Post: How to handle trolls
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08-06-2013, 06:30 PM
#1
speed_cro
Haxor!
Ignore Them
Let’s face it. If you were ever picked on in school, you know that ignoring a bully usually didn’t work. In the physical space people demand attention, especially if they are trying to cause you trouble. However, the anonymous environment online gives you the ability to effectively ignore your troublemaker and not pay any mind to their attempts to push your buttons. Usually your overreaction is their sweet reward -- their prize for being such a dubious pain in your side. Any communication you give them shows that they still have your attention, and your time. Eventually, and hopefully, the person will move on. Very few people can actually afford being professional trolls, and they will have to get back to their own lives at some point, leaving you to be and giving you the space needed after dealing with their annoyance.
Kill ‘em with Kindness
Most of the time, people who cause problems in MMO games are just bored. They don’t have any personal vendetta against you specifically, they are just looking to get a rise or negative reactions out of people who can’t control their emotions. Show a troll you are willing to take a joke, laugh at yourself, or try to be their friend and you could be surprised by how quickly they might turn around. Taking the high road is usually the best path when dealing with others, and sometimes your positive and calm attitude can be the best example of how a player should react, causing your troll to at least think twice about how they are spending their time. Granted, this won’t work all the time, but is usually the best method where an online miscreant realizes they won’t get to you and is better off moving along to someone else.
Report Them
When someone crosses the line and takes being a jerk too far, it’s probably best for someone in charge of the community to be made aware. Everyone has a different breaking point, but constant harassment, offensive behavior or threats are not what the game creators had in mind for you to battle. Sure, one single report of a player may not raise a large enough flag to get the attention of the moderators. However, if the troll has had any kind of success in the past, they are sure to have made quite a few enemies, and if every one of them has reported the individual then hopefully community leaders will then have enough cause to research the claims and take the appropriate action. Just remember that nothing will be done about the troublemakers online if nobody knows what’s taking place. You may not feel like it’s your responsibility to police the community, but if someone is clearly being a handful, then it’s best to let the proper staffers know. Remember that when a GM or mod is going through your ticket, they can usually view the chat logs from the instance you are reporting, so don’t give them any reason to find you instigating the individual or making it worse. Being polite and clearly voicing your discomfort to the bully without losing your cool will make it more clear who the problem player is.
Log off
What’s that? You don’t think you should have to quit the game just because someone else is getting under your skin intentionally? Sure, you might have paid money for game access, and yes, you might only have a limited amount of time to play. However, if you’re starting to get too frustrated or are spending more time arguing with the troll than playing the game, maybe it would be a good time to log off for a bit. This will instantly end any arguments, take any negative attention off your character, and give you a break to cool off. Usually just logging out for a few minutes then logging back in will help the troll move along to other marks and allow you the freedom to get back to your game.
When it comes to dealing with problematic individuals online, it’s best to just remember to keep a level head, ignore the insults, and report them through the proper game channels so you can get back to having a great time with friends in your mmo of choice.
Utimately, just remember:
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