Driving and MMOs
MMO communities are an awful lot like drivers in a traffic jam. They’re assholes.
When given anonymity and an audience, everyone becomes a douche. This is a known law of the universe best illustrated by a 2004 Penny Arcade strip:
Much science and rigorous peer review established this Theory in 2004
The parallels between people in a traffic jam and online communities are less commonly referenced, however. I realized it today myself as I was flipping someone the bird for passing me on the right illegally. I wished physical harm upon this driver. I wanted to inflict that physical harm – with a baseball bat. A baseball bat like the one I keep in my trunk. A bat I reserve for assholes that endanger my life on the road.
As I was imagining how much fun it would be to follow the prick to his destination and smash his windshield in, I realized something. I’ve felt this feeling before. Something more familiar, more common than near fatal car collisions. It’s the same rage and desire for repercussion that consumed me every time I was ganked in Booty Bay while handing in a quest. It’s the same thing I feel each time a troll beats me in LoL and spams “u mad” along with a cavalcade of racial slurs and 1998 internet insults that weren’t funny then.
My position here isn’t that these people are the same. The motivations are different. I think internet fuckwads are more malevolent. Trolls possess malice aforethought. They want to make your miserable while gaming because it enhances their fun. Drivers are just negligent. There’s some core disregard for your fellow human being though and my ending emotions the same.
It’s likely tied to the environments. The “troll or be trolled” mentality is a product of dealing with trolls all day. Drivers aren’t taught to be offensive drivers, they acquire it from the sea of assholes driving like they’re destination is more important than yours.
Sure, I’m mostly venting about someone driving on the shoulder and nearly smashing my fender to oblivion. But there’s a positive message here too. A video game/traffic jam hakuna matata that I think we could all agree with. The environments of online gaming and driving have become congested with fuckwads. If we remembered that there’s a person in the other side of the computer monitor or in the other car, we could stave some of the toxicity.
Basically:
Drive safe. Game responsibly. If you don’t I will find you. And I will bring kerosene.