last edited: 2/24/2018 We start a game in a mode and victory is on ones mind as we load up into our chat and talk to people in each lance and the team in general. Hoping that those who have experienced a game have what it takes to win over the enemy with builds that work for strategies that are executed and communication that is flawless. While it is the expectation it would be best to know that it isn’t always the outcome of each match. With each person wanting something different from the game there could be a bunch of reasons they are in the match itself.
A match has its team dropped on to the map in their sub groups of the entire group. This all changes in its direction from the game pushing for a direction and the power is passed over to the player. They the players on the team can either decide to go head on or use a number of possible strategies while having most but not all agree in the plan. Those who dont follow will either agree to go their separate ways or start a verbal disagreement on the comms which will lead far into the match and lead the team to defeat at times. When you add oral communication into the picture with the comms its another layer of if people agree or disagree with voice and not just text with action. People might see others and themselves in a particular light of wisdom based on personal perception, levels to prove pilot superiority while excusing their own rude behavior, and leading to arguments of a better or worse that can’t be proven within the match of right versus wrong. A discussion that can happen over and over if paired with random players and happens less when people are on the team and get use to one another. As it has its negatives it also has its positives with being one of the most addictive parts of the game is the human interaction of the other players on the multiplayer. It feels even better when the satisfaction someone will get from annihilation of the enemy is heightened regardless of game modes objectives. It brings that team aspect to the forefront with hearing someones voice and identifying with their personality in the heat of battle to depend on one another for the move. When players are neither in disagreement or agreement of a team with their group chemistry they fall under the category which seemingly has no quick fix cure. This brings those who are the toxic players that spend their time and engagements on and off the game to make the experience horrible. This comes from the nature of not caring about anyone but themselves and pushing for the worse case scenario for the game itself, the developers and their team, and the people who stay loyal to the franchise for a number of reasons. There are so many of them these days in games that people playing have a hard time seeing a discussion thats run by a toxic troll to a discussion that is honest and critical in its nature and both go on to be dismissed. This can be a whole discussion in itself and will be put aside for now, getting back to the effects of what Gamesmanship can do. Lets first look and ask ourselves a few scenarios. When someone dives in can they win the match with Short-Range Missile build? (SRM), when someone who who uses Air strikes win the match? can toxic people become friends just for the time that is online in battle for the best of the team and its performance? Anything is possible and there has to be a system in place to insure to communicate status and repercussions in place to show consequence as what happens a lot in real life. While it doesn’t solve the problem to rid everyone of their toxic behavior it makes people think twice before choosing that problematic path. It can also lead to numbers that could give the developer important information on how they can approach the problem at hand. By looking at people who are arise as people who are making the game a better experience can show the contrast from those who are constantly reported in the system and to find patterns on both. Based on that the system itself can finally begin its analysis and take actions to make a automated way to deal with the problem with each update making it even better than the last. It can’t be understated how important it points to how communication effects the game almost as much as the mechanics of the game. It may take quite awhile for people to realize how communication is essential in controlling toxicity and more specifically how game function does this to speak out to its player base. Making such a system would tell players on servers that they can play safely in their matches where they could all participate with less worry of interruption and celebrate the engagement in the Battletech universe. Concentrating less on who is doing some sort of bullying tactic and who is embraced in battle for the sake of enjoyment, which is why many people go to games in the first place. The final result of nurturing their player base and bringing confidence to the people who originally had supported the game in its creation from the community. With no system there is no objective to change, but players who are against systems will tell you otherwise. Being able to play a MechWarrior game is said to be a remarkable opportunity to have a chance at robot shooters in a niche and experience the rich world of Battletech by being player, so each person who plays is allowed that honor. Which is really hard to defend as it is a point of perspective with plenty of assumptions that go with it, including: first off you play the game humbly and always help other players regardless of your personal views of them which can happen, secondly you are proactive person who sees the big picture that leads by example of good deeds, and thirdly have the tolerance and compassion to never complain over losses or gloat over victories with never speaking in a way to offend players or accuse players. That is an awful lot of expectations to a person who comes from a competitive game environment where toxicity in the genre is the norm amongst its varying age groups. There is nothing wrong with people stating their opinion or being good natured in their spirits of bringing positive vibes to the game for a thriving community and amounts of money for further development. Being able to play a revival of the MechWarrior series is really valuable and even unexpected, but this can not discount peoples treatment of other people as descent human beings. Luckily in the case of MechWarrior the amount of international players is wide and the retention of civility is common in a hand full of countries, but it still needs a way to point players in a direction of respecting other players. But, there is something strange and disrespectful when there are players that spend the entire existence in the fan base to bring others down and take them away from the game they love. The community will preach that in good faith, invested hope, and setting a player example will reach to everyone doing the same, however not everyone wants things