Space Pinata
Amarr
Discount Napkin Industries
   |
Posted - 2009.10.13 05:29:00 -
[1]
I do not hate carebears. I feel sorry for them.
When I look at a carebear I see someone who is missing out on a deep level of the game, primarily due to fear that they might lose pixel money; that their arbitrary and useless 'isk' stat might go down. (And yes, ISK is useless if you don't spend it.)
They condition themselves into this mental state that they are 'completely incapable of defending themselves', helpless, in need of protection from the game itself rather than themselves... they do not realize that they have the same skills and ships available to them as everyone else.
When they die, they do not look at their mistake, learn from it, and then avoid making it again; they rage and call the people who killed them 'griefers'. They insult other people for playing the game, rage for a nerf, get angry even if you try to tell them what they could have done differently. (You explain the mistake they made, and get a big 'OMG its not my fault YOU BLEW MY SHIP UP' reply.)
And it is a bit pitiful, yes. My definition of carebear is beyond 'someone who PVE's.' It's reserved for the whiny sort of PVE'er who considers themself completely helpless, refuses to help themselves, and assumes that taking one step into danger is instant and certain death.
Rather than outthinking their enemies, they assume there must be some social issue on the other side. It's simply not the case. I am not out to 'grief' you, I am merely out to play the game. If you are so emotionally invested in a pixel spaceship that you associate it's destruction (which is within the rules of the game) with your enemy being a complete psychopath (Oh the humanity, my pixels!)... then I would argue that it is not the PVPer who has emotional issues.
This is the part the 'carebear' fails to understand. Sure, there are a few obnoxious types who want to troll and annoy you. (The forums are proof of that.) But, most PVPer's aren't out to 'make you cry'. They're just playing the game, and struggling to understand why you get upset when they play with you. Yes, they're on the other team, but one doesn't cry and say 'why do you hate me' if they lose a game of Mariokart. Your 'video game opponents' are not your RL enemies.
And, believe it or not, this is why (misguided or not), PVPers want to bring you into PVP. Because it's fun. Because maybe, if you tried it, and played as an equal rather than a victim, you just might enjoy it. Because, quite simply, as a PVPer, I don't understand why you take it so personally.
It's sort of like playing a game of chess. And then, when you take your enemies queen, they explode into tears and say it's unfair, accuse you of griefing them, call you a psychopath who just wants to hurt them. You don't want more 'tears', you just want them to stop freaking out and start providing a challenge.
Yes, I am aware someone will come and post about how they got ganked, it wasn't a challenge, etc. This is the previous mindset I mentioned. If you are not a threat, you made a mistake, and need to correct it.
tl;dr/summary: Most PVPers don't hate you. We're just having a great time playing the game, and really don't understand why PVP upsets you. Yes, we will laugh at you if you throw a tantrum over it. It's not because the tantrum was the intention, it's just because it seems so silly to freak out over 'losing' at a game. |