Let it be known that, in the world of MMORPGs, there exists a plethora of great and terrible sins which every player is constantly at risk of falling to. These vices embody everything a great MMO player should not be, and yet all of us are constantly at risk of falling under their spell. Today. let us examine the five cardinal sins of MMOs, in hopes that we can avoid committing any of them ourselves.
[heading]Avarice[/heading]
On some level, every single person who plays an MMORPG is at least a little greedy. After all, the majority of them are as much about the pursuit of new and better gear as they are about anything else – particularly once you’ve reached max level and don’t have anymore climbing to do. Those who succumb to avarice, though, they fall into a rather special camp. These are the people who will rob a guild dry if given even the remotest amount of authority. These are the people who’ll roll need on an item their class can’t even use, simply because they think it looks cool. In short, these are the people who pretty much every MMORPG player has encountered – and wanted to strangle – at one point or another.
[heading]Wrath[/heading]
Believe it or not, Wrath is probably one of the more complex sins on this list, as it takes a great many different forms. Most commonly, it’s seen on PvP servers, where members of an opposing faction will go out of their way to gank one another. On some level, this is how the game’s meant to be played, but at the same time…the level of hatred that exists in some camps is actually a little distressing. Back when I played World of Warcraft, I had a few people in my guild stop talking to me (and even threaten me) because they found out I played both Alliance and Horde. Of course, most of my guildmates though these people were insane, but…
The point I’m getting at is that they do exist. These are the people who will spend hours camping and slaughtering low-level players for the express purpose of making their lives miserable. So what inspires such hatred? What exactly did these people do to incite such a burning, homicidal murder-rage in their attacker?
Honestly…probably nothing. Maybe someone did the same thing to them and they want revenge. Maybe they’re bored and trying to draw bigger fish out of hiding. Or maybe they’re just bitter, angry, hate-filled individuals. Tough to say.
‘course, Wrath also encompasses the un-distilled fury of everyone who’s ever raged at a game of League.
[heading]Sloth[/heading]
Sloth is perhaps one of the most insidious sins in the MMO world, because it’s nearly impossible to detect until it’s too late. Slothful players are all about taking shortcuts to gain levels – they don’t care about the journey, they only care that they get the best gear, the most tricked out character, and the best-looking mount. Usually, they don’t even bother learning to play their class – why should they? Other, more competent players can carry their lazy ass, right?
As I may have mentioned at one point, I still play Star Wars: The Old Republic along with my significant other. We’ve a bunch of characters we play together, though we both have a few that tend to do their own thing when we want to play alone. In the story I’m about to tell you, I was playing my Scoundrel solo, and my group was running a lower-level flashpoint. I believe it was Hammer Station, but don’t quote me on that. Anyway, I’d queued myself up as a damage dealer. Eventually, we managed to get a pretty decent party together – a healer, more damage, and a halfway decent tank.
The healer is the one I’m writing about here.
See, this individual didn’t know how to heal. I think they used a total of three healing abilities through the whole flashpoint (and yes, we told them repeatedly that they needed to keep us alive). When we wiped repeatedly on the last encounter, they began cursing at us, blaming us for their incompetence. Eventually, we managed to complete the flashpoint, mostly because I ended up doing both their job and mine at the same bloody time, while they sat there like a lump.
They paid my back by rolling need on a Scoundrel item. Thankfully, I won the roll.
[heading]Lust[/heading]
I’m sure you’ve seen it before, particularly if you’ve played World of Warcraft. A scantily-clad elf is engaging in a seductive dance in the middle of a major city. Surrounding her is a throng of eager, drooling male familiars, many of whom are hurling gold, items, and various promises at her in the hopes that she’ll favor them with her attention (and perhaps more). This, my friends, is lust – our fourth cardinal sin.
Oh, and FYI, there’s a very good chance the elf doing a sexy dance is actually a guy. Plenty of the women who play MMOs are there for the same reason as the men – to game. Novel idea, right?
To drive things home here, I’ve yet another story for you. When I still played World of Warcraft, there was a young lady one of my guilds who, admittedly, had an incredibly attractive voice. The kind of voice that turns men into stammering simpletons. This is relevant. See, there was another fellow in our guild, a poor, confused young man whose parents evidently failed to teach him proper etiquette. Every time this poor girl was online, he’d shower her with attention, repeatedly complimenting her, asking her personal questions, and basically just being a sodding creepy stalker.
The worst part was that when we asked her how she put up with that sort of thing, she said she was “used to it by now.” I’ll let that sink in for a moment before we move on. Guys, don’t be that guy. Show a bit more dignity than a greased up actor in a cheesy porno film, for the love of all that is holy.
[heading]Pride[/heading]
Our last sin is perhaps the deadliest of all, as it can be the sole reason many people play MMOs. They want to be be able to feel a sense of accomplishment. They want to have other players look at them with a certain degree of envy as they strut about in their high-tier equipment. In short, they want to be a big deal. And to be honest, there’s actually nothing wrong with a little bit of pride – a bit of confidence can go a long way, after all
The problem is, a lot of these players let it go to their heads. They come to believe – genuinely – that being skilled at a game such as this means they’re automatically better human beings than those who aren’t. They mock and deride those beneath them, they look down their noses at new players (while forgetting that one day not too long ago, they too were new at this). Basically, they act like insufferable douchewagons, and expect people to kiss their feet for it.
You know, I think I might understand how the wrathful players feel right now.