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BM General Discussion / An Open Letter to the BM Community
« on: June 26, 2014, 03:39:09 AM »
Hello everybody,
You may or may not know me, which is fine, as I tend to steer away from the forums. I've been playing since I was thirteen, over eight years now, first as the Jazuma family, now as Madigan. Over the years, and transitioning from being a kid to an adult within the community, I have seen my fair share of ups and downs, strife, turmoil, camaraderie, kindness, and moments that seem quintessential to this amazing game. Nothing has ever held my interest longer than Battle Master, and I look forward to many more years of play.
That said, of late, there are things which drive my interest, commitment, and appreciation for this beloved world downward. OOC feuds, metagaming, vitriol, questionable movements by the development team (and I will say here that, by and large, I consider them to be selfless, heroic, passionate people), and gridlock within game have all adversely affected mine and, I'd assume, other players' experiences.
I think the biggest casualty for me, however, is to see these things cause players to leave the game entirely. After the Ice Age, I saw accounts drop like flies, during OOC wars I saw people leave in a huff, and I have definitely witnessed players leaving due to either not being part of the metagaming or out of dissatisfaction with larger game decisions.
This game has never had a huge player count, thankfully in some aspects, but we seem to be dwindling.
I think the reason, the blame in a sense, lies with all of us. For not being proactive members of a community, for not playing fair. I include myself in this. That many of our players seem to see the game as a private clubhouse, or a way to carry out personal vendettas, or else use untoward or outside methods in an attempt to 'win'. I see this as the most pressing affliction of our community.
Imagine a new player, or as casual player, feeling cut off from the secret canals that manipulate the game (I'm being hyperbolic, but I think you'll see my point). Imagine being exposed to OOC problems that drive you away from the game (I think people on the new War Islands might understand what I mean, by way of recent example).
Try and remember what your first day, week, month was like in this game. And maybe we can return to that more idyllic state.
Maybe this is all in my head, or I'm overreacting, but I've wanted to express this for a long time.
You may or may not know me, which is fine, as I tend to steer away from the forums. I've been playing since I was thirteen, over eight years now, first as the Jazuma family, now as Madigan. Over the years, and transitioning from being a kid to an adult within the community, I have seen my fair share of ups and downs, strife, turmoil, camaraderie, kindness, and moments that seem quintessential to this amazing game. Nothing has ever held my interest longer than Battle Master, and I look forward to many more years of play.
That said, of late, there are things which drive my interest, commitment, and appreciation for this beloved world downward. OOC feuds, metagaming, vitriol, questionable movements by the development team (and I will say here that, by and large, I consider them to be selfless, heroic, passionate people), and gridlock within game have all adversely affected mine and, I'd assume, other players' experiences.
I think the biggest casualty for me, however, is to see these things cause players to leave the game entirely. After the Ice Age, I saw accounts drop like flies, during OOC wars I saw people leave in a huff, and I have definitely witnessed players leaving due to either not being part of the metagaming or out of dissatisfaction with larger game decisions.
This game has never had a huge player count, thankfully in some aspects, but we seem to be dwindling.
I think the reason, the blame in a sense, lies with all of us. For not being proactive members of a community, for not playing fair. I include myself in this. That many of our players seem to see the game as a private clubhouse, or a way to carry out personal vendettas, or else use untoward or outside methods in an attempt to 'win'. I see this as the most pressing affliction of our community.
Imagine a new player, or as casual player, feeling cut off from the secret canals that manipulate the game (I'm being hyperbolic, but I think you'll see my point). Imagine being exposed to OOC problems that drive you away from the game (I think people on the new War Islands might understand what I mean, by way of recent example).
Try and remember what your first day, week, month was like in this game. And maybe we can return to that more idyllic state.
Maybe this is all in my head, or I'm overreacting, but I've wanted to express this for a long time.