Folks,
When I wrote this last night:
I too look forward to the day when winbolo is purged of people who can't behave themselves, and who say things that are unappreciated. People have feelings, and when one person criticizes another, those feelings are bound to be hurt. People who attack others have no business posting in a public forum or, in my opinion, even appearing in public. If you go to #bolo, the forum for mac bolo, you'll note that the players are unfailingly polite to one another, and those who insist on being confrontational, annoying, or idiosyncratic are swiftly punished. Likewise, on rec.games.bolo, the newsgroup for mac bolo, I recall few if any instances of one player flaming another.
I was being very, very ironic. I hoped my statement that "people who attack others have no business . . . even appearing in public" would tip everyone off, but apparently not. The fact that it didn't is precisely the problem, because if you honestly believe that people shouldn't be allowed to express coherent thoughts however they'd like, you should consider living in China. If that's the prevailing view around here, we're in a lot of trouble.
Let me be frank. I spent 4-5 years on mac's #bolo, and I have a hard time recalling a *single day* passing without people flaming each other to pieces. In fact, several of the top players referred to each other in racial slurs. But the fact is that the people who did so were usually very, very good friends and didn't take it at all seriously. It was a form of bonding in fact. Likewise, as sheep noted, rec.games.bolo was host to some of the most impressive flame wars ever to grace the electronic page. In fact, a healthy segment of the population didn't even play bolo, but rather existed solely to rant. They were elegant, literate, witty, and incredibly entertaining flames, and we players loved them.
I found that culture a bit startling at first, but I soon found that it made the game itself, and the atmosphere surrounding it, vibrant and colorful. Not everyone was a jerk -- in fact, the people who flamed the hardest were usually the most interesting guys once you got to know them. They just didn't take themselves too seriously, and neither should we. I've only been playing #winbolo for about three weeks now, but the thing that's struck me most is the gravity of things around here. When people get animated, the channel gets +m'd -- presumably, the only things we're permitted to discuss are those that we don't care too much about. Of course, that's precisely the opposite of how it should be. Does anyone really want to come onto IRC and have every conversation be:
<kax> hello fi, how are you?
<fi> good thanks, you?
<kax> ok. I think I am improving at bolo!
<fi> that's good. It's nice to see progress.
<kax> yes, because I've worked really hard
<fi> see? hard work pays off.
<kax> but I still lose my builder a lot. Saiyan shot it last game.
<saiyan> don't feel bad kax! it happens to everyone!
<kax> I know. Gee, I really like you guys! Do you like me?
<ren> paniqbot map jonnywar
I can say without a doubt that if every conversation were as exciting as that one, I would soon be driven to a life of crime and drugs. It's important to let people be themselves, and that includes having fun verbally. There's a reason that in #bolo, guys have hung out there for years even after they've stopped playing -- that reason is that they've made great friends, and people don't make friends in an environment where they can't be themselves. When people are so disruptive that they threaten the game itself or the posting forum (by flooding, server unlocking, etc.), then ban 'em after warning them. Ultimately, people play winbolo not only because the game is fun, but also because they have a good time messing around with the other players.
Because that's true, I can't think of a time when +m should *ever* be used. That's especially true when, as happened recently, the people having the conversation are having great fun, but the channel operator doesn't approve of the tone of their discussion. I can say from personal experience that nothing ever comes of a +m except people becoming pissed off at the moderator, and questioning why they hang out on #winbolo in the first place. If we're going to talk about "another reason to quit winbolo," mine will be because even after attending law school, playing bolo for many years, writing coherent posts on this forum, and abiding by the rules of the game, I'm muzzled by someone with moderator privileges because he or she doesn't approve of the way I said something. It's arrogant beyond description.
#Winbolo isn't an arranged marriage. Let people be themselves, and if you don't like it, just /ignore them. Deleting posts or making the channel +m is just taking your ball and going home.
Respectfully,
Kax
