If you lead them, they will follow...

Its often said that people can be like sheep, blindly following each other no matter what the circumstances. That analogy can also be applied to online gamers, although often its more like lemmings !!

Us gamers join clans, guilds, player associations or whatever you want to call them, for a variety of reasons. Some just have the need to belong, others join for strategic reasons and some just like to have a cool tag over their name. Whatever the reason for joining I wonder whether this actually alters the way we play the game? Do aggressive players have their ways tempered by playing with more moderate players, or do similar players tend to gravitate towards each other automatically creating their ideal "group".

With this in mind I started to think about how players can and do influence each others behaviour online. I have witnessed a fair amount of what I deem "dubious" behaviour and have seen ordinarily placid/respectful players join in, seemingly out of character from their usual actions. Bold and aggressive play by one player or group of players, particularly in PvP environments, will often cause bystanders to jump in and help out.

With all these things, it takes someone to start it off. Be it forming a guild, initiating PvP or meeting up outside of the game, there are leaders and there are followers. Which one are you?

Genesis - In the beginning...........

"1st day: all fine, installed game, I'm happy, creating char. [...] 10th day: It's ok, some weird people around, but nothing too bad, still having fun. 20th day: THAT ******* n00b!**** **** **** **** my char ! 30th day: cancelled. I've been sectioned" - rsciw(Stratics IRC)


Well, here we are, at the beginning. A good place to start most things I suppose.

I actually got inspired to do this by one of my online friends last night. I call him a friend but we have never met, never seen photo's and really know next to nothing about each other. So why do I refer to him as "a friend"?

Online communities are much like any community in that we naturally associate with people that share a common interest, in my case particular online games, or people we feel an affinity for. Over my gaming career I've made numerous friends, some of which have become very close "real-life" friends. Some have come and gone, others have stayed with me but how much have I really known about any of them?

How much do we know about anyone we encounter online or in-game? Anyone that regularly plays an online game knows that there are "celebrities", the players people love to hate, who get under your skin by the way they behave and abuse other players. Why do they act like this? Is it an extension of their real life personality or maybe it follows the stereotype and is the lonely shy 20yr old creating a more desirable persona for himself?

I cant answer this from anything but a personal viewpoint. My ingame persona is similar to my real life persona (I hope) and I think thats reflected by the persona's of the friends I have both online and in real life. This theory is going to be tested though, as shortly I will be meeting (for the first time) several of my online/in-game friends. I wonder how that will pan out.............