MMOgul – “The Jerk Factor”

Have you ever wondered why people in MMO’s tend to be such jerks? I’ve sat back many times and tried to answer that very question myself. It seems that no matter what you do, or how you approach some people in these games, they just have to be rude. At first I thought, maybe it’s all about how they get treated out in the real world. Possibly they had a horrible day at work, or their significant other was nagging them all day. So they feel it is only right to log into their favorite game, and wreak havoc on the populace.

I kind of doubt that it’s the real worlds fault though. If the amount of jerks you run into in these games all really had that bad of a day, it would equate to a whole lot of unhappy people out there. No, I think it has something to do with what I like to call the “Jerk Factor”. Now the “Jerk Factor” is basically my fun little term I like to use when labeling these folks in game. I use it for those people who have a massive attitude for no apparent reason.

I personally play World of Warcraft very often, and I am a very social person. I’ll talk to anyone about anything, anytime. This is where the problem comes in. Genuinely I am a nice person, so if I see a low level player or someone who is struggling I will try my best to help them out. However, I see tons of players who would rather call the person a “Noob” or a “Bad” instead of taking two seconds out of their day to help someone.

Now that I’ve come out about playing World of Warcraft, I know many people will fall onto the “oh they have twelve million players, so of course you’ll find some bad apples” argument. Let me just say that it is not just World of Warcraft that’s the problem. I started out my MMO career playing Ultima Online before moving on into games like Anarchy Online, Eve, EQ, Aion, Warhammer and Age of Conan, as well as a handful of console multiplayer games.

It is not just World of Warcraft, the “Jerk Factor” is present in all of those games. They are very harsh worlds. I remember letting my son play on some of my accounts before he learned to read. He had loads of fun just running around doing his own thing. However as soon as he could read he went right back to the PS3 and the DS. It is not a very friendly world for anyone though, not just younger people.

Basically what I am trying to say here is that you should really take a step back before you let loose on someone, and give them a ton of grief. You never know who is on the receiving end of your bitterness and anger. Just think, taking those two seconds to help someone could really make their day, and make you a better gamer in the long run. Let’s start helping each other more, and learn to lose the “Jerk Factor”.

Make sure to check back next week as I take on Modern Warfare 2, and Star Trek Online!