As a header and warning, allow me to start by saying that this is NOT a 100% blanket of all newbs or noobs in multiplayer games (with full or semi competitive elements). This is moreso the general gist of what I have seen in my many years of playing mmos, so please remember this before some casual goes off on me for what I'm about to say. I believe once you are done reading this, my point will make a lot more sense. Anyway, on with the post!
So i can safely say that after having played WoW for the span of at least half a decade, Guild Wars 2 for a year, and FFXIV for going on 2-3 years now, I have a fair understanding of people at all levels of play, and this allows me to better visualize and present you with the primary point. First of all, what made me feel that this was a post that needed to be made? Well, when I was on FC, my boyfriend had just finished with a dungeon group who he claimed were, "a bunch of elitists ruining his fun". He then asked me and others within my linkshell if I would rather have "fun loving noobs" than "hardcore elitists".
Now you're thinking, "OF COURSE I prefer fun loving people, why wouldn't I pick them?" The sad problem is, the "fun loving noob" is for a large part a myth. I say this because while every player has the equal entry point where they are exploring the elements of the fictional world and the combat system/ui/characters/etc, there comes a point where that noob will inevitably be in a party that is not, say, a premade of him and his friends looking for a good time. Chances are, the noob will be nervous, unsure of their skill, and more likely than not will have difficulty learning things as they are required to. This is actually fairly stressful. And if the noob is NOT stressed out, then chances are it's either a high level running a low level character, or a soulless dungeon-bot who could care less about pleasantries or human interaction.
Moving on, this noob is bound to make mistakes. And when they do, they have the choice to owe up to it and learn from it, or do what most noobs do and act like they are entitled to fail, treating criticism whether it is harsh or actually constructive as an attack on their well-being. And this is the problem. Noobs are not aware that people in a game do not know them on a personal level (unless they are your irl friends, obviously), so of course it's not actually going to be personal. But when we are introduced to this experience, we tend to put our reactions towards that of pride or feeling like they're a buzzkill, not realizing that at some point down the road, IF you get good, you are going to have these same expectations to avoid the content feeling slow or boring or repetitive.
It's not a selfish thing, but in fact it is SELFISH to assume that people are paying $15 in a game for you to troll or waste their time when they want to complete content, and chances are that person is going to school or work and their free time is very valuable, especially since they are investing monthly in the game. Again, this is not just a PERSONAL viewpoint. This is something that through persistent observation can be seen with the naked eye. The discontent with the inability to learn or improve is a real phenomena, and it is far more of a buzzkill than someone who simply says that you're "Bad" because he's tried to give constructive criticism in the past, only for that noob to lash out at them for it. The experienced players get tired of this song and dance. They don't WANT to be blunt or harsh, but they're just as fed up with people not correcting their mistakes as the noobs are of "being criticized", save for the fact that the person expecting better from you for being in a game where you share electronic space and time with other people is justified.
On top of all of this, my boyfriend even ADMITTED that he was getting tired of the new Nidhogg boss in the recent patch because they never seemed to be able to get close to beating him. I told him that wishing for fun loving noobs in such a scenario would be an utterly depressing scenario, as skill is needed to get past it, and if you're not progressing, you're obviously not having fun, as his own words betray this sentiment. It's easy for us to sneer at better players as "being elitist" and "not understanding how hard it is", but it's harder yet more rewarding to shut the hell up, swallow your pride, and ask what you can do to improve. Not only will the outcome more likely turn out favorable, that "noob" will be seen as less of an entitled brat and more of a "fellow player", which is why such a game exists in the first place.
To sum it up, most noobs are not "laid back" and "fun loving" (although there're exceptions), and on that same note most elitists are not looking to break your back over forgetting one simple move in your rotation (though such elitists exist, and I can concur that they are assholes). The takeaway from this? If people are criticizing you, it is always best to reflect and see if you can improve, for you have nothing to lose from it and everything to gain. But ultimately, if you feel that you don't want to be "TOLD" how to play a game correctly, then I might kindly ask you to unsubscribe and find a Free 2 Play game where you can waste as much time as you want without annoying people who already have very little free time to enjoy and that they are spending their earned cash on? Because those people are going to depict the bulk of the game, no matter how much money may argue otherwise. just ask Riot how choosing money over quality went for them, how many high end players they lost for being petty. People who play such games expect dedication to quality and fairness, and if you don't expect that, then perhaps it is YOU who is the asshole, and not the people who you are secretly jealous of.
