Poll: "First World Problems"

[Zantos]

This is just some meme that you shouldn't get worked up about. Your friend isn't making some grand socio-economic statement on the entitled nature of consumers brought on by a comfortable standard of living for most people in MEDCs. They just think they're being funny. Ignore it. Or slap them, then ignore it if it really bothers you. It's nothing to get worked up about.

 

[Auron225]

Take whatever you will from this but when you have been to a 3rd world country - you go home and really see how ridiculous a lot of your "problems" were and realize how good you have it.

This doesn't mean all problems in the first world are first world problems. "I got fired and can't provide for my family anymore" is a serious problem that can easily happen in the first world but its a phrase thats reserved for ridiculous things like "why is the remote all the way over there?"

 

[Kenjitsuka]

People should be allowed to complain about stuff that really gets to them, whatever it's status in regards to other people on a global scale.

AFAIK there are a lot more people with clinical depressions in the first world than in the third. The fact that I don't have to hunt for food, but do have to buy food as cheaply as possible from an extremely small disability check is in essence about the same problem.
The fact that I might have more time to worry about making ends meet next month, then someone in Africa makes it equal parts misery for all around, in my view.

The West gets the luxuries AND the stress.
So yes, maybe a game not working properly (for a bit or long term) might not seem like much to an outsider. But for the person who wanted to play that game really bad to unwind after a long hard days work it can be a pretty big deal.

Speaking about not being able to play games at random times for reasons not your own, I'm looking sternly at you Blizzard!!!

 

[Dogstile]

The phrase pisses me off. "Oh, you've lost internet and your assignment is due in tomorrow? That's first world problems dude, people in Africa can't even eat".

Good for them, I don't give a fuck. This is a legitimate problem, just because someone else halfway across the world has problems doesn't make my problems any less of a problem.

 

[404notfound]

I'm going to go down the middle here and say that sometimes I think complaining is justified and then others it becomes priviledged people acting like knobs.

For example, I think if a game is released and it totally unplayable due to bugs or the multiplayer is unable to connect at all for anyone then those are legitimate topics for complaint, but things such as 30 FPS caps in games being complained about is just stupid IMO, the developers aren't obligied to pander exactly too what you want in a game and it's their game so they can make it how they want, just because you don't get that 30 extra FPS, which isn't really that noticable from what I can tell, is not a legitimate criticism for a game.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

People complain too much. That's all there really is to it.

There are legitimate complaints and illegit complaints.

And many...MANY people seem to miss out on which is which.

This. We're being pressured by so many marketing firms to believe that, oh, "Product X is the BEST THING EVER! WATCH OUT, 'CAUSE IT'S COMING AND WHEN IT'S THERE, IT'S GONNA BLOW YOUR FUCKING MIND!"

And then you find out that Product X is actually average. Mediocre, even.

We're being told that we're entitled to certain standards of quality without any regard for the ability or inability of the purveyor to actually go ahead and provide us with it, and we come to assume that these standards are immutable. If anyone so much as dares not to meet MY standards, then I am entitled to a shit-fit.

Ahem. No. No, I'm not. BioWare didn't trick anyone. It simply dropped the ball. "Tricking" implies a deliberate move, a Snidely Whiplash-esque determination to spread suffering for its own sake - the love of causing pain or various grievances. No company of any kind would openly try and hurt its customers; it's just very, very, very bad for business.

But, of course, it's so much easier to think that this or that corporate entity is evil, whereas that other one is good. It appeals to our sense of morality and makes things easier on an emotional level. We can comfortably say stuff like, I dunno, "Valve is unilaterally awesome and EA is the scum of the Earth".

Both are companies. Both are made up of human beings. Human beings are fallible and have base instincts and desires. Instincts like greed and the desire to be successful at all costs. Mistakes WILL be made, no matter how much you as a gamer find yourself hoping for perfection.

So yes, there are first-world problems for which I always thought some gamers should be scolded for daring to mention. The ending of a specific game pissed you off? Play another one, and maybe try and accept the fact that others might be satisfied with what they have. Offer criticism if you can, but the fact that howling rage is the only thing that will get developers to pay attention is just so damn shameful.

It's shameful for everyone involved. Those lodging complains in that manner and the company that receives them. I just can't wait for the day where gaming will have evolved as an art form to the point where we'll be able to discuss finished games in university seminars and to learn from past mistakes in a more academic fashion, instead of howling for reparation mere weeks after a game's release.

 

[trollnystan]

I tend to use that phrase when I myself am complaining about something. "Oh noes, I ran out of milk! D= ... Lol, first world problem! =D"

It's a method I use to get things in perspective so I don't drown in depression. You know, more than I already am. /emo

I am perhaps guilty of using it on my friends too, but sometimes they tend to get stuck on something that upsets them and then go on and on and on about it. I figure they need a jokey wake up call then. Or, you know, sometimes I just use it as a JOKE.

I will agree that when people just dismiss genuine grievances with it, or a similar phrase, it's bloody annoying. If everyone thought liked that - "Stop trying to change the way things are; STATUS QUO FTW!" - then we'd still be effing foraging for food on the savannah.

 

[Redd the Sock]

I appriciate the idea behind the statement more than the application of said statement. If I hear similar from some sanctimonious do-gooder raising money for African releif or trying to save the rainforrest, I might call them condesending, but at least I know it's coming from an honest belief that there are other problems to be solved first before we worry about online passes and day one DLC. On the internet however it pretty much comes off as "stop complaining. I can't argue with anything you say but you're bringing me down and harshing my fanboyism for game X, or company Y by making me acknowledge their imperfections and dick move cash grabs."

I've mostly written it off as people complaining about compalining, and laughing at the irony becuase having to deal with complaints is a "first world problem" in and of itself.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

#FWP CAN be a valid response.

