I've never played DOTA2 or LOL so HotS is my first attempt at a MOBA. I've heard stories of how toxic the MOBA communities are so I was always put off trying them.
So I find that pretty much every game that we lose people are bad mouthing, accusing other players of playing poor, etc. I know you can turn chat off but I feel it's needed to do tactics and relay information, especially in Hero League. Of course I always block communication as well, but you just don't need the harassment from it all the time. The funny thing is, it's the exact opposite when we win, it's all very positive and good will.
Also from what I gather, I can't see any feature that has guilds or clans so I can't search to play with friendly people who don't mind getting there butt kicked every now and then.
I just don't understand the mentality of some people, yes some players do some things wrong and collectively the team hasn't worked out. I know it can be frustrating playing with someone who isn't very good or up to your standard but the fact is most people think there standard is pushing 9 outta 10. When in reality they are far from it and the player being harassed usually isn't that bad either. Of course you get the odd player who doesn't understand the game that well but most of the time players know what they're doing.
I would say I'm not a bad player but I'm not the best either, I'm just a very experience gamer with around a 60% HotS win-rate. I've been playing games since commodore 64, I use to play Counter-Strike at a very high standard in my teens alas my reactions have slowed down now. I would say I play games more casual now, especially after falling ill recently I don't need the stress of competitive gaming.
Anyway, this has turned more in to a blog now and it's getting late here in the UK. No hard feelings to anyone, this is just what I've experienced. I hope Blizzard implement strong penalties for constant abusers and intricate a guild/clan feature for people who enjoy the game but don't want the constant harassment.
What are everyone opinions on the community so far?