Complaint/Rant/Thing: What's with all the aggression lately?

[Unnamed Mercenary]

So. How many people are thinking it?

 

Do you know if any people are considering avoiding RPC because of it?

 

WHY IS IT HAPPENING?!

 

What's with all the recent aggression in so many threads lately?! Disagreeing on a topic is fine. Having a debate doesn't need to have a "losing" side. Opinions are OPINIONS. They cannot be considered "wrong". (Maybe informed, but that's an opinion!)

 

There's been a noticeable trend lately in newer threads that there needs to be some "correct" interpretation to EVERYTHING. Honestly, it's kinda sickening. Why is there this massive push for everything to be 100% compatible with everything else? Am I really speaking only for myself when I say "we're roleplayers playing in a make-believe game"? There can be disagreements. There can be differing levels of realism. The word "Fantasy" is in the title of the game we play! I'm sure everyone has some level of realism they want to play in. There are -how- many active users in the forums? 100% compliance across the board just isn't gonna happen.

 

For the most established members, remember when we held actual discussion instead of arguing a petty point until the mods needed to delete posts or lock a thread? They shouldn't need to do that. They're people too. And they've got opinions as well. Can't we (as a community) be a LOT more respectable to each other? If there's a post/thread you don't like, exercise some restraint. An argument on the internet isn't going to suddenly make Square Enix change their minds on a design decision.

 

It's even stated in the rules of the site. Own your words. Please. I'm begging. If you don't think you can keep the peace, then please don't derail a thread's topic or post otherwise aggressive comments. Can't we get along AND be in disagreement if necessary?

 

edit: I should state directly. I like being on the RPC. I'm not considering leaving, but I have seen related posts by people who used to come on here who frequent less and less due to the drama, which is greatly upsetting.

 

2nd edit: so...I have no idea if the translation's "good" or not, and I am completely incapable of understanding korean. But it's catchy and upbeat. And the couple English clips in it sum it up well, as far as I can tell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LsVQ0ONNDg

 

[OttoVann]

I think you will come to see it in this thread, as people wax poetically about what should be different and why they've said certain things in the past. To be honest I can't figure it out, this is the first and likely last mmo I will RP in for a variety of reasons, and for a while I was high on the RPC but I haven't visited it for months until recently.

 

The only thing I can "point out" is that from what I've seen, a lot of people that aren't 'old-crowd' RPC members are straight ignored in any discussion that lasts more than 2 pages, the 'old-crowd' people seemingly talk back and forth only while the rest just sort of speak to the void.

 

The other thing I guess I could stretch for and say is that theres been quite a few more threads with just...hundreds and hundreds of bitchfest posts arguing over inane shit. Ive been around a few forums, the only threads that ever went to a critical-mass like size were the ones dedicated to women in bikinis or something to that effect. This place has them on a regular basis now.

[Kage]

How many people are considering avoiding RPC because of it?

I know several who were and have done this but once aired out a nice lovely bearded* man said he'd voice some of what our thoughts were.

 

I said it earlier today, but kudos to you.

 

*I'm sorry I actually don't know if you're bearded but Osric's got a beard and whenever he doesn't it's -weird-

[111]

Ive been around a few forums, the only threads that ever went to a critical-mass like size were the ones dedicated to women in bikinis or something to that effect. This place has them on a regular basis now.

 

Clearly the solution is bring back the cheesecake thread.

 

http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=7874&highlight=hotties

 

Also I don't know, but I am not sure it's recent. The hot button issues used to be arguing over in game things (aka housing.) but I remember the white mage lore arguments quite vividly.

 

It almost seems cyclical, however I think this sort of obsession with realism or what is 'believable' will be forgotten just like those other topics were. I think people just need to get it out of their system.

[Hammersmith]

The other thing I guess I could stretch for and say is that theres been quite a few more threads with just...hundreds and hundreds of bitchfest posts arguing over inane shit.  Ive been around a few forums, the only threads that ever went to a critical-mass like size were the ones dedicated to women in bikinis or something to that effect.  This place has them on a regular basis now.

[Aaron]

Doesn't take much to ignore someone when they start making snide remarks. 

 

In that thread where me and flynt apologize any post that had something intended to belittle or such in it, i simply stopped reading mid post and went to the next post.

 

Not that hard people lol

[Aya]

Things have been a little bit testy!  (Too testy I think too). 

 

Our fun threads that run to amazing length though are like the compliments thread and stuff!  Community building fun, I think... that's not bad at all

[Chris Ganale]

The only thing I can "point out" is that from what I've seen, a lot of people that aren't 'old-crowd' RPC members are straight ignored in any discussion that lasts more than 2 pages, the 'old-crowd' people seemingly talk back and forth only while the rest just sort of speak to the void.

 

This is a pretty common thing. I won't inflate my sense of worth by saying it's a big issue, but it is common.

