Why are there so many obnoxious WoW players?

Q u o t e:
I'm sure many will disagree with me, but i have played many games that by far surpass the overall attitude of about 20-30% of WoW players, maybe even more than that.

What I don't get is why did this happen? It's not like WoW attracts obnoxious players, it started out just like any other game with mostly nice players, but eventually evolved into a game known for it's exceptionally bad community. Where did WoW's community go wrong?

Once again, I'm not saying all WoW players are stupid, but a good amount are, and I wanna know your input on why.

Thanks

It's often easier for people to focus on the negative rather than the positive. There is a very large population of people that play the game and negative impressions can last a long while and more positive impressions generally can be washed away by them. Generalizations are also very easy to make but often are not as accurate as people might be made to believe. Like any large gathering of people, experiences can vary based on who you interact with.

Take for example attending a concert.

• For one person, they found a parking spot easily, the staff at the venue was helpful, lines were quick, and even when they dropped their program (or other item) someone was there to pick it up for them. They spent the whole concert next to considerate people that they got along with and had a great night.
  
• For the other person, parking was a nightmare, they ran into an unhelpful staff member, waited in longer than average lines, and were jostled just trying to get to their seat. At their seat, they ran into someone who just wouldn't stop talking loudly during the whole concert and kept invading their personal space. For them, the entire experience was a bad one.
  

Encounters and interactions in the game can be the very same way. People are people and you never know if you just had the misfortune to run into someone that was just having a bad day or if they are always that way.

While I understand that you're trying to delve into a topic that you feel is of interest to you, I think that the way you approached it was very negative and set up to attract more negativity rather than promote conversation on the positive aspects of the community and the players within it.

From my own experiences, I've encountered more helpful people than I have the non-helpful. I try to be open and approachable in game as well as polite even when I don't feel like being so polite. It tends to bring out the better nature of others and helps me enjoy my time more.


*Quick Edit- I'm leaving this thread open for now, but continued swearing or insults aimed at others will result in it being shut down and suspensions if need be.

I've seen quite a few people say that "X" community is/was better. I hate to say it, but I have been a part of gaming communities for a very long while. They're not better or even worse, just different. Different communities function differently, have different expectations of each other, different thresholds for what is and isn't appropriate behavior among each other etc. What one community might find offensive, another might not bat an eye at. You as individuals have different expectations of your experiences when interacting with others.

That said, I've always held to the idealogy of never letting someone see you sweat. For some people, it's the very elixir for their joy. If they never get under your skin though, they never get that joy. On another end, you get what you give most times. If you're not getting what you want from people, find other people who are more compatible. I think it's one of the biggest strengths of a large community that people overlook, that there are so many different types of people that you're bound to find the right ones that you fit with best. Then, when you do find them, spend your time with them as much as possible, thus why so many people enjoy being a part of a guild. It's all about like minded people with common goals and interests.

We're all not that far from each other and "blame" shouldn't be assigned to any particular group. I've met some people who were considered "trolls" that were actually very intelligent and capable/likeable people. Given the chance to show who they really were, they showed they were much more than the facade they put out.

In game, if all else fails, inappropriate behavior can be reported, people can be ignored, and you can choose never to group with them if you wish.

Beware of your memories as well. In time, people can become jaded based on their initial experiences or expectations. Memories can alter and things can begin to look rosier than they actually were. You forget the bad moments and hold on to the good ones (hopefully). The best thing to do though is find ways to recapture those good times, or look for new ones you can really enjoy.

I really think this has been a great conversation. Keep in mind there are things we can control and things we can't. Human behavior we can't control, merely attempt to influence.

When it comes to enforcement, we can't be everywhere at all times and thus why we have many means by which people can report those that violate the ToS and the CoC of the forums. There are many threads I come across in the forums that violate many rules that are never reported even though reporting is a very easy thing to do. I'm sure the same holds true within the game itself.

That said though, this shouldn't be a thread about accusations.

If you have feedback on what we can do better, we have great ways for you to provide that feedback.

Each department has its own channels for you to express any comments or concerns through:
Forums: wowcmfeedback@blizzard.com
GMs: wowgmfeedback-us@blizzard.com

We will continue to do what we can on our end, but community is what you make of it and we can't define it for everyone. As I've said previously, I've been around the gaming community (not just MMOs) for many many years. I've seen the best and the worst of communities, and I can assure you, they are all the same just in varying degrees of each other. As for the forums, it's a concentrated area of people all looking for a voice. That can sometimes get a bit jumbled or "loud", but that's where the community as a whole comes in. Participate in the parts you want to foster, and you will get a better result. Churn up things in a thread you don't care for, and it continues to flourish. The choice is there on what you want to focus on.

On our end, there is always a method to the madness of what we do and why we do it. We're here though and we're always listening.

Q u o t e:


Considering the topic of this thread and the Blue response, this statement by Nethaera is ironic and amusing.

...what a "community" WoW has become... lol

Not as ironic as you would think. People, whether nice or not, can be passionate about their feelings and the way they express them may not be their "norm". It was merely a gentle reminder that the best and most constructive discussion could continue without the added filtered words or anyone pointing blame. I like passionate people and see more benefit that comes from passion than uncaring sentiment. :) I just want to make sure their words get heard without any Code of Conduct violations getting in the way.

Q u o t e:


LOL

If you really care about the community, then all you have to do is log on to any realm and open the trade channel. Then just sit there and watch and within 30 seconds you will see multiple violations of Blizzard's RULES. Once you see a violation, ban that player for 2 weeks. Continue to hand out 2 week bans like candy and in about 6 months the problem will be solved (assuming you do this on all realms).

The reality is, you guys simply don't care as long as the paychecks keep coming in.

I am not a GM. You have a means to report violations from within the game. If you wish to provide feedback to the GM department on their performance, I gave an appropriate email by which you can contact them and share that feedback.

The last statement is an insult, untrue, and completely unnecessary. I would suggest you take a moment to count to ten before posting further such insults.