WOW and how it impacts social skills

[brendanloco]

1) What is your preferred playing method?
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

[RoboA]

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

[Baelic]

1) What is your preferred playing method?

Not entirely sure what you mean by this. But I mainly do PvE content; World Quests, Dungeons, Raids.

2) Do you do this alone or with others?

Mostly alone unless the situation calls for it. That said, there is a small clique of guildmates I happen to play with more often than the others.

3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)

One friend frequently, the rest to varying degrees that lean towards 'somewhat often'

4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

I'd say they've improved gradually, but I don't think WoW is the sole catalyst for this.

[Amerrol]

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

Not necessarily. I was more or less myself when I played WoW, even when interacting with people outside my guild. Maybe a bit less patience, but still generally nice. Now in MOBAs on the other had, I'm a toxic fuck. It's the the difference between PvE and PvP I would say.

[Kokolums]

I was very social before playing wow. I used to endlessly play cards with friends and wed laugh and have a good time. Id throw parties in my apartment, etc. wow helped me work on my team building skills. I dont think i realized how crucial it was to get a team to focus on one task to have success as a team.

[Tziva]

1) What is your preferred playing method?
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

I do PvE content mostly, raiding is my favourite. I prefer playing with friends, but I also do play alone a fair amount too.

I communicate with friends and other players constantly, even when I'm doing solo stuff I often will chat in /g or private channels.

I can't image WoW has had any impact one way or another on social skills. I do enjoy that I can stay in touch with friends I don't get to see very often in real life due to distance or schedules through the game, but that's not skill related.

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

I'm a pretty cynical person and I don't think this is true for many people.

It's not for me, nor a number of real life friends and family I have that play.

[Eleccybubb]

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

Very disingenuous to say "everyone".

I'm always wiling to help people online just as I am in real life. Within reason of course.

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1) What is your preferred playing method?
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

1. PvE player mostly. Although with Guild Wars 2 I do love my PvP.

2. Sometimes alone and sometimes with other people.

3. Rarely with friends ingame since we use Discord or go to each others houses to play together.

4. I'd say they have improved upon starting MMOs in general. When I started PSO and FF11 as a kid I was shy and inwards. And a year of playing each I was more open and willing to do stuff with other people as well as socialize more.

[iNUKE]

Yay nice, a thread for new players and new internet people.

[Deleted]

I try but I am learning new ways people have of saying "Shut up we dont want to talk"

[Brewhan]

i feel like with the introduction of super speed runs (M+ , efficient farming of AP) it has made the game less fun and more about NOT TALKING and going as fast as possible to be as efficient as possible. One thing I hate about legion.

[Deleted]

I'm the same person as real life, no matter what.

[Pull My Finger]

I think these questions are only relevant for nerds and socially inept people in the first place.

[Super Kami Dende]

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

Bullshit. Nearly everyone I know on WoW that I have then been friends with in Real-life has been the same person.

People who act completely different online are just asshole people.

[Aleax]

1) What is your preferred playing method?
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

I like that I meet real people in the open world.
Besides that, I like playing solo, or Dungeons/Raid finders more than anything.

I am pretty much not in participating in organized raids with a schedule. If WoW was only that, I would definetly quit/or never began WoW (to begin with).

I do have friends in-game though, and we sometimes do some things together. More on-the-fly though.

[Shinrael]

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

Different, yes, but not necessarily worse/the worst.

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

1) What is your preferred playing method?
With guild mates.
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
With guild mates.
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
Frequently. We hang out in comms (Discord) quite a bit.
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)
I like to think I am always improving. Hard to say how much of that can be attributed to WoW. I am also a team leader at work, and I teach at-risk teens for a living, so my social skills are always being challenged.

[Deleted]

Unless you know your whole guild IRL and you know your PvP opponents and every person you encounter IRL - i really don't believe you are the same IRL.

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I play alone, I'm not in a guild and no friends on my bnet at all. I do raids (pugged curve in all three for legion) but rarely do dungeons as suffer from quiet extreme performance anxiety and don't want to let others down. I don't use comms and never would

Life is too short for that. Had the same, face it and move on(it also makes everything much more fun)

[Lochton]

1) What is your preferred playing method?

I have no preferences, I love PvE, PvP and even RP.

2) Do you do this alone or with others?

Both, I don't mind people tagging along, nor do I mind tagging along with people.

3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)

Frequently, daily, hourly, can't avoid it.

4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

Improved, improved massively. Even met my wife on WoW.

everyone turns into the worst possible version of themselves on wow or online in general. Everyone is a vastly different person IRL.

I would have to say a big echoing 'WRONG'. You are right that everyone is vastly different, but not only IRL but also compared with the game.

[Deleted]

Not necessarily. I was more or less myself when I played WoW, even when interacting with people outside my guild. Maybe a bit less patience, but still generally nice. Now in MOBAs on the other had, I'm a toxic fuck. It's the the difference between PvE and PvP I would say.

I like to call it: in annonym/virtual environment your pure essence is free. You can show your chaotic quick changing self without loosing reputation. It is pretty easy in this state to drop your logic off and react truely instinctive. You are discussing/raging about an topic, just to come to the conclussion at the end (and if your brain is online again) that the whole discussion makes no sense in general (like to rage about over dozens of posts about which colour is the best). You are not able to reflect your own opinion in this state. Tolerance and respect against another people is fading and only your truth is the only truth.

[shammypowa]

1) What is your preferred playing method?
2) Do you do this alone or with others?
3) How often do you communicate with friends or other players in the game?(rarely, somewhat often, frequently)
4) How have your social skills been impacted since playing WOW? Why?(improved, stayed the same, harmed)

1) PvE content
2) Alone
3) Somewhat often, but outside the game. We met in WoW and don't play it anymore but we do play other games pretty regularly together
4) Most definitely. I would say the game worsened them over time, but I have always really struggled with very bad social anxiety and depression growing up, so WoW just sort of gave me an excuse not to talk face to face; a relief from my issues. I don't blame the game though, its just games of this type can make it too easy not to work on those particular problems.