But it depends on what the problem is, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW the person communicates it.

ex:
"X game won't run in widescreen and the settings keep messing up! What do I do?" (#FWP not valid)

"UGH my stupid resolution is messed up! Did they even test this?! FML!" (FWP valid)

"OMGTHISISHITMY!@#$INGRESOLUTIONISALL!@#$EDUPANDTHEDEVELOPERSARE!@#$INGMORONS!" (#FWP Valid and not even enough)

As you can see, communication is everything. If you're complaining and seeking a fix, or are merely stating your displeasure in a reasonable way, FWP should not apply. If you're being a whiny ***** about it (especially if it's a small problem), then "lol, first world problem" is a perfectly valid comment.

 

[Phasmal]

I would have voted `both`.
Just cause their complaints are petty doesn't make them not-complaints.
Which also doesn't make them not-petty.

In short, I don't believe that only the worst-off people can complain, but I also believe better off people should realise when they are just being whiney.

 

[flarty]

People complain too much. That's all there really is to it.

There are legitimate complaints and illegit complaints.

And many...MANY people seem to miss out on which is which.

can I get that handbook which describes which are which? because you seem to have one.

I'm guessing he engages his brain to be able to differentiate between the two, its really not hard. You should try it! =P

 

[ResonanceSD]

Speaking as someone who lowers game settings to Medium to achieve 50-60fps on modern games, it's not a deal breaker. Stop being so damn picky.

Speaking as someone who doesn't have to due to the hardware inside my computer, I'd like developers to stop being so damn lazy.

 

[Dollabillyall]

Aw shucks for a second I hoped this would be a thread where we come up with first world problems that actually suck. My entry would've been: "Parent richest kids in the world, they don't take care of you when you're old but instead leave you to rot in a nursing home."

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

Speaking as someone who lowers game settings to Medium to achieve 50-60fps on modern games, it's not a deal breaker. Stop being so damn picky.

Speaking as someone who doesn't have to due to the hardware inside my computer, I'd like developers to stop being so damn lazy.

Speaking as someone who has friends in the software industry, I'd like people to stop calling developers lazy.

 

[cookyt]

As I've heard the phrase used, it is idiotic. If you have a problem, you should take the necessary steps in order to fix it. Sometimes those necessary steps involve complaining about the problem.

Ex: Your game doesn't work at a certain resolution? Maybe someone on the form knows how to solve it, so you ask. If people are dismissing your problem as a "first world problem" then they've probably never had the same problem as you and should be ignored.

Further, just because someone, somewhere, has it worse off, does not mean you shouldn't complain. Human advancement is based on finding problems to fix and fixing them, and if we hold off on identifying problems until everyone is satisfied, then we begin to stagnate.

Err, I always thought that "first world problems" referred to people making an enormously big deal out of trivial shit.

Like someone spilling soda all over themselves and then declaring that their whole life is ruined and that they might as well just drop dead.

This sort of behavior is irritating, but people can overreact to problems of any scale. To label it as something only people in the first world do is misleading.

 

[spartan231490]

Perspective is important, but pain is pain, frustration is frustration, anyone telling you how you should feel or worse, that your emotions are illegitimate, is a bitter asshole who should be punched in the face by Cpt. Falcon every time they open their mouth until they learn their fucking lesson. If Cpt. Falcon is unavailable, feel free to do it yourself.

Also, anyone who has the balls to say that first world problems can legitimately be used should either shut their hypocritical faces, or donate every single luxury they have to the less fortunate. You're argument comparing others to starving people in the 3rd world is invalid when you type it on a $1000 computer while paying $50 a month for internet, on a website dedicated to one of the most expensive hobbies on Earth.

tl;dr
SHUT YOUR PIE-HOLE AND TAKE YOUR HYPOCRITICAL JUDGMENTS ELSEWHERE, CRETIN.

 

[Aeonknight]

#FWP CAN be a valid response.

But it depends on what the problem is, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW the person communicates it.

ex:
"X game won't run in widescreen and the settings keep messing up! What do I do?" (#FWP not valid)

"UGH my stupid resolution is messed up! Did they even test this?! FML!" (FWP valid)

"OMGTHISISHITMY!@#$INGRESOLUTIONISALL!@#$EDUPANDTHEDEVELOPERSARE!@#$INGMORONS!" (#FWP Valid and not even enough)

As you can see, communication is everything. If you're complaining and seeking a fix, or are merely stating your displeasure in a reasonable way, FWP should not apply. If you're being a whiny ***** about it (especially if it's a small problem), then "lol, first world problem" is a perfectly valid comment.

I disagree. The way you communicate the problem doesn't affect the severity of it. And that is where the criteria for if FWP applies matters.

"I got a flat tire on the highway today, was nearly run over a few times and had to wait 3 hours for AAA to get there" That's not really FWP worthy, because that does legitimately suck, regardless of the starving boy elsewhere in the world.

But something like "eww they put tomatoes on my taco bell"... I could see FWP being used. It's still a prick statement to use because of what others have said (the whole "starving boy doesn't invalidate my concerns" arguement, which is completely valid), but sometimes complaints that are this petty/insignificant do deserve the occasional prick statement.

 

[JopieHaargel]

Sure, everybody can complain. But it's all relative. Everything is.

Example: Of course, a new game running subpar on your 1337-pwnage-rig can tick you off, and that's your right. You paid good money for that rig, didn't you?

Then somehow you contract AIDS. You know, from sucking on a cup of roadside diner coffee or wiping too much / not enough after using a public restroom, the specifics don't really matter.

Then, all of a sudden the importance of your fps count seems to gradually slide off to the background for a bit. That's life. Where you decide what's important to you, not us.