My God this has caused quite an interesting response.
When I first read the initial post I thought this thread would end quickly with a response something like:
It is a game, just a game, and even though someone was a 'jerk' to you or your friend, it is still just a game.
Yes being an online game there are social aspects, but people come to WoW to have fun and to act how they can not, and maybe even would not in real life.
Doubt this person would say I want to rape you to anyone in the real world. They knew they could get away with it in WoW, so they said it. Was it sad, yes, is it unfortunate, yes.
While courtesy would be nice to get, it should not be expected in a virtual community in a game designed for fun. Throw the age issue out the window. Whether 11 years old, or 40 years old, both people are probably of the mindset that they are entering a 'fake' community, where social rules are much looser than in real life.
This prompts people to act as they want knowing that they can. This is a vent for things we can not and would not do in the real world. In GTA, I like to kill, steal, pimp, etc. But I would not do any of this in the real world.
When people can freely act a certain way, some people will act that way.
Yours is an excellent example, and I believe an earlier thread even mentioned this point. They did not know your friend had been raped, and if they did, they likely would not have said what they said. In WoW players do not see other players, they see a fake world with no consequences. This may not make what they said right, but to restate an earlier point:
I am more concerned with how people act in the real world than in an online community where normal socially acceptable behavior is not governed. (Other than by the 'report' button)
When I first read the initial post I thought this thread would end quickly with a response something like:
It is a game, just a game, and even though someone was a 'jerk' to you or your friend, it is still just a game.
Yes being an online game there are social aspects, but people come to WoW to have fun and to act how they can not, and maybe even would not in real life.
Doubt this person would say I want to rape you to anyone in the real world. They knew they could get away with it in WoW, so they said it. Was it sad, yes, is it unfortunate, yes.
While courtesy would be nice to get, it should not be expected in a virtual community in a game designed for fun. Throw the age issue out the window. Whether 11 years old, or 40 years old, both people are probably of the mindset that they are entering a 'fake' community, where social rules are much looser than in real life.
This prompts people to act as they want knowing that they can. This is a vent for things we can not and would not do in the real world. In GTA, I like to kill, steal, pimp, etc. But I would not do any of this in the real world.
When people can freely act a certain way, some people will act that way.
Yours is an excellent example, and I believe an earlier thread even mentioned this point. They did not know your friend had been raped, and if they did, they likely would not have said what they said. In WoW players do not see other players, they see a fake world with no consequences. This may not make what they said right, but to restate an earlier point:
I am more concerned with how people act in the real world than in an online community where normal socially acceptable behavior is not governed. (Other than by the 'report' button)