Shattered Kingdoms

This is a defeatist attitude. Rodwen hit it on the head when he said that you are going to see the very thing you expect to see. SK is whatever you make it. That is what's so great about this game.

I definitely agree that inspiring new players is probaby the ultimate "good" that a player can do. After that, I would rank having fun as the second most important ethical choice a person can make within SK.

When I wrote "Everyone knows this one" so long ago, I believed it. But either that was never true or some important truths have been lost in the intervening years.

There is a huge difference between knowing it and following it. And it really doesn't apply that much to SK because you dont want to die but you do want to PK. However its a much better value to follow than "Do unto others before they do unto you."

I'll be honest: I had quite a me-esque spiel on the tip of my tongue the moment I saw this thread. Then I realized that nothing else really needs to be said other than what I did, which really is what you did many, many years ago.

The good news is that - to this day - I still believe everyone knows what the golden rule is. I think you were/still are right.

The bad news comes with cynicism, unfortunately: the problem is convincing people that the long-term gains provided by following the rule (more personally tuned RP, a more knit community, less stress from dealing with practically no unsportsmanlike trash, more character-emotionally-vested PK) are more worthwhile than the short-term gains of breaking it (one character levelled especially fast, one piece of trollololol loot acquired no matter the cost, not having to type as much?).

The problem here is that people are willing to short sell their SK stocks knowing they'll never have to cover if they take a loss. They know the rule, they just see more value in the rewards of breaking it than the rewards in upholding it. It's one of those things: if the person doesn't inherently see the value of the golden rule, there is an inordinate uphill battle to convince them of it - a battle that is often never won. They don't realize that following the golden rule can impact culture, social atmosphere, friendships, and fun. That or they do realize it, and think having bigger numbers (that they can't ever really see) is more important.

There's your interesting ethics conversation right there (one I actually utilized in my ethics course years back): gaming culture is as close as you can get to a cultural god complex. Games offer an insane amount of power/control to a broad swath of people, with practically no tangible consequence for unethical behavior. Sportsmanship in gaming can be one of the ultimate studies of ethics in a vacuum (outside of law, primarily). You see very quickly an honest spectrum of who is in it for bigger numbers, and who is in it for the fun and the people.

The only thing one can do is fight the good fight, lead by example, and hope there's someone else to do the same when you inevitably burn out.

Ending note: Galactus, I hope you really don't think my playstyle mandates my ego crushes other peoples' egos.

(so my quite me-esque spiel came out anyway, I guess.)

It applies even moreso in SK. You want someone to give you the opportunity to PK them - you also, in the same breath, should want to give them the opportunity to PK you. For sake of keeping this short and sweet, consider logging in enough to give the opportunity. You do what you can to stack it in your favor, but sportsmanship mandates you give them a similar opportunity. Otherwise, what happens if/when they don't give you the opportunity to PK them? What if they don't give you a chance to plot and strategize? You don't get to PK. Golden rule in perfect application. Treat them with respect in PK, and try to PK them, but offer them sportsmanship - and in turn, they offer you sportsmanship and respect. You both enjoy the PK more, and you stop the negative feedback ([rage] deletion) that inevitably always shuts down a PK cycle.

People don't really get that, though.

You should just lock this thread now because Will just spelled it out for us all. Well said Will.

^^^ This

This is a very interesting topic indeed. First, I would like to point out the inherent problem with the "Golden Rule" ethical dilemma. Not all people want to be treated the same. So if I am more of a hedonist, but you are more of a consequentialist, then my treating you the way I want to be treated will appall you. Making the assumption that everyone is operating from the same basic ethical background and will treat each other with the same level of respect and regard is often detrimental. We as a society do not subscribe to the same beliefs in what morality is, let alone what respect is.

When it comes to an online gaming world, I believe that more than 50% of people in cultures that are rich enough to have both personal computers and constant internet access, act differently towards people they can not "see or touch" but only know through a computer screen. I believe that the internet age has dawned a dual set of ethics in what is a growing majority of the populace of developed countries. We tend to act and treat people who "see and touch" differently than those we interact with through the airwaves. It is easier to bond with and share ourselves when we have some sort of anonymity and the capability to cease the relationship at any given moment. We feel "safe." However, we also feel freer to express ourselves when we are in primary functions like rage and hate. We say things on the screen that we would never dare say out loud to a person we can "see and touch" (well, some of us, there are those who let their rage consume them no matter what).

Those are my thoughts on ethics. As for how I act online while gaming, I treat people with as much respect and empathy as I am capable of. I believe in trying to create a game where people can enjoy themselves and look forward to logging in. In order to create that kind of atmosphere, sometimes you have to make tough calls and they are not always the right calls. So as I hope to be forgiven when I make bad choices, I too offer forgiveness for others when they make choices. Though I do expect to be held accountable for my mistakes and thus hold others accountable. I try to balance things by knowing I cannot always expect the same from others and must learn who people are and how they think. While everyone wants to be treated the same, unfortunately you cannot treat people all the same because they are not the same. I do try to be fair. The best tool I have learned is to pause when agitated.

I also agree with what was said about the OOC and IC and keeping the in perspective. You can never completely separate the two, but you must keep them in the balance in order to enjoy the game. If the game has become too dramatic for you and affects you outside of the game in a detrimental way, it is time to step away for a mental health break.

Sadal, I hope this helps with what you are working on.