A thought on elitism
Posted: 31 Jul 2010, 17:05
Whenever I do something with someone who isn't as good at it as me, I'm generally pretty patient. I'm inclined to giving them advice and helping them to get better at it. I have no desire to humiliate them (and why would I unless I have a superiority complex?), but I am honest with them - if they make a mistake, or if I see a way they could improve, I'll point it out and offer advice. It's often fulfilling too - to help another human being, to enhance their enjoyment of something, and to just care about people in general.
One of the sad things in a lot of games, particularly when there's any competitive component, is the large number of people who aren't like that. It's never really had to be this way - you can compete with others without trying to shit on them, so to speak.
Of course I know why it's like this, the answer's pretty obvious... but the truth is, it's something better figured out for yourself - especially if you're guilty of it. And even though it's obvious, a lot of people (if not most) miss it - otherwise it wouldn't be happening.
For those of you who do, why do you feel the need to put others down? Be honest with yourself about it, and consider what your motive is in it. What do you get out of it? Flip it around, look at it from many angles. For instance, consider, how would you feel if you were the one being put down? Is that perhaps part of your motive? Or is it something else?
Why we do what we do - it's an important question that one, because often our motives aren't what we think they are. A lot of what we let motivate us is very very silly - but it doesn't have to be so, if we step back from it and become aware of it. It's the difference between being a robot on auto pilot, and an aware being making conscious choices.
Anyway... you might think it strange to talk about this on a game forum (let alone a private server yo!), but life is life wherever it is - some lessons transcend the context, just as the human beings playing a game make the game more than a game. Besides... messages in a bottle have a funny way of floating to the right shore.
One of the sad things in a lot of games, particularly when there's any competitive component, is the large number of people who aren't like that. It's never really had to be this way - you can compete with others without trying to shit on them, so to speak.
Of course I know why it's like this, the answer's pretty obvious... but the truth is, it's something better figured out for yourself - especially if you're guilty of it. And even though it's obvious, a lot of people (if not most) miss it - otherwise it wouldn't be happening.
For those of you who do, why do you feel the need to put others down? Be honest with yourself about it, and consider what your motive is in it. What do you get out of it? Flip it around, look at it from many angles. For instance, consider, how would you feel if you were the one being put down? Is that perhaps part of your motive? Or is it something else?
Why we do what we do - it's an important question that one, because often our motives aren't what we think they are. A lot of what we let motivate us is very very silly - but it doesn't have to be so, if we step back from it and become aware of it. It's the difference between being a robot on auto pilot, and an aware being making conscious choices.
Anyway... you might think it strange to talk about this on a game forum (let alone a private server yo!), but life is life wherever it is - some lessons transcend the context, just as the human beings playing a game make the game more than a game. Besides... messages in a bottle have a funny way of floating to the right shore.