending insulting bullshit like this warrants mocking on any level. But I won't, I'll instead identify that this mindset is absolutely wrong. Assuming the worst of people only makes you just as bad.

[Ryan Falcorino]

TL:DR

[Nikov]

I've noticed this after more years roleplaying than I might want to admit.

If roleplaying gives you positive emotions, its good roleplay.

If roleplaying gives you negative emotions, you're a bad roleplayer.

I am not entirely certain that negative emotions coming out of your roleplay are a bad thing at all, any more than Schindler's List making you feel morose makes it a bad movie or you a bad moviegoer.

[Bokaza]

TL;DR version

First of all, gonna talk about some fluff: It seems like a common phrase dropped to invalidate one's owns feelings they're experiencing, as if their thoughts and feelings aren't justified.

There are two "It's just a game" arguments. One is telling you to shut the fuck up because you're being silly, the other is telling you to calm down and explain the problem.

 

Humans are creatures with emotions, they express them, it's a healthy thing to do.

Being angry on the internet is not healthy. Learn to deal with it.

 

Now to the actual point that's relevant to this server: As far as I'm aware, Aurora is a heavy RP server, which I would come to assume means some more degree of integrity when it comes to genuine characters and playing them correctly. Though, that said, it's just a game, you shouldn't take it seriously right? In my perspective, these sort of role-playing games set a striking difference from other games, in that you are immersing yourself by creating, living, and acting a life in a world that doesn't exist, instead of just pressing buttons to make things go boom and win the video game. Role-playing is not unlike medias like movies or books, where you immerse yourself and suspend your disbelief, except you're the one who is actually living and breathing it. At least to me, serious or high-roleplay is creating a story and characters with meaningful interaction.

What I am trying to say from all of that is it is absurd to me that anyone would complain that someone in a role-playing game is taking it seriously. It is the actual point of these sorts of medias, to get immersed in a different world that is different than your own, and that's why people play it and enjoy it. It is a form of escapism for some as well. When there is a breach in this integrity, it tampers with the enjoyment of this sort of game, so of course people are going to be disappointed or upset over it. The thing is too, people who immerse themselves completely understand it is a video game; nobody is going to take it so seriously that if a character dies in game, they'll actually call the cops in real life. That, and, a good roleplayer knows very well how to separate themselves from their character. Honestly, if someone doesn't understand this concept, and thinks it's weird, either they should do some self-reflection of why they are trying to play this sort of game, or attempt to learn how to play it.

 

We are a Heavy RP server.

Something, something, something.

Who's this Borna chick?

 

In conclusion, the point of roleplaying is not to win the video game, it's to immerse yourself and create enjoyable stories and characters, and have interactions with them. I get it, it's SS13, where a lot of people are concerned more about being robust and looking out for those validhunters or whatever to be concerned with that petty roleplay stuff. Yet then, why do these people pretend to call themselves a roleplayer? There's probably more to say, or a better way to say all of this, I just had to get this off my chest. Hopefully it made any sense and showed some perspective.

 

It's just a game.

[Araskael]

The discussion kind of went in a different direction that I intended, but that's the nature of things. I meant more of it's healthy to express your emotions in some way instead of just bottling it up; that said, I'm not suggesting for someone to use that energy towards complaining and yelling at a game. It's all about directing the energy to something else, like exercising or something to let it out and de-stress.

My main issue I am trying to explain is that roleplaying isn't about winning or beating the video game, and I just do not care for that sort of attitude in this sort of game. For example, someone is selected as a traitor, and only really care about robusting the crew and completing the objective, and appeasing the OOC players of how good they were. It doesn't feel genuine, and detracts from the overall experience. In a movie or show or book, I don't mind at all tragedy or negative feelings or anything, they can kill off the cast if they want to, but if the story begins like "There was a man, he was evil, and he killed everyone, the end", then it isn't a very enjoyable experience, especially not one that fulfills the 'high-rp" title in this case of the server. I am aware that extreme cases of these are dealt with accordingly, like intentional griefing, but I have seen cases of this that doesn't necessarily break the rules.

Also, a little off topic, but in regards to us being strangers; we are all indeed strangers, but we are all also a part of a community, and are associated to each-other in some way. I do want to enjoy myself, but I do care about others and want to make sure everyone else is enjoying themselves. If others aren't enjoying the game, then it's not really fun for me. I'm only a stranger if you want me to be one!

[Guest]

The discussion kind of went in a different direction that I intended, but that's the nature of things. I meant more of it's healthy to express your emotions in some way instead of just bottling it up; that said, I'm not suggesting for someone to use that energy towards complaining and yelling at a game. It's all about directing the energy to something else, like exercising or something to let it out and de-stress.

 

It is entirely dependent on the users themselves to decide whether they wish to change their ways or not.

