I just wanted to post a comment I made to a post by Ard the Paladin on the HolySh---ock blog. I think he makes a pretty level-headed post here, but I got fired up because Rorik of the WoW Street Journal started attacking elitists, and then linked to this post, which isn't really so much an attack as thoughts. Read the post to see what I'm responding to.
--------------
"You nailed it with this quote:
"It's down to expectation that is only measured compared to what you yourself are doing. I play many hours per week, I research gear, talents, abilties and strategy. When another player is benefitting from that, shouldn't they at least be doing the same?"
Why should someone else who hasn't bothered to put in the effort benefit equally with me for my effort? If you want to do that, that's totally fine. Play how you want. It just bites my nads when anyone paints someone as "elitist" (with of course a negative connotation) just for expecting other people to put in effort somewhat comparable to his own if they want the same chance at reward.
That said, people should play how they want to play! If you want to carry a friend, that's awesome for you! If your guild culture is such that everyone just likes to help everyone no matter how poorly they perform, more power to you! I wish you the best!
But please don't assume that people who are after results are necessarily having less fun than "friendly helpful people". It's just a different way of having fun, stemming from a different personality type and set of preferences. Both playstyles should coexist peacefully, instead of the "elitist vs casual" argument, which is really only about feelings getting hurt: "casuals" (overly broad and innacurate name for category, imo) are hurt because they feel rejected, while "elitists" are hurt because they feel like they are being taken advantage of (being a horse yoked to a raid to do all the work while other "lazier" players benefit). Yes, both sides have feelings and are humans! Both sides have reason to be mad, and neither side has moral superiority over the other. It's just a matter of preference."
-------------
My problem isn't that "casuals" can get awesome loot with the badge system, or any of that. I'm fine with it in general, though I've laid out my tangential objections in a recent post.
What I do have a problem with is either side claiming moral superiority over the other. My counterattack against Euripedes is about being mad at him for thinking he has moral superiority when I'm trying to show him and others why he doesn't. I don't believe for a second that I have moral superiority to tell other people they are bad people for their opinions on the badge change. I just want to let them go on their own way and have their own fun. I dont' want to carry people, but I couldn't give half a crap about whether or not you carry people in a raid I'm not in.
Not everyone thinks the same. Just because you don't want to, for instance, raid, doesn't mean I don't want to raid but force myself to do it out of some twisted need to show off how much better I think I am. I'm really tired of that assumption.
Just stop thinking other people are jerks for not wanting to carry others while sharing exactly the same rewards. I don't think Euri is a jerk because he thinks carrying is OK. I think he's a jerk because he very vocally and rudely tells people like me that we are jerks for reasons that seem less about right and wrong and more about his hurt feelings.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment