WoW player analyzes PvP cruelty
by Ross Miller 
{ Nov 15th 2005 at 6:30PM }
The Escapist is always known for well-written commentary, and this
article is no exception. Entitled "dood, it's part of the game," author Greg Tito tries to understand the inner psyche
of vindictive World of Warcraft players. It is the case study of a certain level 60 Tauren who maliciously
killed the author's level 29 Night Elf priest over and over again for the span of an hour. The Tauren, who is referred
to as "Hellacow" (not his real name), did not receive any bonus, gold, or experience for attacking a lower-level, so
what would compel a player to spend 90 minutes over 19 rounds of corpse-camping and "ganking" (where one spits on the
body of his fallen adversary).
Fortunately, the author had a chance to speak with his assaulter, and his responses were varied and interesting, and
the author does his best to explain each reason. The most poignant reason was that the same thing happened to him when
he was lower level, thus justifying a cyclical phenomenon. Have you ever had to deal with a similar situation, be it as
the victim or the attacker?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I have no-mane @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
MMORPG's needs some kind of vengance system so that when you revive you get like a bonus attack vs unjust attacks on you so if your like lv 50 and they're lv 50 you get a bonus of vengance making it easier to slaughter them maliciously for what they have.
Also I have aquestion for the runners of joystiq. Why do we have to acces our email to activate our message? it is really irritating to activate our messages especially on dialup! There has to be some way to meet in the middle.
enzofire @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
myg0t is one of the main origins of harassment for me. myg0t was originally a counter-strike based harassment clan, that grew to other games over the years. the whole goal was to hack/cheat/pissoff anyone and everyone just for the sake of getting them raged.
www.myg0t.com
Adam @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
He could of solved it very simply. Log out, then you would be the one laughing because hes the one camping someone who aint gonna res for ages while your doing something better(not hard).
jakk of guildofIV @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
whenever i enter ashenvale with my lvl 29 undead mage on the blackrock server a lvl 60 rogue or hunter will try to kill me. but then i have my lvl 60 riends come over to kick their asses. there's ur vengance system. haha
striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Comment verification is essential because it keeps the comment fields free of unsolicited advertisments. Many sites use bots to spam popular blogs with ads for whatever services they provide, and we receive tons of those kinds of ads daily as comments. Thankfully, none of them are ever activated, preventing us from having to wade through and delete them by hand.
At an indeterminate point in the future we will be able to allow trusted commenters to bypass the comment-activation system entirely, but even then people who don't comment regularly will have to put up with activating their comments via email.
jakk of guildofIV @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
oh and "hellacow" has a point, he was in the barrens and if i saw a night elf in the barrens id kill it too. and this guy needs to stop whinning cuz he can rez using a spirit healer and then run for it. i feel ur anger, but dude stop cryin'.
Chessasaur @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
A bit OT, but as a FFXI player (a game that has virtually no PvP), I find that the lack of PvP fosters a very cooperative environment. There's no value to having another player die, so you do what you can to save someone (well, most people do). FFXI does have it's problems and they are similar to this situation - killing things (or characters) for no value other than to agro other players. The only way I can see that this kind of behavior can be curtailed is to deduct exp points for killing far below your level.
Martin @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
OMG - This hits home so hard. Just last night I was running a timed quest from SW to Stranglethorn and a pair of high lvls horde decide to gank me. Quest over. My only thought was from here on out I will slay any Horde I can for vengenance. Dishonorable kills need to count for PVP not just against killing civilians. PVP for +/- 3 lvls should be fine. But other then that they are dishonorable and a dishonorable kill should come with a penalty - preferably a money penalty since gold is so valuble in WoW.
Nushio @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
striegs>
How about some sort of username&password system?
I also hate the email thing. I understand that it is to prevent splogs, but isnt there any other way?
Regarding WoW: I doubt money would be enough penalty, it doesnt make sense to lose money by constantly killing the same person...
Rob X @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
#3
Yeah really, It's called finding any and every lvl 60 rogue you know and enacting payback. For those who can't handle PvP, there's always the Normal servers.
