*As I relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend, I offer you a reposting of a series I wrote back in June. Perhaps you read it five months ago. Perhaps it is new to you. This is part one of a three part article about what we can do to make Xbox Live a more positive place. See you on Monday.
If you have played any multiplayer games over Xbox Live that support interactions with random people, you know it tends to be a primarily negative environment. There are endless examples of offensive language, sexism, racism, bad sportsmanship, and cheating (to name just a few). I believe if we all make an effort to change the general atmosphere of Live, we can indeed make Xbox Live a better place.
Don’t think you are capable of making a difference? Think again. Yes, we only have control over our own actions. But by doing a few small things that really require very little effort, we can all make everybody’s playing experience just a little better. Starting with our own.
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~Marian Wright Edelman
Suggestion 1 : Do Unto Others
Remember the golden rule you learned back in kindergarten, do unto others as you would have them do unto you? They are words of wisdom that are useful at any age. This phrase can easily be applied to your actions on Live.
Ever hear a simple “good game” at the end of a match? It’s so nice, isn’t it? I say these words after every single game. The only time I do not say them is when the other team is cheating, modding, or glitching. Occasionally I will find myself not saying it if I am horrendously trash-talked, but even during those circumstances I still try to dig deep within myself and pull out that “good game”. It is during those times especially that I hold my head high and know that my standards are my standards, regardless of how other people treat me. Try it, it feels good. Sometimes the other team will continue trash-talking. Sometimes they will be so stunned that you are being nice to them even after their poor behavior that they are speechless. Sometimes you will find yourself utterly amazed when they say “good game” back to you.
It is my hope that with each good game I say, one person will continue the tradition. Sometimes simply seeing and hearing a good example is enough to plant the seed in somebody’s head. And that seed will eventually bloom into a “good game” against different opponents. And perhaps that person will like how that sounds, saying it and hearing it back, and will pick it up as a regular habit.
If you set the example, others will follow. Say it enough and your regular teammates will begin saying it too. Their regular teammates will pick up on it, and hopefully a few of everybody’s opponents will as well. Slowly but surely, one by one the numbers of good sportsmanship will grow.
If you are involved in a good game, say it. It’s two simple words that take two seconds to say. The effort involved is minimal but the results can be spectacular. One person can make a difference.
| How to Make Xbox Live a Better Place |
|---|
| Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 |
Posted by arathorn on November 24, 2007 at 1:41 pm
At a certain stage I just muted voices altogether, makes Xbox Live so much more fun
Posted by bs angel on November 24, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I really go back and forth on that one.
I freely mute individuals when warranted. I am thankful you can do it so much quicker these days.
I met the clan I have belonged to for over a year and known for over two years in an official clan match back on H2. If I would have had them muted, I never would have met the group that I game with 99% of the time now. So I hesitate using the blanket mute option because yes, you get rid of all the jerks but you also risk missing out on the nice people as well. While the nice people are quite rare it seems, they are still out there.
So I don’t know. I am torn with that option. But it sounds like it was definitely the right choice for you as you seem to be having fun on Live. :)
Posted by ResilientMonkey on November 24, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I am proud to be one of the few who says “Good Game” and pop in comments like “nice shot” when I get sniped from across the map. But I do find it hard to go on Xbox Live very often. It feels more like a chore than anything else. Every now and then I hop on in the hopes I’ll run across somebody decent.
Posted by MC on November 25, 2007 at 12:59 am
I think acknowledging a great game and getting a kick out of a great kill, no matter who pulled it off are the hallmarks of good gamesmanship.
I certainly appreciated that kind of courtesy back in my UT days.
Posted by Crazyeye0 on November 25, 2007 at 2:48 am
I don’t trashtalk, I don’t like it, it’s not smart, and it’s not clever. If people trashtalk me I often don’t trashtalk back, because that just makes things worse. I do say Good game aswell, and I always make the games as light hearted as possible, which sometimes is hard.
EG the other day I was enjoying a good game with some mates and a load of other people, and my mates brother comes on. I’ve had problems with him before, he’s one of those shouty squeaky voiced annoying people, but I had it with him yesterday, I muted him, the only person I’ve ever muted.
Why? because even if you try and stop trashtalking and stuff, I’ll still probably get slagged off for being British for no good reason. “What are you straight up European?” “dude…are you…British?” “ugh British! fuck off!” “hey, does anyone speak English here?-English!? F you! fing english f off you english fing english i fing hate you fing english!”
(The last one only happens when there’s only French people there)
Posted by Silvercube on November 25, 2007 at 3:54 am
I don’t really play much multiplayer these days on xbox live.
And when I do, its 3-2-1 mute. Problems solved ^_^
I remember when you originally posted this.
Can’t believe its already been that long.
Posted by Mute-tacular! « mendokusai.org on September 26, 2008 at 5:44 am
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