[Hammersmith]

Realtalk as a newb-

 

I've had good "fun" threads and a few good "Srs time" threads here.  I've not run into much or any "real" aggression either.

 

 

Maybe I need to go into these sketchier threads....

[Zhavi]

I blame end-of-cycle boredom. People need new and shiny things to distract them.

 

But also, lots of people are in school. Finals should be coming up soon. Stress can make people testy. *shrugs*

[Aya]

Maybe I need to go into these sketchier threads....

But what if we just ignore you? Then where will you be! *foot tap* Hmmm?

[Hammersmith]

Maybe I need to go into these sketchier threads....

But what if we just ignore you? Then where will you be! *foot tap* Hmmm?

Outside.

 

Playing sports.

 

NERD.

 

*runs off crying*

[Aoi Fukiku]

A huge problem is that it is hard to read the tone of what someone may imply from text which may on one hand be done as a joke to ease what may already be seen as aggression only to make it worse.

 

I do feel as if there has been a good bit of aggression but I think it is everyone just getting 'ancy about the Xpac coming around and wanting to nitpick lore or other issues they see fit. I am sure it will blow over but I surely hope no one becomes fearful of the RPC. I've met some amazing people here and know I will continue to do so!

[Steel Wolf]

Some threads have been a bit...zesty? But overall this is still the place that I go to repeatedly to keep in touch with my RP homies and the game that I love. Even despite some of its more boneheaded design decisions.

 

I think that maybe we should take stock in what's coming. We've got an expansion pack to what is easily the biggest MMO success story of 2014, with all sorts of new, wanted and eagerly awaited jobs and ALL of the characterization that comes with it! Good, bad or brilliant. The doldrums before are gonna suck...and I have a pretty strong feeling that launch will be a disaster for at least four days...but this is positive!

 

Accentuate the positive, my brothers and sisters! ROEHUGS TO ALL, DAMMIT!

[Elaris]

Doesn't take much to ignore someone when they start making snide remarks. 

 

In that thread where me and flynt apologize any post that had something intended to belittle or such in it, i simply stopped reading mid post and went to the next post.

 

Not that hard people lol

 

This is basically what most people should do honestly. Rarely there is going to be somebody who does not agree with your opinion so they will toss snide remarks your way, post a meme to try and make your post seem insignificant or a joke if you will. I do agree that the forums have been somewhat tense lately with some hostility, some people just need to agree to disagree when it appears that you cannot change somebodies opinion, it is their opinion afterall. I have only ever been a lurker really since I had joined the RPC but it was nice to read community debates, and it is also nice to view those community building threads too. I guess my only rant would be is to ease up on the memes, I noticed some threads get derailed by memes lately and It does get annoying imo. Although I mention the memes it is something I can ignore too if need be, this is the best RP community I had been able to lurk and trust me I had lurked more than a few over the past 5 years.:blush:

[Aya]

Things can't always be positive.. and I say this as someone who doesn't like negativity.  I hope the people who have looked away don't stay away.  Its easier just to avoid controversial topics, I think, there's so much good stuff and discussion on the RPC that isn't controversial or heated, and its a shame to miss out on that!

[Val]

It's certainly noticed. I tend to offer my opinions on subjects and I try my best to respect those of others, but if I see a topic going entirely south I'll bail out. I also admit I lurk more than I actually post here now and stick to a few in game friends. I'll try to branch out and get in touch with those I've been trying to RP with for forever now once these courses end.

 

My general response when someone resorts to snide remarks is to ultimately ignore them. As others have pointed out, that can be hard to do. If I simply disagree with the individual, I will tell them so and am more than willing to let it be that.

 

I don't see the need to stop RPing/talking to people simply because you don't agree with the same points as them. There are plenty of people I speak with on regular basis that I don't agree with. So long as you respect the person's beliefs, I don't see any reason for malice.

[K'nahli]

I must admit, this topic itself made me a bit wary but I suppose it has good intentions.

 

I will say it now though, to anyone and everyone, be especially wary about your choice of wording. Strongly disagreeing or being passionate about one philosophy or another is totally fine so long as you don't neglect your responsibility to do your best to not come off as offensive to the other party. If people keep choosing to test the limits of how far they can push rude or unnecessarily, negative remarks then you will soon find that there will be a lot less leniency for what is considered tolerable content - and no-one likes strict rules or moderation, so please consider what effects your actions may have on everyone else and not just yourself.

[Oscare]

A lot of it has to do with the recent uprising of Heavenward information.

 

There's been a lot of disagreements over many things, most namely Dark Knight. All the aggression in those threads leaked onto other, unrelated to Heavenward threads. With the actual release of the expansion, most of it will (hopefully) die down. But yeah, not everything can always be positive like Aya said. 

 

The best thing to do is just step away from the places that are heated and enjoy the things that aren't.

[Delilah Scythewood]

Tone through text is a huge thing, since at times it is very much hit or miss. But yeah, some people I notice are just pretty blatant in their passive aggression or can't admit they come that way to other people even when approached about it.