Rob X @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Now that I've read the article, I can see the author is a whiny little bitch. Lvl 29 Alliance in the Barrens on PVP, what the hell does he think is going to happen? The Tauren player is right, go to a carebear server if you can't handle it.
Pengor of Mannoroth @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
You know why he did it!?
CUZ YOUR A NOOB. YOU COULD OF USED SPIRIT HEALER AND HEARTHED, BUT YOUR TOO NOOB TO FIGURE THAT OUT. YOU DESERVE TO BE CAMPED. I'M SURE HELLACOW WAS LAUGHING SO HARD, AND SO WHERE ALL HIS FRIENDS NEXT TO HIM. LEARN 2 PLAY.
Crappy article, sorry joystiq.
matthias thorn @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
I don't think there was anything at all in the article to much suggest that the guy wrote an article or interviewed his killer because he was freaking pissed off. Telling the author he's a n00b who deserves his ill fate is, like, fucking retarded.
He, like everyone who is not an idiot, is just wondering what the heck is up with the asshole wanker subhuman shitforbrains corpsefuckers who do this kind of crazy pointless aggro shit.
Mort @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
ummm....its commonly considered a justified tactic for actives in a fraternity or sorority to abuse (haze) pledges simply because they had it done to themselves previously. there have been many studies done on it already, and i'm sure that some actual, decent information regarding it is out there.
Arcon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Wow, lot of hate for the guy. I'm sure not even his not-knowing about spirit healer wasnt enough to warrant the dreaded caps lock.
I thought it was interesting, what drives a person to spawn camp, in essence. Which is really the bane of all online games. Just because he didnt know a way he could have gotten away doesnt make it any less a problem. Everyone is a noob, everyone learns at some point, i love how you think that inexperience justifies ruining someone's good time, but what drives a guy to sit and wait for the guy to respawn to kill him again when there's nothing beneficial AT ALL in doing so.
Thom Foolery @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
"when I was younger, my father would beat me for not taking out the trash or eating my vegetables. Now as a father myself, I beat my kids if they don't do the same. It's my way of getting back at my father."
and that my friends, is why griefing another player because the same happened to you is wrong.
Rob X @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
No, there is a benefit. It's teaching a lesson on not being a noob to noobs who:
1) don't use the spirit healer (when you very well know how to by lvl 29)
2) don't walk away from the game for ten minutes, leaving the camper with nothing to do
3)who don't have any friends at all for back up
It's Darwinism at it's finest.
Simon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
I have to agree, Greg Tito totaly deserved it.
The article is nicely layouted but everything else is just intellectual masturbation. He said it himself: 'I made a sport of it' ... so did the other player ...
He knew he had no chance an still he tried over and over again. So, god bless there was someone to teach him, or else we would have an article called: 'Dood, I'm stupid but I got away with it' ... nicely layouted but actually just intellectual masturbation ...
Simon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Yep, hew knew how to get away, but he choose to stay.
And the 'asshole wanker subhuman shitforbrains corpsefuckers who do this kind of crazy pointless aggro shit' knew he could do something more rewarding, but he too choose to stay.
Anyway, I think it's funny how the righteous turn to flaming when confronted with someone who did something they don't like. Both 'matthias thorn' and Greg Tito have been calling the other player names ... best way to prove you're so much better ...
Eshan Mathur @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Sigh, I'd like to point out to anyone who cares that the person was indeed foolish and could have spirit ressurected (for people who don't play WoW, it means the spirit healer ressurects you at the location of the graveyard and not your corpse for a 10 minute penalty debuff.)
Honestly people don't think sometimes, so you can't really blame the guy for ganking.
Second thing, the way this post was written makes it seem like ganking is spitting on the corpse which its not, its just higher levels attacking much lower levels.
My 2c.
striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Nushio, I honestly don't know why we've never enacted a password-based login system. I presume that the original intent was to keep the barriers to community participation low, and perhaps the thought of using a username/password combination in conjunction seemed extraneous at the time.
One of our tech team's biggest problems is that Joystiq just won't stop growing: hits for the month of October were up 2,000% from the same time a year ago, and November's looking to be even bigger. Weblogs, Inc. has been testing the new version of Blogsmith for several months now (you can see it by going to sites such as TUAW and Cinematical), but from all accounts they have yet to efficiently handle Joystiq's traffic capacity (much less Engadget's, who are in the same predicament as we are).
