it's miles and miles of text and i haven't worked my way through it yet
If you're a gamer who plays online, you already know that it seems like 75% of the ppl you play with are just plain assholes or 'fuckwads'
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2004-03-19
I just assumed the reason for that was immaturity but it's probably worth finding out in this study.
http://www.msu.edu/user/trescami/thesis.htm
Chapter 4: Discussion
The purpose of this study was to determine if experience with computer-mediated communication would alter a computer user’s behavior and perceptions. Specifically, the study tested the relationship between disinhibitive behavior under conditions of objective anonymity and experience with computer-mediated communication. It was argued that the results suggest highly anonymous groups exhibit inflammatory disinhibition. However, there was little support for the belief that low anonymity groups would exhibit higher informational disinhibition.
And yet there is an important difference. The reason I included experience as a variable in determining the effects of anonymity is because there are clearly different forms of disinhibition. The data indicated that one form is offensive, often vulgar, argumentative, and sometimes bizarrely irrelevant to the current topic (or thread) in a newsgroup. Others are well thought-out, often abrasive responses or contests of verbal one-upmanship. Such verbal contests are a battle to attain status verbally in a social construct that does not give such cues freely. Both rich and poor, handsome and ugly, must resort to words to distinguish themselves.
Posts of an informational nature tended to be personal experiences, often requesting advice regarding legal situations involving the law. Posts of an inflammatory nature were usually related to lawsuits or the behavior of police officers. The highest inflammatory posters tended to be those who were advertising and thus emphasizing every word in the post, or those using expletives to denigrate another poster. The least disinhibitive posters tended to keep their posts and their answers in the third person. New users often treated the newsgroups as if they were writing a formal letter, and clearly identified themselves as low experience users (e.g., "This is my first time posting...").
Although this experiment was exploratory, we can speculate as to why anonymity had an effect on inflammatory disinhibition. First, based on Walther’s work, users communicating over computer-mediated communication lacked the initial visual cues that help define first-time encounters with others. This lack of definition as a person makes a target of disinhibition much less of a person. A user may not be aware she is inflicting disinhibitive behavior upon another because she does not recognize the other users as individuals.
Second, because a user cannot suffer immediate physical harm and cannot be held legally or socially responsible for his actions, inflammatory disinhibition is a much more appealing recourse. There is no immediate accountability for any damage inflicted upon another user except verbal, and even then that may be limited if a user is capable of ignoring or ending the conversation. While a face-to-face communication may be forced to continue because one person is screaming and the other cannot help but listen, a computer-mediated communication can be immediately ended. News posts can be ignored entirely because the user has much more control over the communication channel.
There was no significant effect for anonymity on informational disinhibition however. Users may have unintentionally provided more information about themselves. One possible reason for a user divulging such information is because users may associate a text-based medium that requires typing skills with more traditional forms of communication like letters and memos. The user provides his name, address, and phone number in the letterhead, grouping all other users into one category and addressing the post to everyone (e.g., "Dear Sirs,").
Posts of a commercial nature may also provide informational content but intentionally be less anonymous in order to avoid retaliation. A computer-mediated community may highly resent newcomers pushing commercial advertising, and are much more likely to retaliate over computer-mediated communication rather than in person. Thus, a store wishing to advertise its wares or provide a phone number may include a large amount of information but intentionally disguise its email address to avoid retaliation.
There was also no significant effect for experience on inflammatory disinhibition. One possible reason might be that users who posted more often were doing so because they were more argumentative in the first place. Thus, a talkative user may exhibitive more posts which do not necessarily reflect her experience level and instead be representative of her desire to communicate more often than others.
Users may also post repeatedly in order to argue their point, and thus express a gradual increase in disinhibitive behavior as the argument continues. Individuals who feel they have an identity to defend over a computer-mediated communication might argue more vehemently when attacked. A witty, invisible poster will gain little prestige if he cannot identify himself in some way.
