Problems With Online Games?
OPINION
[b]Say it ain't so![/b] With the rapid growth of online Internet web games unfortunately we often have the added baggage of bad experiences and distractions thrown our way. In order to survive these often-tumultuous experiences we have to know what we
What are the problems?
These problems stem mainly from inexperienced people that help police and moderate these games. I am talking about browser based online games in general. From the big commercial productions such as Battlefield 2 all the way down to the simplistic text based browser games. They all have problems. It seems like most of the online games are run by clans or by people trying to make a few extra bucks. Since the budget is non existent they rely on volunteers to help out.
Does it cost anything?
If the game is a for profit venture and is run by a professional staff then there really isn't much to complain about here. These people get paid for doing a job and they actually do a very fine job. They are generally impartial when it comes to moderating squabbles between players. These folks do not make rash and snap judgmental decisions. They look at the situation and then judge the situation according to a strict set of rules. They do not simply say, "Well, that is just a part of this game, so deal with it". That is certainly not the proper way to act. The professional folks generally are not partial to any one player and they do not judge a player simply by what they may have said in a moment of frustration. You see, there are always 2 sides to a story.
What should staff do?
A moderator or game administrator has one duty, and that is to keep the peace in the online game world or forum. If said game has an attached forum then it is the moderator's duty to watch out for profane language and other hurtful things that may be written. If talk is game related then it is appropriate. Sometimes it is just a disgruntled player that simply wants to voice his or her opinion on what is wrong with the game. The staff person should not throw him or herself into the middle of an argument between members simply because they do not like what is being said. A forum is a place where game players can go to voice their opinion and frustrations about the game. What a good moderator does is project an aura of calm. They do not take sides with one individual while berating the other one. If a moderator finds himself in this situation then he should remove himself from the situation and call in a person that can act with a more rational mind or they can call in the administrator to solve the problem. If a certain staff moderator does not know how to act around people in a public setting then they should remove themselves from the moderating situation. Being a forum and game moderator is more then deleting or locking posts. It is possessing the ability to act like a diplomat. If a post is deleted or locked then the moderator should state, according to the rules, why he took this action. This serves to inform members of what they may have done wrong.
Can you see now?
You see there is a point to this concept. If you are a partial moderator and you take sides instead of being an impartial moderator then you can actually make the situation worse. If you are a representative of a game or forum then you are considered staff. You do not call a member names, you do not berate them and you do not involve yourself in arguments with them. You simply distance yourself from the situation. If a judge is personally involved in a case, then how can they make a rational decision? The answer to that is they cannot make a fair decision, so management should remove them.
How come they don't care?
Often times in the small free online game setting, management simply just does not care about what happens in their game or forum. They for some reason or other have lost interest in running the game so they hand the day-to-day duties of over seeing the game environment to inexperienced volunteers. These volunteers then go out with no rules or guidance from ownership and commence to alienate members. Sometimes you get a person that can be trusted, but most times you get someone that gets upset too easily and simply does not know how to interact with people in an open forum setting. These people are too involved in the game itself and should recluse themselves from the moderation role. If they like to get in there and mix it up with other members that might be bitching about different things then they should only do this in an unofficial capacity. That would be as a non-moderator.
What's the best way to do it?
What are the best ways to run an online game you may be wondering? Well, I have many years of experience in this field and I have seen it all. I have seen game moderators that are so involved in the game that they act and sound worse then the disgruntled member does. I have experienced game moderators that get in and delete player's posts or stats just because they personally do not like it. In my opinion if an owner does not care about the game and has no interest in providing a non-combative game and forum environment then they should just pack it in and end their existence as an online game.
How does he know?
Remember I have been playing games and online games especially for a long time. I have seen it all. There is a boom in the text based web browser game now and some of them are run professionally. Others sadly are not. Amateurs run them. Most of these amateurs are simply kids that do not know how to act in a public forum.
What can you do about it?
So what recourse does the online game player have? Well I must say that they have no recourse except to pack it in and move on. This is sad because often times these online game communities have some very nice people. As people see and experience the amateur site staff they move on and the game is left with a very small clannish environment where it will be very difficult for new people to gain entrance into the inner circle. Try as you may you will always fail because it is an unwritten rule that the old timers aided by the staff rule this domain and new people are not welcomed. The end result is simply a dying game environment. This is sad for sure, but it is reality.
Finally the end...
To end this dissertation I would like to say that I am not directing the above writing at any particular online game. The above is not the official opinion of Hooked Gamers and it is not an article that I wrote because of any one bad experience I have had. I have had many bad experiences in my online game endeavors over the years and I simply walk away after giving my opinion to the offending staff. I have played so many that I have lost count of them all. I base my opinion on what I have experienced as an online game player over the years. Personally I don't really care what happens to these small fries because they will just be replaced by another game. In reality these small games are a dying breed. With the advances in computer and Internet technology, a more advanced and graphical product is replacing these simplistic text entries in the online game market. Take a look at America's Army and you will see what I mean.
Try to enjoy
As always have a happy online gaming experience and please don't let the shoddy amateur operations turn you off to this genre. It can be a fun experience, just take it with a grain of salt and if there are problems then find another game. There are many out there. Cheers!