to be peaceful as many people have many reasons why they play the game. A big point is pointing and discussing the reporting system that many people feel doesn’t handle cases quick enough or can distinguish severity and give that specific consequence to a player, but in truth only the developer knows some of that information. This results in another hot topic to discuss of players who report feeling ignored and that the developer ignoring the topic to ignore and excuse poor handling of the feature itself. Another discussion for later, but it does still pertain to what people consider when talking about player behavior and having honor in games. And many players, specifically toxic players will even tell you that they don’t want to change anything about player behavior to change anytime soon. Because, they see themselves as superior and sitting on a pedestal, because they don’t want discussion or debate over facts and lead by how they feel, and they want the separation of developer and players to stay far away from each other to make clear that players are only players. This divide can be seen on the forums, it can be seen in game, and it can even be seen when people talk about the game in person. Toxic players would hate any sort of system that would even bring the idea of respect for one another in fears that they would lose control of keeping divisions of players and game makers. There are plenty of reasons that people stay in the game. Not all of which remains for the enjoyment of the game, since some have stated that they enjoy trolling players and watching from the sidelines, and some want to just shoot LRMS silently in the distance with their privacy and not responding even by keyboard. So, unless some sort of system is in place to show what is wanted from the game to respect other people there would be no reason to just wake up one day and change the way a person would want to play. Why change from being on the sidelines if its what they like? Incentives, but even that wouldn’t guarantee nothing, but it would at least make them wonder a bit. They might ask if they want any of the incentives, or if they get something a little extra to contribute some communication they might benefit in someway, and as it becomes practiced it would be ingrained in the way they play without even needing to put much thought in just being respectful and keep communication in a game. With that in mind it is great to bring to the table the idea of fostering the idea of Sportsmanship and making it more specific to video games would be “Gamesmanship”. While controversial it creates specifies of suggested ways of playing a game. While much of the information might be in the legal notes agreement it is a pretty high chance the rules arent clearly stated and even need to be taught as well as enforced for anyone to follow them pass the agreement phase. This means that players who are expected to act a certain way don’t by their own will and need some reason to do so and be reminded of it, otherwise it is quite easy to just shove the idea aside and claim to be wronged by the company itself. It also benefits to teach gamesmanship in how to also respect other players and gaining morals through the game in the foundation of making such a system if there is incentives. These Game Incentives would be for a Gamesmanship System that effects the way people socially judge a person in the game before a match in game lobbies, during the match in chat and comm speak, and afterwards with ratings to encourage people for better reputation points to effect a gamesmanship level. These can be varied by parts, c-bills, etc and have a % of chance in getting smaller rewards that heightens throughout gamesmanship levels and goes to a minimal of 0% chance of rewards. It can be discussed on player voting systems to get different types of "Titles" that can be categorized: At the end of a match there could be a: Perseverance Vote, Communicator Vote, Friendly Vote, and have reports be the negative Votes with its own categories adding to the player (-) in reputation. Player votes should be in notifications for a feel good moment or awareness of negative actions, player reputation should be publicly displayed and shown to the player them self to think over. Holding players accountable with benefits is a great approach to ethics in a video game over matches, but it definitely can and will be improved as more games test out the waters of such a system. How is it not perfect? Say there are players that are in preset games in a group of friends who are giving perfect votes to each player in their group and have unethical voting that passes the system, but is a step in the right direction of pushing people towards certain player behaviors. Despite its possible flaws it would likely reduce the number of people being toxic for the benefits, wanting a incentive positive status for bragging, and accomplish within the system instead of exploiting it. And that leaves those who would be exploiting the system to be taking their own fun out of the game, fixing rotten scores, while adding bonuses to their groups with monotonous reminders of lying to the system for personal gains. This maybe resolved in friends being unable to vote all the time or separate random reputation from friend reputations and tournament level reputations as a possibility too, but it would need time to develop with numbers leading the way. Its powerful to bring people together by learning to treat others as other people online and would seem to be common sense. But the toxic environment that forms when the developer does not get involved shows that people would rather stay in their own belief than to listen to others to be in good faith in one another in person versus person modes. With a strong gamesmanship system it brings people who are young, people who are adults, and even older people together from different factions together for a good match. Such a system would be needed in showing people the positive outcomes of conduct such as, fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing. These are also the building blocks of creating friendships, which can create even more frequent enjoyment of playing the game itself past any mechanic or game mode could ever produce in the playing experience. This experience would lead to the main goal for gamesmanship to achieve cultivating a positive reputation in game. It would be a guideline towards assisting and teaching people the basics of socializing and respects that may not have been available or learned on their own. It would be the difference in being the developer willing to reach out on the communication line to assist players with a system, complimenting where its due in credit, and concluding a game with a gg or other statements of a fun time. All of these things would hope that the game would continue to prosper on all levels and in particular in the community experience.
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