–The following are the opinions and views of myself as a player and writer of this column, the opinions expressed within are my own and do not in any way represent those of Warcry or any of it other staff.-
So there you are, sitting on top of your mount, the cheapest one you were able to find that could move your slow running self thirty two percent faster then you were able to before which was good enough for you when all’s said and done. You’re sitting there in common lands preparing to be teleported to Kingdom of Sky when you look to your left and see what’s now becoming a more and more common sight in the game. Before you sitting upon their mount, with a saddle that matches their clothing attire which accents their cloak is a person with purple text above there head, the same purple text that marks them as role-playing.
You look over your character and note your mismatched armor, lime green pants, silver armor with dark red cloak, on top of your head your black helm is screaming fashion disaster. But you know what? That helm gives you some darn good stats so it can scream all it wants because those bonuses it gives you may mean life or death in a sticky situation!
Sitting there and waiting for what always seems like forever you take note as the role-player in question targets you…. and this happens…
“Role-player looks over at you and notes your mismatched clothing and armor and chuckles softly to himself”
You’ve just been emoted at, and not only that, they dared to mock your armor that you worked hard to get!! Why…this is an insult, this is a slap in the face for all the times you ran said dungeon to attain such fine armor, you don’t care what it looks like, you care that it helps you get the job done. Something must be said, you must give them a piece of your mind!!
STOP!!!
The above situation happens often, along with others, be you happening upon a group of people walking through Freeport talking of weather and the fact that they must leave town shortly to investigate rumors or Orc movements to the far reaches of Common lands or be it an in character married couple reminiscing about times gone by, the fact of the matter is, role-playing is making up a huge part of MMO’s these days, and here in Everquest there is no exception. However, when I talk to people both inside and outside of the game, they seem to have a jaded outlook of role-players (which will now be referred to as Rp’ers). That outlook comes in many different forms, some of which include;
Rp’ers are weird people
Rp’ers do nothing but “cyber”
Rp’ers are not as skilled at their classes and “hard core gamers”
Rp’er as a whole are elitist.
These are just a few among a very large list. However to keep this a respectful length, I will simply address the ones listed above.
View: Rp’ers are weird.
Reality: Rp’ers as a whole are just like anyone else, they play the game for enjoyment, just like you or I, but they play the game for more or different reasons then non Rp’ers. While you may play a Dark Elf because they look cool, or because their racial’s benefit your class the most, to a Rp’er a Dark Elf is a creature of hatred, it is mistrusting and always plotting against those around them, no one is to be trusted and any other race you encounter is by default beneath you and in need of enslavement. (mind you there are many ways to Role-play any given character, this is but one example) It adds more to the gaming experience, which in the end is what a Rp’er craves. Sure the game is fantastic as it is, but getting into character is not only adds to the experience and being able to interact with others provides something NPC’s can’t give….non scripted responses. We all pay our monthly fee, but even though we play the same game, we play it for different reasons and regardless of those reasons we’re all just out to have fun and there’s nothing weird about that at all.
View: Rp’ers do nothing but “cyber”
Reality: While there is a minority out there that do “get their freak on” and take their role-playing to the next step please keep in mind just because someone role-plays or has purple text above their head that they aren’t out to look for a quick cyber fix. While these acts may or may not be agreeable or looked well upon, please remember to never label a group of people any one thing based on what a minority of that group does. Labeling the masses for what a minority do is never a good thing to do.
View: Rp’ers are not as skilled at their classes and “hard core gamers”
Reality: This is one I’ve heard a lot in my years of MMO’s. There are some out there that think just because someone’s main priority in game isn’t to min/max their character and raid for hours on end that their skills in their class and at playing their character somehow do not match up to a standard that is expected of those that DO raid and play for hours on end, or have been labeled the “hard-core” gamers. Please keep in mind that just because priorities differ, that doesn’t mean play styles do. I’ve known some Rp’ers that play their class better then even the most skilled of raiders. Never assume that purple text means lack of skill, you just may be looking at one of the better players you’ve come across. Always give any player you come across the benefit of the doubt, you may be surprised to what you find.
View: Rp’er as a whole are elitist and jerks
Reality: Always keep in mind while people assume things about Rp’ers that Rp’ers may do the same with those that don’t. For a long time many have mocked Rp’ers and they are a bit defensive at times when they think they are being made fun of or mocked. All they want to do is enjoy their game same as you and me. If a Rp’er tries to interact with you and you have no wish to do so in return, just remember to not be rude about it, don’t laugh at them, they were only doing what you were doing before you met and that’s simply play the game they way the like to. In the end, we’re all just looking to have a good time in a fantastic game and the more of us that get along, the better the community becomes and the larger our friends lists will get and that will never be a bad thing.
So in closing, remember, before you let that Rp’er have it for laughing at your mismatched armor, remember the points discussed above. They may mean the difference in you making a new friend and talented player or causing problems that could have been avoided all together. Remember, we’re all part of the same community of players, be you RP’er, Hardcore Raider, Casual or the occasional person that puts everyone on auto follow while in groups so you can still get items and XP while you watch a movie on TV (you know who you are!!) that we’re all here to have fun.
Questions? Opinions? Comments? Please feel free to respond with your own views as well!!