The purpose of this study was to determine if experience with computer-mediated communication would alter a computer user’s behavior and perceptions. Specifically, the study tested the relationship between disinhibitive behavior under conditions of objective anonymity and experience with computer-mediated communication. It was argued that the results suggest highly anonymous groups exhibit inflammatory disinhibition. However, there was little support for the belief that low anonymity groups would exhibit higher informational disinhibition.
And yet there is an important difference. The reason I included experience as a variable in determining the effects of anonymity is because there are clearly different forms of disinhibition. The data indicated that one form is offensive, often vulgar, argumentative, and sometimes bizarrely irrelevant to the current topic (or thread) in a newsgroup. Others are well thought-out, often abrasive responses or contests of verbal one-upmanship. Such verbal contests are a battle to attain status verbally in a social construct that does not give such cues freely. Both rich and poor, handsome and ugly, must resort to words to distinguish themselves.
Posts of an informational nature tended to be personal experiences, often requesting advice regarding legal situations involving the law. Posts of an inflammatory nature were usually related to lawsuits or the behavior of police officers. The highest inflammatory posters tended to be those who were advertising and thus emphasizing every word in the post, or those using expletives to denigrate another poster. The least disinhibitive posters tended to keep their posts and their answers in the third person. New users often treated the newsgroups as if they were writing a formal letter, and clearly identified themselves as low experience users (e.g., "This is my first time posting...").
Although this experiment was exploratory, we can speculate as to why anonymity had an effect on inflammatory disinhibition. First, based on Walther’s work, users communicating over computer-mediated communication lacked the initial visual cues that help define first-time encounters with others. This lack of definition as a person makes a target of disinhibition much less of a person. A user may not be aware she is inflicting disinhibitive behavior upon another because she does not recognize the other users as individuals.
Second, because a user cannot suffer immediate physical harm and cannot be held legally or socially responsible for his actions, inflammatory disinhibition is a much more appealing recourse. There is no immediate accountability for any damage inflicted upon another user except verbal, and even then that may be limited if a user is capable of ignoring or ending the conversation. While a face-to-face communication may be forced to continue because one person is screaming and the other cannot help but listen, a computer-mediated communication can be immediately ended. News posts can be ignored entirely because the user has much more control over the communication channel.
There was no significant effect for anonymity on informational disinhibition however. Users may have unintentionally provided more information about themselves. One possible reason for a user divulging such information is because users may associate a text-based medium that requires typing skills with more traditional forms of communication like letters and memos. The user provides his name, address, and phone number in the letterhead, grouping all other users into one category and addressing the post to everyone (e.g., "Dear Sirs,").
Posts of a commercial nature may also provide informational content but intentionally be less anonymous in order to avoid retaliation. A computer-mediated community may highly resent newcomers pushing commercial advertising, and are much more likely to retaliate over computer-mediated communication rather than in person. Thus, a store wishing to advertise its wares or provide a phone number may include a large amount of information but intentionally disguise its email address to avoid retaliation.
There was also no significant effect for experience on inflammatory disinhibition. One possible reason might be that users who posted more often were doing so because they were more argumentative in the first place. Thus, a talkative user may exhibitive more posts which do not necessarily reflect her experience level and instead be representative of her desire to communicate more often than others.
Users may also post repeatedly in order to argue their point, and thus express a gradual increase in disinhibitive behavior as the argument continues. Individuals who feel they have an identity to defend over a computer-mediated communication might argue more vehemently when attacked. A witty, invisible poster will gain little prestige if he cannot identify himself in some way.
let's bear in mind one severe limitation of this study: it relied solely on only 484 posts examined from the alt.law-enforcement newsgroup. I would say the alt.law-enforcement newgroup is hardly representative of the internet at large, and so this study has reached no far-reaching general conclusions. Nor can this study say anything about the relation between anonymity and inflammatory vs. informational posts in unique niches or individual forums.
That being said, the idea behind the study is somewhat interesting, but they should have collected a lot more data points, and from a lot more different sources.
That being said, the idea behind the study is somewhat interesting, but they should have collected a lot more data points, and from a lot more different sources.
yes i thought the same thing. i could give them more than 484 examples based on 4 years of playing counter-strike.
