Boards›Player Behavior

On verbal defense.

Zero Shingetsu·7/12/2016, 3:17:55 AM·2 votes·549 views

Within reason, one should not be banned for defending oneself or a teammate. Now I've never been banned myself, but a bunch of recent posts got me thinking about how I have been warned several times about verbal abuse reports after stepping up to go full Zhuge Liang on some immature brat who trashed me or a teammate excessively.

Never swearing. Never threatening. Never calling into question a person's loved ones or personal life. No, what I do are simple but effective things such as pointing out the frailty of one's insults, addressing one in such flavorful language as "cur" or "brigand", or reminding one that perhaps not everyone is so hopelessly self-absorbed as to believe the failings of a stranger in a video game deserve literal threats because they affect said person negatively.

Video games never call for threats, they don't call for literal curses, they don't call for wishing a person or his family ill. But if someone rips into my ADC for a couple of missed opportunities and I demand they stable their high horse, or I meet "uninstall and never play again" with "If anyone should uninstall, it's the man spewing the utterly venomous nonsense above"... Even if someone is provoking my team with taunts and I respond by calling his eloquence or the substance of his character into question. Those things should never be worthy of a ban.

If I ever get banned for these things, so be it. I'll leave the game with my dignity before I let some fool child walk on me or my teammates. And if anyone has been banned for simply defending oneself or one's team, I suggest you maintain your pride as well. What we do in the game is inconsequential. What we say in the game is real interaction, which can over time have real effects on the way we perceive ourselves and others. Never compromise your pride for the chance to engage in the paltry amusements of a mere game.

33 Comments

AraMoOse7/12/2016, 3:19:31 AM5 votes

You are not defending yourself, you are counter attacking. Defending yourself is pressing the mute button. Protect others is the report function.

EvilDustMan7/12/2016, 9:24:42 AM3 votes

You can quote Korean proverbs all you want, but the fact of the matter is, this isn't war. Different goals, different methods. This isn't a debate.

The best method is to try and defuse the situation. If you can't, mute and report.

If you want to continue your debate analogy, by starting a debate, you are encouraging the flamer to continue to prove they are right. The key is to avoid the debate altogether and get back to the game, not "win" the debate.

DeathBurst7/12/2016, 7:01:03 PM2 votes

Being warned about being reported doesn't mean that the report will be considered valid if the game is ever reviewed.

If you're really "Never swearing. Never threatening. Never calling into question a person's loved ones or personal life" then you have nothing to fear from being reported by a toxic player that you put back in his place.

Xidphel7/12/2016, 7:07:47 PM2 votes

You use "verbal defense", you open yourself for a report. You mute, you don't open yourself. Use the latter.

Oleandervine7/12/2016, 3:29:40 AM1 votes

Flamers would actually br entertaining if they used Victorian era insults and vernacular and I would never feel a need to report anyone if everyone accused each other of being curs or brigands. Make this a thing.