 

My main issue I am trying to explain is that roleplaying isn't about winning or beating the video game, and I just do not care for that sort of attitude in this sort of game. For example, someone is selected as a traitor, and only really care about robusting the crew and completing the objective, and appeasing the OOC players of how good they were. It doesn't feel genuine, and detracts from the overall experience. In a movie or show or book, I don't mind at all tragedy or negative feelings or anything, they can kill off the cast if they want to, but if the story begins like "There was a man, he was evil, and he killed everyone, the end", then it isn't a very enjoyable experience, especially not one that fulfills the 'high-rp" title in this case of the server. I am aware that extreme cases of these are dealt with accordingly, like intentional griefing, but I have seen cases of this that doesn't necessarily break the rules.

 

Antagonists have a lot more free will in respects to what constitutes to non-antagonists as "griefing" or "excessive force" in some manners. They are the antagonists and they are expected to create conflict. The crew is expected to respond to this conflict in some manner (at the very least try) to give the antagonist some context clue of "Yes hi we acknowledge you exist and are currently trying to interact with you in some way, either to stop you or if you have the upper hand, to try to appease you and position you into a weaker spot". Being caught in a phoron fire may not sound like a fun proposition to you, but hell if it isn't a terrifying surprising gamechanger to the others that may attempt to survive this. Fear of your character being incinerated in a single moment is a horrifying OOC feeling, and it'll seep well into IC and sow the seeds of immersion. Extremely robust antagonists that put people on edge and genuinely scared for their lives really help to satisfy this scenario.

Antagonists cannot really be expected to bow to their opposition, nor the other way around, it's just how it works from a behavioral standpoint. Conflict must happen or the round simply isn't worth playing for many people. Chair RP is still possible when the round goes tits up due to catastrophic station damage.

 

Also, a little off topic, but in regards to us being strangers; we are all indeed strangers, but we are all also a part of a community, and are associated to each-other in some way. I do want to enjoy myself, but I do care about others and want to make sure everyone else is enjoying themselves. If others aren't enjoying the game, then it's not really fun for me. I'm only a stranger if you want me to be one!

 

Yet ultimately, we will be so different from each other to the point where we are far too estranged and distant in times when closeness is needed to resolve issues when they pop up. Our differences are an obstacle that makes embracing each other as different individuals rather difficult.

[Araskael]

It is entirely dependent on the users themselves to decide whether they wish to change their ways or not.

Antagonists have a lot more free will in respects to what constitutes to non-antagonists as "griefing" or "excessive force" in some manners. They are the antagonists and they are expected to create conflict. The crew is expected to respond to this conflict in some manner (at the very least try) to give the antagonist some context clue of "Yes hi we acknowledge you exist and are currently trying to interact with you in some way, either to stop you or if you have the upper hand, to try to appease you and position you into a weaker spot". Being caught in a phoron fire may not sound like a fun proposition to you, but hell if it isn't a terrifying surprising gamechanger to the others that may attempt to survive this. Fear of your character being incinerated in a single moment is a horrifying OOC feeling, and it'll seep well into IC and sow the seeds of immersion. Extremely robust antagonists that put people on edge and genuinely scared for their lives really help to satisfy this scenario.

Antagonists cannot really be expected to bow to their opposition, nor the other way around, it's just how it works from a behavioral standpoint. Conflict must happen or the round simply isn't worth playing for many people. Chair RP is still possible when the round goes tits up due to catastrophic station damage.

Yet ultimately, we will be so different from each other to the point where we are far too estranged and distant in times when closeness is needed to resolve issues when they pop up. Our differences are an obstacle that makes embracing each other as different individuals rather difficult.

 

Well, I believe I've explained and said everything I could, I'm still not sure if I correctly explained myself and my argument as I agree with some of your points, and are kind of arguing on my side on a few things. I enjoy conflict, I enjoy those things that happen in the server, those moments of chaos.

Though I will say the last thing you said is a bit disappointing to read. We are a community, a niche server, there is no doubt about that. Playing here doesn't automatically make everyone best buddies, but we kind of need each-other for this sort of server to survive; it wont survive if everyone was distant strangers who didn't want anything to do with each-other. Hence why this forum even exists.

I don't feel like there's anything else for me to say though, but thanks for the thoughts and discussion from everyone.

[Bokaza]

It isn't about winning or beating the game? Well, true enough, that's not part of the HRP definition. However, that doesn't mean that people can't enjoy and be motivated by it.

You, me, delta or anyone else may want different things out of this game. Not everyone wants a good story and that is okay. As far as rules are concerned, there are standards you need to uphold, but beyond that, you are free to be motivated by whatever the fuck you want. I personally enjoy violence in this game, but with a bit of a buildup. Long complex stuff not needed. Just enough that it makes sense. That doesn't mean that my characters enjoy violence. They actually shy away from it unless they have no choice. I do occasionally break character and go for that violence pie, but I'm just a human.

Regardless, the point is that people want different things. The server's playerbase is very varried in opinions and tastes. It has always been the greatest strength and weakness of Aurora. Its variety produces conflict in the playerbase, but also makes it a fun server to play on. Some of the players you seem so critical against actually occupy the staff as well. Not like it's a surprise or anything. You aren't fixing it, though. Your post isn't fixing it. Neither is the next or the one after that. This shit isn't getting fixed unless you start purging and whitelisting everything. Something no one wants or is willing to do.