Do you play any other online games Ryokirah? Specifically MMORPG's?
I never really got into playing MMORPGs because of the added per-month cost. I played the MMOFPS (first person shooter) game Planetside at a friend's house which is close. I found the experience quite rewarding. I've done tabletop roleplaying and played computer-rpgs like baldur's gate, but the cost was a prohibitive factor to me, especially after reading about many of the gamer's complaints after the newer games came out.
If there's one MMORPG i could get into (funds permitting... i'll definately need a computer upgrade), it's World of Warcraft. Not only do i trust Blizzard Entertainment to produce high-quality games, but the Warcraft universe they've created in the 3 games is quite rich and detailed. I've also heard positive feedback during the current beta test, and everything i've read concerning the game seems to be something to get excited about.
http://www.blizzard.com/wow/
if you're curious about it
how about you?
If there's one MMORPG i could get into (funds permitting... i'll definately need a computer upgrade), it's World of Warcraft. Not only do i trust Blizzard Entertainment to produce high-quality games, but the Warcraft universe they've created in the 3 games is quite rich and detailed. I've also heard positive feedback during the current beta test, and everything i've read concerning the game seems to be something to get excited about.
http://www.blizzard.com/wow/
if you're curious about it
how about you?
I will play WoW. I've been waiting on that game since before Camelot Released Shrouded Isles or near then anyways. I justify the monthly charge by telling myself that I save at least that much by staying home and playing rather than going out. Fifteen bucks a month the cost of dinner and a movie. If I stay home and play an online game instead of going out for a movie just one time a month, the reoccuring fee pays for itself and if you are like me, you can get upwards of 40 hrs in a week. Of course this rationalization doesn't measure the cost of junk food consumption, decreased social skills, the erosion of one's work ethic, poor academic permformance, the development of neurotic behaviorisms and CTS related medical expenses, but being part of a living, breating, real-time, persistent-world, virtual community is truly an experience not to be overlooked. Only a gamer can sympathize.
Hehe, I've been clean for three months now. <twitch>
While I haven't gotten involved in the online FPS's, several of my friends get together and play them over the network. We started with Q2, then became fans of UT. I highly recommend trying out the onslaught mode in UT2004. It will blow your socks off. It's like Halo for PC on crack cocaine. Never really got into CS, but I hear nothing but good things about it. I just don't have the tolerance to put up with all the goddamn hackers. Besides, I suck unless you let me use a noob cannon, lol, but that might be Soldier of Fortune II.
As far as MMORPG's go, I started with Ultima Online which I consider to be the golden age of MMORPG's (pre-renaissance release). After that, Everquest of course, the simultaneously most loved and hated MMORPG of all time. I briefly tried the Asheron's Call series, but couldn't get into them. After that, Dark Age of Camelot and all of its expansions. That game is in its prime right now and rivals the enjoyability and emmersion of UO. Spent a few months playing Star Wars: Galaxies which was is the most loathesome MMOG I've ever played. Right now I'm planning on trying City of Heroes, but only until WoW hits the shelves.
I toyed around with Shadowbane too. Spent way too much time farming Mephisto in D2+LOD and found out how much I suck at RTS in Warcraft 3. But yah, Blizzard is the best gaming company EV4R!!. They can do no wrong. I'd buy a rock if it was packaged by Blizzard. O_o
So ya, OMG...I'm getting the cravings again........dam u
Hehe, I've been clean for three months now. <twitch>
While I haven't gotten involved in the online FPS's, several of my friends get together and play them over the network. We started with Q2, then became fans of UT. I highly recommend trying out the onslaught mode in UT2004. It will blow your socks off. It's like Halo for PC on crack cocaine. Never really got into CS, but I hear nothing but good things about it. I just don't have the tolerance to put up with all the goddamn hackers. Besides, I suck unless you let me use a noob cannon, lol, but that might be Soldier of Fortune II.