Robert @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Here's something to think about... It's a game! PvP servers have their high points and their low points. It sucks, but you assume that risk when you log into that server. And if Hellacow gets any enjoyment out of what he did, then he's entitled to it. He paid good money for that right. It's only unfair if you don't play by the rules. Suck it up, or play on a different server.
And Hellacow is a B***tch. He has every right to be one, but that doesn't make it cool for the rest of us. Although it does kind of make me want to play on the PvP server to give these B***tches a taste of their own medicine.
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
I don't care about the PvP servers... I just want the non-roleplayers to STAY THE HELL OFF THE RP SERVERS because I get sick of all the idiots chatting OOC and ruining the RP servers for the rest of us.
They wouldn't make RP servers if they didn't want us to roleplay on them. Jerks who come in and chat and then say "I pay for the game so I'll play it how I want." need to go to hell.
scott @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
I enjoy MMOs but I'm not a fan of PVP. Still I think the author of this article is the fool here. The kid/Tauren (yes, he is a kid) spent 1.5 hours killing this guy because the guy made it fun. He tried to run, tried to heal, tried to hide, just kept trying. Sure there's no xp in it, but the kid was roleplaying a lot better than the author was. Plus he was having a good time with his friends watching (and probably chatting) this guy who just wouldn't give up. This was practically a social event for the kid. Sometimes games aren't all about the xp all the time.
The kid spent 90 minutes doing this. The author probably spent several hours thinking, writing, editing, and designing that site just to answer a question that is obvious to many of us.
In the end, the kid let it go, but the author could not. He wanted to do the same thing to the kid that the kid did to him. Only in the so-called adult's case, his reasons were personal and solitary. The kid's were really just arbitrary and social (with his friends around).
It's a game and not everyone plays fair or is as mature as others. Get used to it and move on.
. <---- This the world's tiniest violin playing just for the author.
chunkylover53@aol.com @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Why are there so many childish responses to an op-ed piece? It's an opinion (the "op" in op-ed) about a cultural phenomenon, the online game that has more players than many cities. You who play WoW are all part of that community and yet you chose (notice the spelling) to immediately declare the author a pedant (or worse, a "noob", ouch!) because he decided to publish his opinion about what happened to him in the game.
I am curious if you who commented and bashed the piece realize that you don't gain any credibility or respect for yourself by doing so. In fact, you weaken whatever the argument was you were (notice the spelling) trying to make in your contribution.
What I also find interesting is the comments I choose to disregard are those rife with spelling mistakes. I don't mean typos (e.g. "Yep, hew knew " was surely supposed to be "he"). Take, for instance, the following examples...
- a bonus of vengance (vengeance - two separate instances)
- AND SO WHERE ALL HIS FRIENDS NEXT TO HIM (were)
- and this guy needs to stop whinning (whining)
- a whiny little bitch (whiney)
- The article is nicely layouted (Where to begin? Twice in the same comment)
Even if you had a weak argument, or you just really wanted to vent some pent-up anger, whatever the case may be, you should learn that at a minimum, correct spelling is a huge step in getting your point across! You should consider it a "profession" you need to train up to at least "journeyman" level.
Take it from a real noob - you have much to learn...
Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
i don't care for The Escapist too much. the articles always start out pretty good and then deteriorate into some gamer rant which obtains an obscure point that no on really cares about.
you got PKed. boo-fucking-hoo. it's not like he used hacks, or really cheated in any way. it was the author's choice to continue venturing back to get PKed over and over again, even though he knew he couldn't do anything about it.
and btw, i agree with the comments about adding or replies stated above. i really hate having to verify them through e-mail.
BobaFett @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Uhhh... you meet a dickhole playing videogames online? No way. Really? That is Capital A Amazing....
You should write a really long piece about that culminates in one of the great ruminations of our time..... "In the end, there is just no point."
Rob X @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
24.
"What I also find interesting is the comments I choose to disregard are those rife with spelling mistakes."
Whiney isn't a word.
