The term special snowflake is very derogatory to players who want a unique concept instead of a cookie cutter NPC type, and I find it rather insulting that people keep throwing it around like using the term toward someone else makes them somehow a better player. Â
Just because someone doesn't want to be an everyman doesn't make them a special snowflake. Â Not every character has to be an everyman. Â Everyman characters, yes, they can be fun when done well, I have a few myself, but playing that, all the time, every day, is like slice of life RP. Â To a lot of players, it's boring as hell. Â
If I want to deal with slice of life, I'll log off the game and go live my real life. Â I play an MMO for the same reason I RP - the fantastic, the things that can't be done in real life, the things that are interesting, or intriguing, interacting with people who are unique and different. Â You could consider anyone who is beyond moderately skilled to be a special snowflake, because those aren't the status quo type of character. Â The status quo are characters who are ordinary, and maybe they have rich personalities and backgrounds, but they're still the status quo. Â That's why they're the everyman. Â And I do enjoy interacting with characters like that. Â
But it should be my choice to play something like that.  Players shouldn't have it shoved down their throat that 'You either play this type of character or you're a special snowflake and that's bad.'  It does nothing but try to punish people who want to be creative and inventive.  It makes them feel like garbage for trying to play something beyond the everyman.  It's why I never use that word, even when describing the most god-moddy character in existence.
And why is that considered metagaming? Â Does this mean that every Ishgard player who hasn't yet reached Ishgard can't say anything about the current state of the City-State, despite the fact they're from Ishgard, just because they're not there in the MSQ? Â The MSQ doesn't reflect your character being from Ishgard. Â Or Ul'dah, or Gridania, or Limsa Lominsa. Â In all of the quests, you're from somewhere far away, and no one knows where, you just happened to end up in those places on a wagon drawn by Chocobo. Â You're a visitor. Â Those places aren't your home, or point of origin. Â
So by that logic, you can't play someone from any of those city-states. Â Because your MSQ/side-quests say you're not from there. Â Again, there are inherent flaws with making the OOC mechanics and MSQ an integral part of RP. Â Namely that one was not made to fit into the other.
Just because someone doesn't want to be an everyman doesn't make them a special snowflake. Â Not every character has to be an everyman. Â Everyman characters, yes, they can be fun when done well, I have a few myself, but playing that, all the time, every day, is like slice of life RP. Â To a lot of players, it's boring as hell. Â
If I want to deal with slice of life, I'll log off the game and go live my real life. Â I play an MMO for the same reason I RP - the fantastic, the things that can't be done in real life, the things that are interesting, or intriguing, interacting with people who are unique and different. Â You could consider anyone who is beyond moderately skilled to be a special snowflake, because those aren't the status quo type of character. Â The status quo are characters who are ordinary, and maybe they have rich personalities and backgrounds, but they're still the status quo. Â That's why they're the everyman. Â And I do enjoy interacting with characters like that. Â
But it should be my choice to play something like that.  Players shouldn't have it shoved down their throat that 'You either play this type of character or you're a special snowflake and that's bad.'  It does nothing but try to punish people who want to be creative and inventive.  It makes them feel like garbage for trying to play something beyond the everyman.  It's why I never use that word, even when describing the most god-moddy character in existence.
And why is that considered metagaming? Â Does this mean that every Ishgard player who hasn't yet reached Ishgard can't say anything about the current state of the City-State, despite the fact they're from Ishgard, just because they're not there in the MSQ? Â The MSQ doesn't reflect your character being from Ishgard. Â Or Ul'dah, or Gridania, or Limsa Lominsa. Â In all of the quests, you're from somewhere far away, and no one knows where, you just happened to end up in those places on a wagon drawn by Chocobo. Â You're a visitor. Â Those places aren't your home, or point of origin. Â
So by that logic, you can't play someone from any of those city-states. Â Because your MSQ/side-quests say you're not from there. Â Again, there are inherent flaws with making the OOC mechanics and MSQ an integral part of RP. Â Namely that one was not made to fit into the other.
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