TL: DR shut up when an experienced player is telling you something to help you improve, and don't be surprised when people view you as toxic when you choose to "go your own way".
So i can safely say that after having played WoW for the span of at least half a decade, Guild Wars 2 for a year, and FFXIV for going on 2-3 years now, I have a fair understanding of people at all levels of play, and this allows me to better visualize and present you with the primary point. First of all, what made me feel that this was a post that needed to be made? Well, when I was on FC, my boyfriend had just finished with a dungeon group who he claimed were, "a bunch of elitists ruining his fun". He then asked me and others within my linkshell if I would rather have "fun loving noobs" than "hardcore elitists".
Now you're thinking, "OF COURSE I prefer fun loving people, why wouldn't I pick them?" The sad problem is, the "fun loving noob" is for a large part a myth. I say this because while every player has the equal entry point where they are exploring the elements of the fictional world and the combat system/ui/characters/etc, there comes a point where that noob will inevitably be in a party that is not, say, a premade of him and his friends looking for a good time. Chances are, the noob will be nervous, unsure of their skill, and more likely than not will have difficulty learning things as they are required to. This is actually fairly stressful. And if the noob is NOT stressed out, then chances are it's either a high level running a low level character, or a soulless dungeon-bot who could care less about pleasantries or human interaction.
Moving on, this noob is bound to make mistakes. And when they do, they have the choice to owe up to it and learn from it, or do what most noobs do and act like they are entitled to fail, treating criticism whether it is harsh or actually constructive as an attack on their well-being. And this is the problem. Noobs are not aware that people in a game do not know them on a personal level (unless they are your irl friends, obviously), so of course it's not actually going to be personal. But when we are introduced to this experience, we tend to put our reactions towards that of pride or feeling like they're a buzzkill, not realizing that at some point down the road, IF you get good, you are going to have these same expectations to avoid the content feeling slow or boring or repetitive.
It's not a selfish thing, but in fact it is SELFISH to assume that people are paying $15 in a game for you to troll or waste their time when they want to complete content, and chances are that person is going to school or work and their free time is very valuable, especially since they are investing monthly in the game. Again, this is not just a PERSONAL viewpoint. This is something that through persistent observation can be seen with the naked eye. The discontent with the inability to learn or improve is a real phenomena, and it is far more of a buzzkill than someone who simply says that you're "Bad" because he's tried to give constructive criticism in the past, only for that noob to lash out at them for it. The experienced players get tired of this song and dance. They don't WANT to be blunt or harsh, but they're just as fed up with people not correcting their mistakes as the noobs are of "being criticized", save for the fact that the person expecting better from you for being in a game where you share electronic space and time with other people is justified.
On top of all of this, my boyfriend even ADMITTED that he was getting tired of the new Nidhogg boss in the recent patch because they never seemed to be able to get close to beating him. I told him that wishing for fun loving noobs in such a scenario would be an utterly depressing scenario, as skill is needed to get past it, and if you're not progressing, you're obviously not having fun, as his own words betray this sentiment. It's easy for us to sneer at better players as "being elitist" and "not understanding how hard it is", but it's harder yet more rewarding to shut the hell up, swallow your pride, and ask what you can do to improve. Not only will the outcome more likely turn out favorable, that "noob" will be seen as less of an entitled brat and more of a "fellow player", which is why such a game exists in the first place.
To sum it up, most noobs are not "laid back" and "fun loving" (although there're exceptions), and on that same note most elitists are not looking to break your back over forgetting one simple move in your rotation (though such elitists exist, and I can concur that they are assholes). The takeaway from this? If people are criticizing you, it is always best to reflect and see if you can improve, for you have nothing to lose from it and everything to gain. But ultimately, if you feel that you don't want to be "TOLD" how to play a game correctly, then I might kindly ask you to unsubscribe and find a Free 2 Play game where you can waste as much time as you want without annoying people who already have very little free time to enjoy and that they are spending their earned cash on? Because those people are going to depict the bulk of the game, no matter how much money may argue otherwise. just ask Riot how choosing money over quality went for them, how many high end players they lost for being petty. People who play such games expect dedication to quality and fairness, and if you don't expect that, then perhaps it is YOU who is the asshole, and not the people who you are secretly jealous of.
TL: DR shut up when an experienced player is telling you something to help you improve, and don't be surprised when people view you as toxic when you choose to "go your own way".