Motoi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
The fact of the matter is the guy gets pleasure out of kicking a lower lvl's butt. Today I killed a lvl 52 guy, myself being 50. In that case, its alright. But a 20-30 lvl jump in killing and camping? That person has some real life social issues I believe
BobaFett @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Yeah! Hey 24 - it's not a fucking english class it's the interweb.... no one gives a shit about spelling or making a clear point. You gotta get your rant on!! With lots of curse words and shit that doesn't make sense. Bout it. Bout it.
Todd @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
This attitude is nothing new. It's been happening since the internet allowed people to remain anonymous but still have a high level of interaction. Most likely this guy is just as big of a jerk in real life. Except that in real life he knows that he can't just do what he wants because of the consequences. But you can do whatever you want online. Check out how surprised he is that he was found again. Someone he randomly bumped into found him and he was startled. All it would have taken to scare this guy away would be a little personal information. "Hey, Brian Fleming of 100 Park Row Jacksonville, Mississippi...knock it off or me and my friends will be paying a visit." He wouldn't sleep or logon for weeks because his online actions suddenly had real world consequences.
HardwareGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
You know what I do when people are corpse camping me? Go get a coke. They'll get bored very quickly when you don't respawn for them to kill.
I'm not gunna argue that corpse-campers are scum and should be flogged in the public forum, but my simple approach has never failed.
BenR @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Pengor of Mannoroth, you seem to be missing the point: the article was trying to find out why someone would spend an hour and a half doing something extremely dull and unchallenging purely to be evil to someone else. Didn't he have something better to do? What kind of sad, twisted mentality must someone have in order to enjoy that? You can argue about the gameplay reasons etc, but that point remains.
I see the same behaviour in all online games, though. My basic philosophy is that 90% of people are idiots and 90% of those are arseholes, so don't be surprised when people do stupid, nasty things.
Rok Steady @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
I just started playin on a PVP server and experienced the same problem as the author did. A lvl 39 Troll Hunter and a lvl 30 Undead Priest were killing lowbies such as my lvl 16 Human Warlock. It lasted about 1 1/2 hours, with a lvl 53 Human Mage taking them out repeatedly.
For some, it's a power trip, for others, a Halo re-enactment. Some just get 'riled up in the blood' and kill anything they can. Just to feel better about themselves. I'm not a PVP'er myself, if someone from an opposite faction is fighting and having a hard time, I'll help out. But if they try and hurt me, it's game on.
This article is a waste of website, like many Escapist articles. It would have been better off as a blog than an 'article'. Even as an op-ed, you have to expect people to write back and view it as an elaborate rant.
PVP servers are just that, Player versus Plaver. If you can't stand the heat, even when the author was adding to it by continually rezzing in the area, then expect to be ganked, teabagged, sat upon and even laughed at.
It's the nature of the game and with so many players playing a game with as much depth, for a MMORG, you have to expect to get some sick idiot that gets a measure of pleasure out of watching another player die repeatedly and so helplessly.
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
Rare Hare: Spot-on description of the Escapist. I find the pseudo-intellectual op-ed pieces in that particular interweb rag to be the lowest form of writing. One can find more thoughtful papers in a middle-school creative writing classroom.
I especially lament the increasing popularity of grrl gamers who whine about not being taken seriously. The Escapist seems to be a proud home to that particular variety of annoying, ranting gamer, much like some of the blogs on 1UP.com and across the `net.
I blog about what annoys me, but really- Whining about being killed on a PvP server is pretty f'ing lame. Almost as lame as whining about being flirted with when you're the only girl in a room full of adolescent male players. If you didn't INVITE the attention, you wouldn't GET the attention, so please don't bitch about it to the rest of us!
SteveK @ Dec 18th 2005 10:09PM
You can tell by the comments here why people do it. WoW is an interesting little version of the real world. You have bullies, you have people who help, you have people who are in it for themselves.
For the little, tired losers stuck in their parents basements with the computer they saved up for, this is all they have. Actually, I'm glad they're taking out their frustrations for their pathetic lives by 'ganking', instead of out commiting real crimes, or getting drunk in public.
So in a way, I'm thankful for MMORPG's.