The internet is an evolving world and the social impact is still to be determined.
A lot of people 'hide' behind their game ids and create a alternate life for themselves. Behaving and responding in ways that there's no way they'd dare do so in public. Mainly because such actions would invariable result in being taken out to the parking lot by the targets of their 'joking' and being beaten to within an inch of their lives. Some of them develop an inflated sense of self-worth and inflict their convictions on others with no tolerance for alternative views.
Some believe their k/d ratio or skill at wielding a virtual vehicle ( Aerial, aquatic, or ground ) elevates them in the intellectual food chain of the real world.
Others of us are who we are. If you encounter me in real life, you will find that I'm the same as I am in here. I have nothing to prove. I play for the comraderie and revel in the virtual world we are so fortunate to enjoy. I still think that 'pong' was a pretty neat idea, so watching debris falling off a plane I'm shooting at ( or, in most cases, riding in ) is really cool
The problem I see is where these different cultures collide. If I insult someone, it is something I would say to their face. That doesn't happen very often. When somebody insults me, I treat that the same way, that they mean what they say. So.. if somebody who's hiding behind their ID starts flaming away at me, I assume they are sincere in their attacks. That can hurt.
Now, a typical response would be, 'It's only a game.. get over it'. AH is a game, yes. The social interraction that takes place within, is not. We are all people. This is not dungeons and dragons where the dungeonmaster factors in charisma on the effect of an attack.
Even if tirades are not directed specifically at me, they still have an impact on my enjoyment. I don't like social confrontations, you can ask my squadmates. However, in the last year or so, I'm finding myself drawn closer and closer to getting face to face with certain individuals because I have grown weary of constantly having to stifle the urge to scream STFU to those so desperately deserving it.
And then there's the forums/BBS. My God.. what a mess. I'm drawn in by the same genomes that cause folks to look for blood at an accident scene. The lack of respect and dignity displayed by those in here is simply apalling.
So this is my own grossly-exaggerated-valuable opinion I share with you, the AH comunity.