 

From the time I created DOVE to the time I retired, I can honestly say 3/4 of the guild population at any given time avoided the RPC in large part for this very reason. Either they had seen it themselves by lurking as a 'guest' or heard about it enough times to stay away. I'll admit there are times I just don't post for a while and look instead for the sake of not running into those kind of situations.

 

Opinions are lovely. We all have them. This is a forum, after all, but all too often I notice people abuse the fact this is the internet and that behind the screens we're all people too.

[Kyrio Lamansque]

I'll admit it. Things that are kinda... deep? I tend to just not go into. I tend to try to get a general idea of lore, so I can make characters that makes sense, but situations like those being spoken of above would be a reason why I don't try to become well-versed. Because if I felt like I knew everything, I'd try to express it. And I know from experience from past games, when someone tries to play the schoolmarm, bad things just happen. 

 

It's just a game. 

 

It's a game we all play in. 

 

And generally speaking, we're friends. 

 

Can't we all just get along?

[Kellach Woods]

I've no idea why I keep coming back to these forums.

 

RP I've gotten because of these forums? None. I got into a RP FC by virtue of my ass needing some schooling on how to WAR proper after I posted in the FFXIV Discussion forum, joining a OOC linkshell.

 

Comments I've gotten on wiki/IC writing on these forums? Only one, and while it made my day, I've gotten nothing from anything I produced past Sept. 30th which is the majority of the developments made to the character post getting fired.

 

The RP/FFXIV discussion forums used to be useful, but are filled with so much inane snark that I see no point in continuing to contribute anything, not that I had good contributions before as most of my best posts are kinda shitposting.

 

Hell, the only interaction I have with anyone here is yelling at Warren from time to time and the Compliment thread at this point. I get the feeling that if I were to join now it'd be extremely difficult to break into anything that's ongoing because nobody gives a fuck about less established folks.

 

Can this forum have a point again? Not unless people step up. Least I can do is curtail my shitposting and other than this post I'll certainly try to do that.

[Aduu Avagnar]

I would hope that no one takes any of my posts in an aggressive or offensive manner? I am the kind of person who likes to use a basis of realism and build up the fantasticalness from there, so I do look at the whys and wherefores to build from. Including the way that different weapons work etc.

 

But I certainly don't ever try to be offensive or agressive. And if I am, it tends to be /very/ obvious.

[xelliexell]

I think the RPC is a great place for people to gather and meet one another, advertise events, and the like, so I'm actually quite a huge fan of the site!

 

I do tend to stay out of most threads, though, because things do seem to get... not chillax? High tension? Unfortunately, the RPC lore threads (or really any thread involving opinions) seem to have a bit of a reputation these days.

 

Sometimes I'll be genuinely interested in a thread and everyone's opinions, but usually by the second page it's devolved from discussion to heated/personal debates, and I wander off. But I don't blame the site for this, and I'm at least world-minded enough to be aware that a few bad eggs don't represent an entire group of people. I think it's actually pretty much inevitable, due to the size and magnitude of the site itself. We have so many different people gathered here, and all of them bring different opinions in regard to forum etiquette. Some think that you should be polite and respectful at all times, while others think that being blunt and honest is the best way.

 

But the grateful thing about the internet is that you really can just close the browser and walk away. Find the people who are like you (in my case, 'chillax'/understanding/respectful people) and hold onto them.

[Maril]

Honestly, most of my guildee's avoid the RPC because of it's reputation for drama and fights. Save for the start of the relaunch I can't think of a time where I haven't heard someone say "oh I don't go there because I heard.." - Many times they haven't even seen it themselves, they just assume. It's also part thanks to the fact that almost all RP-community websites end up toxic at one point or another, some of the worst cases I've witness has had biased corruption in the staff/mod-group as well, to the point of refusing to ban a clearly abusive user because they were picking on someone they didn't like anyways. As far as I can tell stuff doesn't get abused here when it comes to modpowers anyways, something I'm really happy about. 

 

And those who aren't avoiding the site because of it's reputation, are not using it because when you first come here it really seems like a site for NA people only - which is obviously because my fc is an EU one and that. Heck when I came here myself I was confused about that too in the start. But that's #justeupeoplestuff. 

 

Anyways. I have noticed the increase in agression here, but I certainly also have noticed it in-game. I recently left a linkshell - not going to mention names - which used to be friendly, but has become worse over time. One evening there was a bunch of people bashing on heavy-rpers for being too serious/elitist/etc and it just got a bit much. Might seem like an over-reaction on my part, but honestly I don't want to expose myself to more of that kind of toxicity than what I can't avoid. It's no secret that roleplayers often disagree about things but it's gotten a bit OTT recently.

 

When it comes to this site I just try to stay out of ticking-bomb threads or, alternatively abandon them when they start to become toxic or excessively passive-aggressive. To the point of not even reading them, because it's just going to end up ruffling feathers.