Why can't people be friendly in a game?

[Biff.5312]

You shouldn't equate the forums with 'the game'. There are a lot of people here just waiting to pounce on what someone else says. There are also helpful people, but it's not nearly the same proportion that I've discovered in game. While playing, the large majority of other players are helpful and friendly, although I do find this is eroding lately, which I think is because of people migrating from other games.

[IndigoSundown.5419]

Let's face it, "proving" someone wrong on the internet has become an international pastime. GW2 mods at least make an effort to cull the posts that are outright rude and disrespectful. Getting them all might well be a task similar to Hercules task to clean the stables.

Outside of people who post to solely "correct" others, a lot of posters have their own goals for posting. If someone opposes another poster's idea, they're likely to make that known. Poster A posts Idea Z, but poster B prefers Idea Y, then B is likely to say so in ways that attempt to convince other readers that A's idea is inferior. Then there are the status quo defenders, who chime in often when anyone proposes a change to the game. These "defenses" are often, "Things should stay how they are because that's how ANet made it." I find those posts to often be worthy of comment, because ANet has made many changes based on player requests., which tends to invalidate a knee-jerk status quo defense.

Profession forums are going to be a hotbed of corrections, attempted corrections, and thinly-veiled mockery. After all, many of those who post there have an investment in protecting their own builds from changes, or establish their own credibility by demonstrating what is to them superior knowledge of the profession than the poster they are responding to. This is unlikely to change.

There are posters who aim to be helpful. However, that cannot be said of all posters. The best approach to deal with this fact is to engage with the former and disregard the latter. This may require a bit of mental judo wherein you mentally separate your posted idea/response/whatever from yourself. Developing such a skill will be useful in more places in life than on a game forum.

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@IndigoSundown.5419 said:GW2 mods at least make an effort to cull the posts that are outright rude and disrespectful. Getting them all might well be a task similar to Hercules task to clean the stables.

The moderation team tries to keep things on an even keel. They remove posts that are unconstructive and leave those that, while perhaps fervently, even angrily expressed, have something of value to add to the conversation. In the end, a heated discussion is fine. A flame war is not. Something expressed with passion is ok; something that attacks or demeans another, is not. Off topic is generally not helpful in a conversation.

@IndigoSundown.5419 said:There are posters who aim to be helpful. However, that cannot be said of all posters. The best approach to deal with this fact is to engage with the former and disregard the latter. This may require a bit of mental judo wherein you mentally separate your posted idea/response/whatever from yourself. Developing such a skill will be useful in more places in life than on a game forum.

I tend to agree. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it may be human nature to respond to the initial post in a thread, but there is much to be gained from reading all of the responses in an interesting thread, and then quoting and responding to those within the thread. Whether you agree with the quoted content, or disagree with it, it's worthwhile to state your opinion, and to do so in a reasonable tone. "I disagree with you" is different than "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries." :)

[Gaile Gray.6029]

@"mickey.2816" said:Holy Moly!

I thought Gw2 community was always very friendly, but when I tried to read professions thread I felt like having a lobotomy. Most people will try to attack one another instead of talking about the core topic. Just walked myself through a thread when the OP tried his best to discuss about mechanic (malice), then everyone jumped on the class discussion instead to flame that poor chap who played deadeye. Rev forum and warrior forum are full of trolls who will call out other as crying baby, whiny kitten or "no brain". I know there will be people who jump this thread and say "if you can't handle the internet leave it", which is the exact toxic mentality to defend themselves.

Wow... People just have to be rude thesedays? I remember GW2 as a different game with different people.

I wanted to encourage you to continue to interact on the forums. I do agree with you that there are heated conversations. We hope that the posts that you read will have value, in that they will be constructive or helpful or informative. The team tries to give some leeway on personal expression. We know that people are highly invested in their chosen profession(s) and that there often is an inclination to be protective of what they've chosen. That can be seen in a "Leave my profession alone, it's fine, just nerf [that other profession]" sort of posts. Or in the [that profession stinks!] comments, too. :)

If you find a post truly is not constructive -- it's off topic or offensive or completely without perceptible value -- you can click "Report" immediately below the post to ask for a moderator review. You're not actively removing the post by doing that, you're just letting us know that -- by checking a reason in the report -- you feel the post deserves a look by a neutral moderator. You can write notes if you want, or you can just click the reason you've reported and the mod will take a look.

In an ideal world, none of us would ever need to question someone else's comments. In the real world, however, a second look never hurts and it may help us retain a reasonable tone for the discussions that take place here. In the end, the forum offers a good way to converse about and learn about the game, and we'll do our best to make it pleasant for people to do that.

[Joranti the Harvester.3976]

I too have had issues with how im treated..and this is in game. Face it, I like making unusual characters...yet even when my characters may not be 100% canon I am literally boycotted...tied up and dragged behind a raptor wagon and then burned at the stake for it. I quit the game just recently for over a month because of it and my wallet went with me and that only hurts a game. Ive came back to give it one more try...if i cant find a group of folks tolerant in my odd toons...im afraid ill leave for good and go back to sto, co and Sw:tor. Most games I go to its the pvp community that's toxic..here it seems the rp'rs are the ones doing it at it makes me sad. literally none save one of my characters has even been allowed in any guild. :( I just wish I could find a not so uber strict guild I could rp with others in.

[kharmin.7683]

@Joranti the Harvester.3976 said:I just wish I could find a not so uber strict guild I could rp with others in.

Create your own with your own guidelines. Maybe you'll have better luck attracting like-minded RPers rather than the other way 'round.