WAR is everywhere.
At least that is what Journeys with Jaye proclaims.
She would be right.
It seems so many have become overly emotional with discussion and opinions.
Love, hate, all things that cover a relationship, now seems to be the single crusade of many a blogger.
Isn't that what a WAR is though?
We must give credit where credit is due.
A game comes along only once in a while that requires this type of commitment. Whether it is love or hate.
Warhammer Online is one of those games that either gains the zeal of the player or the rancor of the non-believer of the WAR philosophy...
Why fix what is not broken.
As Jaye states
"And in the past few days, we’ve become witness to a tag team blog-off about Warhammer Online that included references to Kool-Aid, Communist Russia, and the Bible. I don’t necessarily endorse the beehive-prodding strategy of Tipa (although her recent entries are hilarious and have become the only sparkling gem that’s emerged from this showdown), and I also disagree with going so far as to start a crusade against Warhammer fans. But at the same time, it’s slightly ridiculous that the same people over and over are making it personal, and rejecting any thoughtful criticism about this particular game."
She is right.It has really gone too far.
Since Age of Conan and the need for every blog to rant and rave over its issues, and then the developers of LOTRO proclaiming they would be the 2nd largest MMO game behind WoW, it has gone downhill.
I for one started my relaunch for one reason. I wish to not follow this rhetoric. I wish to discuss the games I enjoy.
But, I think there is a slew of blogs who are more homegrown, more real.
Their stories and opinions really have something to say to the web about the games they play.
I enjoy MMO's most, and my focus will be there, so it will be hard to resist these discussions of the "flavor of the month" MMO.
I hope to maybe instead talk about games which are unique in some way or format.
Age of Conan, Guild Wars, Chronicles of Spellborn, Aion...these interest me the most.
I hope that as this blows over, and people learn what is commentary and what is hyperbole, that we can get back to the games we love.
Cheers, and thanks for reading.
3 comments:
Jaye is a she :P
My philosophy these days is that, while I might feel that certain games are better than other games, that doesn't negate the fact that those games are fun to the people playing them. Cownose's blog is actually a great example - I hated Lineage 2, yet I read his stuff faithfully. Just as there's nothing wrong with me not liking it, there's nothing wrong with him having a great time there.
There's also nothing wrong with me telling the community that I think Lineage 2 sucks. The trick is to try to see the other side in saying that, and to understand that my dislike doesn't invalidate any of the reasons people do like it. If that comes across in the writing, it'll act as a damper on the sort of flamewar that we had this past week. The games themselves are less important than the people.
I think that several blogs in the recent flap, yourself included but certainly not just you, did not succeed enough in communicating that basic respect for the people on the other side of the discussion. I do not think that anybody was feeling that the other side ought to be silenced, and maybe that didn't get said early or often enough.
Anyway. Speaking only for myself, I'm glad you're back - the MMO blogosphere would be poorer for your absence.
Also, congrats on the new site format - it's a lot easier to read.
@Brenda
Thanks for the heads up. Fixed..
@Ardwulf
Everyone can enjoy different games. And I agree with you that we also can note when a game sucks.
The issue is some of the blogs fervently describe the game as if they need to sell it. Not how they are playing it.
This is where the disconnect happened.
When we have an opinion of a game, and the discussion borders on "attacks" instead of opinion or "humor" (which I saw in your Strangelove post, which was quite humorous, yet note how someone thought it was a rude slam. I COULD TELL the difference, and I will assume I read it correctly), then it really becomes a you against me WAR.
The fun is lost at that point.
It should not have to be that way.
I have no issue with someone having fun in their game, but come along and tell me I cannot say I am NOT having fun sounds "communistic" in nature.
This led to the silencing.
I think due to the fact that I decided to remove the "hateful" posts, it was not known how it was more of "You are an idiot because you do not like what we like" and some of the responses was along the lines of "Who gave you the right..." or "Why waste our blog space with YOUR opinion"
attitude and as such, it went overboard.
This ruined the fun overall, and a clean slate was needed.
You are right. Communication would have been key. A personal email would have sufficed, and not a public raping, which was returned in kind, albeit comically.
No one likes comrades I guess.
Thank you though for your post.
And we need to remember...it is all about the games!
Post a Comment