As far as MMORPG's go, I started with Ultima Online which I consider to be the golden age of MMORPG's (pre-renaissance release). After that, Everquest of course, the simultaneously most loved and hated MMORPG of all time. I briefly tried the Asheron's Call series, but couldn't get into them. After that, Dark Age of Camelot and all of its expansions. That game is in its prime right now and rivals the enjoyability and emmersion of UO. Spent a few months playing Star Wars: Galaxies which was is the most loathesome MMOG I've ever played. Right now I'm planning on trying City of Heroes, but only until WoW hits the shelves.
I toyed around with Shadowbane too. Spent way too much time farming Mephisto in D2+LOD and found out how much I suck at RTS in Warcraft 3. But yah, Blizzard is the best gaming company EV4R!!. They can do no wrong. I'd buy a rock if it was packaged by Blizzard. O_o
So ya, OMG...I'm getting the cravings again........dam u
yeah i understand what you mean about some games dominating you
i've been playnig counter-strike for the past 4 years it's been out and i've only started playing less of it in the last few months. The biggest detractors to that are the community and the learning-curve.
The community is full of those anonymous fuckwads mentioned above who will call you a 'nub', 'gay faggot nub', or a 'h4xor nub' depending on how well you're doing and your style of play.
The noob cannons are either the auto-shotgun or the awp sniper-rifle, for future reference
The learning curve is because there's so many people who've been playnig it for years it's hard to be competitive, and again you'll probably be called a 'gay nub' for your trouble.
that being said if, you can find a several servers to play on where there's a minimal amount of that it can be ALOT of fun. I imagine the same is true for the more popular MMORPGs.
The other game that dominated me was Starcraft (by blizzard). Warcraft3 is good, but the smaller armies and the focus on heroes made it less fun for me. Add to that my computer exploded when you had big battles of 3v3 and i just stopped playing, at least until i get a better computer.
I went to a LAN over the weekend (2 days of no sleep is my record) and we played alot of fps and rts there... now i'm gettnig starcraft cravings again. Even with warcraft3 out, i still think starcraft is the best rts of all time.
i've always enjoyed rts and tbs games as well as fps, but i find rpg games fairly limiting. I don't have the freedom to do what i want, i'm trapped in the storyline. In that respect MMORPG appeals to me, but again the money aspect detracts me when it can't guarantee the experience. Spending 2 hours blacksmithing isn't really my idea of having alot of fun. If i take a chance on any of them it'll definately be WoW.
all hail blizzard.
i've been playnig counter-strike for the past 4 years it's been out and i've only started playing less of it in the last few months. The biggest detractors to that are the community and the learning-curve.
The community is full of those anonymous fuckwads mentioned above who will call you a 'nub', 'gay faggot nub', or a 'h4xor nub' depending on how well you're doing and your style of play.
The noob cannons are either the auto-shotgun or the awp sniper-rifle, for future reference
The learning curve is because there's so many people who've been playnig it for years it's hard to be competitive, and again you'll probably be called a 'gay nub' for your trouble.
that being said if, you can find a several servers to play on where there's a minimal amount of that it can be ALOT of fun. I imagine the same is true for the more popular MMORPGs.
The other game that dominated me was Starcraft (by blizzard). Warcraft3 is good, but the smaller armies and the focus on heroes made it less fun for me. Add to that my computer exploded when you had big battles of 3v3 and i just stopped playing, at least until i get a better computer.
I went to a LAN over the weekend (2 days of no sleep is my record) and we played alot of fps and rts there... now i'm gettnig starcraft cravings again. Even with warcraft3 out, i still think starcraft is the best rts of all time.
i've always enjoyed rts and tbs games as well as fps, but i find rpg games fairly limiting. I don't have the freedom to do what i want, i'm trapped in the storyline. In that respect MMORPG appeals to me, but again the money aspect detracts me when it can't guarantee the experience. Spending 2 hours blacksmithing isn't really my idea of having alot of fun. If i take a chance on any of them it'll definately be WoW.
all hail blizzard.
God its so awesome when you can have a conversation with someone and half the terms are acronyms/gamer slang and you are with them every friggin step of the way. Keep in touch and we'll hook up when WoW comes out; or even if you want to take a hit of the genre a little bit sooner.
sounds like a plan 
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