[Araskael]

It isn't about winning or beating the game? Well, true enough, that's not part of the HRP definition. However, that doesn't mean that people can't enjoy and be motivated by it.

You, me, delta or anyone else may want different things out of this game. Not everyone wants a good story and that is okay. As far as rules are concerned, there are standards you need to uphold, but beyond that, you are free to be motivated by whatever the fuck you want. I personally enjoy violence in this game, but with a bit of a buildup. Long complex stuff not needed. Just enough that it makes sense. That doesn't mean that my characters enjoy violence. They actually shy away from it unless they have no choice. I do occasionally break character and go for that violence pie, but I'm just a human.

Regardless, the point is that people want different things. The server's playerbase is very varried in opinions and tastes. It has always been the greatest strength and weakness of Aurora. Its variety produces conflict in the playerbase, but also makes it a fun server to play on. Some of the players you seem so critical against actually occupy the staff as well. Not like it's a surprise or anything. You aren't fixing it, though. Your post isn't fixing it. Neither is the next or the one after that. This shit isn't getting fixed unless you start purging and whitelisting everything. Something no one wants or is willing to do.

 

It seems my post has conveyed the wrong intentions and meaning, and I'm sorry for even mentioning it or even bringing it up, I'll be sure to keep my concerns and thoughts to myself in the future.

[Bokaza]

No, you haven't. You are saying people have a right to be upset if their experience was ruined by poor RP. People who counter it with 'It's just a game.' deserve to be ignored in any discourse. This is a forum about a video game, we are suppose to discuss it and be critical of it. It's how it gets gradually improved. I agree. There is the other case where people rage over the fact they lost OR their ruined RP. In that case, 'It's just a game.' IS a valid shutdown. It basically means shut the fuck up. There is a difference between telling a speaker and a screaming child to shut up. This is how things should be.

However, what I was tangentally implying with my post is that there is a very blurry line of what's considered HRP here. Some players will just want to carass their combat shotgun like an extension of their penis. Some players want their own romantic drama not to be bothered by the exploding station. Both are generally frowned upon. Or, used to be. That standard seems to have been abandoned when I wasn't looking. If you yell at those players for being shit RPers they will kick back and tell you that you are taking the game too seriously. Wrong or not, this has been going on for a long time. So long, in fact, that 'It's just a game' has become the unofficial server mantra. It's what's keeping the fragile peace among the diverse playerbase of Aurora. You stick to your clique, I'll stick with mine, and we'll all be happy and wallow in self-rightiousness. This is how things are.

[Araskael]

No, you haven't. You are saying people have a right to be upset if their experience was ruined by poor RP. People who counter it with 'It's just a game.' deserve to be ignored in any discourse. This is a forum about a video game, we are suppose to discuss it and be critical of it. It's how it gets gradually improved. I agree. There is the other case where people rage over the fact they lost OR their ruined RP. In that case, 'It's just a game.' IS a valid shutdown. It basically means shut the fuck up. There is a difference between telling a speaker and a screaming child to shut up. This is how things should be.

However, what I was tangentally implying with my post is that there is a very blurry line of what's considered HRP here. Some players will just want to carass their combat shotgun like an extension of their penis. Some players want their own romantic drama not to be bothered by the exploding station. Both are generally frowned upon. Or, used to be. That standard seems to have been abandoned when I wasn't looking. If you yell at those players for being shit RPers they will kick back and tell you that you are taking the game too seriously. Wrong or not, this has been going on for a long time. So long, in fact, that 'It's just a game' has become the unofficial server mantra. It's what's keeping the fragile peace among the diverse playerbase of Aurora. You stick to your clique, I'll stick with mine, and we'll all be happy and wallow in self-rightiousness. This is how things are.

 

I am saying what I have said, and it seems that isn't clear, so please stop assuming what you think I meant by it. I regret even attempting to engage with you with this sort of attitude you're presenting.

[Bokaza]

If you can't put it simply, you can't claim to understand it, as the saying goes. My failure to understand your thoughts is your failure. I apologize for my projected attitude, I just naturally sound obnoxious and condescending.

No one is saying you're dumb or moany or anything else for voicing your thoughts, though. Keep it up.

[Carver]

What's good is good, what's bad is bad. If noone's mad then all are glad.

Getting angry or sad over a video game is fine. It shows that you care about the game to some extent. There is nothing wrong with this. But in either case you should always take some a break for a few hours, or maybe a day, as the saying "It's only a game." does hold merit in that what happens is unlikely to affect you in the next session, unless it happens to be something RP-based, in which case keep being mad/sad/glad/what have you.

Validhunting is bad. Winning isn't bad, but winning tends to be dictated by the goals of those who try to win. Surviving is a good goal, making RP is a good goal, these things make sense and work well together. Validhunting is not a good goal, it may be fun but it can also be something of a cunt move and it neither prioritizes your survival or RP.