Something strange about grammar and mmochamp.

[Worlds Apart]

I've noticed that almost all MMOChampion users speak with correct grammar, think about what they say and just generally give off the impression that they actually know how to form a sentence. This to me atleast, shows that there are still some people out there that can think and aren't just a bunch of kids that can't be bothered to write 'people' so they write 'ppl' (Reference to another thread ;P) Now what baffles me, is that this site is massive! It's the most popular wow fan site. So why is it then that finding a person that isn't a blabbering idiot In-game is so rare? Where do you all go?

Thanks.

Because there's a difference between real-time communication (chat) and shifted-time communication (forum). In the first, immediacy and speed dictate behavior. In the second, there is no time pressure so we slow down and are more thoughtful. Another way to think of it is that chat is more like talking and writing a forum post is more like... well, writing.

[levandor]

While this obviously isn't a sincere statement, I frequent both. I'm one of these weirdo's who will actually capitalize the first L in "Lol" if it's all I'm writing. It just happens and I don't even notice it it until it's there on the screen.

Honestly, had I started in WoW, I probably wouldn't type as well as I do. I played FFXI for years before this game. Most of the people you encounter there are either older folks who speak with more of a positive, well worded manner or Japanese people typing with the proper English they learned in school. You were kind of looked down on if you spoke in OMGL337SPESKZ. The foreign kids found it flat out disrespectful. Can't say I disagree.

Well it boils down to the Game at hand by chance, give Eve online a Try, people chatt there a lot too and grammar is fine.
I think it all comes down to the complexity of the Game and the need to socialice, FF XI needs you to socialice, meet people, form bonds,
else you will get stuck sooner or later.
Same for EVE a) you just NEED others, or the game will become extremly boring and b) you have so many Tasks where you just "idle" more or less (mining and at a certrain level of knowlegde and char advancement even combat) so you start chatting a lot in newby/Local/Corp chatt.
Besides both games are way more complex then wow ever was, the most complex question for wow players is: Which stat is better?
Even explanations on How to play your class/specc or what to do on a certain encounter can be done with fewer words then my Posting has.
So you attract rather brain dead/uneducated (yes a certain degree of education GIVES you advantages when playing games) people into the game, because they can reap rewards withut much effort (for them), while Training a good Scout Pilot in eve, so he performs top notch,
will take you weeks, not because "leveling" takes so long, but rathe because of, getting people used to analyse what they are up against, write propper reports about incoming Ships, while learning how to exploit the strengths of their fragile ships and put up against much bigger things or pull of some reall nasty distraction move, is rather complicated an takes, blood, sweet and tears to be mastered, while tanking in wow takes as much as:
LOLTHUNDERCLAP rend rend rend

[Knirps]

Well it boils down to the Game at hand by chance, give Eve online a Try, people chatt there a lot too and grammar is fine.
I think it all comes down to the complexity of the Game and the need to socialice, FF XI needs you to socialice, meet people, form bonds,
else you will get stuck sooner or later.
Same for EVE a) you just NEED others, or the game will become extremly boring and b) you have so many Tasks where you just "idle" more or less (mining and at a certrain level of knowlegde and char advancement even combat) so you start chatting a lot in newby/Local/Corp chatt.
Besides both games are way more complex then wow ever was, the most complex question for wow players is: Which stat is better?
Even explanations on How to play your class/specc or what to do on a certain encounter can be done with fewer words then my Posting has.
So you attract rather brain dead/uneducated (yes a certain degree of education GIVES you advantages when playing games) people into the game, because they can reap rewards withut much effort (for them), while Training a good Scout Pilot in eve, so he performs top notch,
will take you weeks, not because "leveling" takes so long, but rathe because of, getting people used to analyse what they are up against, write propper reports about incoming Ships, while learning how to exploit the strengths of their fragile ships and put up against much bigger things or pull of some reall nasty distraction move, is rather complicated an takes, blood, sweet and tears to be mastered, while tanking in wow takes as much as:
LOLTHUNDERCLAP rend rend rend

Sorry, but considering what you're saying in your post...the way you say it...the post is now not worth the cyberspace it's taking up.

[starbuyPWNDyouagain]

Ohh trust me. Those idiots are around. You just gotta wait till night time.

[Alfador]

People generally don't care if they waste everyone's time or look stupid. They go "it's a game, grammar, lulz" which is fine because it's the single easiest way to find out who in my pug group is a scrub not worth wasting my time on. If someone can't be bothered to hit 3 keys to type out the word "you," I don't expect them to give a crap about anything else either.

Here on MMO champ it's a different story, we've got people from all over the world, EU and US servers posting here. English may not be their first or even second language. Some otherwise intelligent people are just bad spellers, that too I find fine. What bothers me is obvious lazy shit like "u, ur, 2, ppl" and other such crap.

The only time I will ever give someone crap for an honest spelling or grammar error (note, error, not lazy shortcut), is if they make it while insulting someone else's intelligence. There is not much more striking than the irony and hypocrisy of someone saying "your an idiot."

[Arlee]

It's a strange experiment, but it works... I'm tired of every random flipping out because I ask someone not to bubble on the pull 'all fancy-looking-like' and scaring them.

Happy nao.

That's just weird... but as I think about it, I don't doubt it is actually like that the majority of the time. On forums I try to type and communicate as clearly as I can (sometimes I totally fail though) because generally I am trying to get across ideas and thoughts that if not communicated well could be completely misunderstood. In wow I do use a lot of "wow speak", mostly with my guildies/friends though because it amuses me. Coming up with different ways to write normal words in different and interesting ways is fun.

[Knirps]

That's just weird... but as I think about it, I don't doubt it is actually like that the majority of the time. On forums I try to type and communicate as clearly as I can (sometimes I totally fail though) because generally I am trying to get across ideas and thoughts that if not communicated well could be completely misunderstood. In wow I do use a lot of "wow speak", mostly with my guildies/friends though because it amuses me. Coming up with different ways to write normal words in different and interesting ways is fun.

I thought it was weird, too. I really would never have assumed that was the reason until SEVERAL people made comments like that to me. I've said the exact same thing but in a dumbed-down way and people respond less aggresivly.

And I agree with the WoW speak stuff, I like to confuse people or make them laugh by saying stuff like 'fa-tah-wah' for ftw and the like, it's fun and different as long as you don't do it all the time to the point you're just annoying people.

[Kirkh]

1) There are ppl from both Europe and America here.. Americans most propably speak better english, if u are in Europe, u can get many 15 yo swedish in your party.
2) I can use correct grammar, but its faster not to, so i am using "ppl, y (for yes or why), r (are), pls (please) " and many many more

[Freytor]

I ... always try to mind the way I present myself in writing...

I agree with this. In-game when I speak I try to make myself seem competent. As many people do, I don't like when people think lowly of me. The way I view people who speak "lyk tis" isn't good. So I speak well for myself, and for other people.

[Deleted]

In general, you use full sentences and not just 20 or so short wanna be sentences on a forum. That helps a lot. Maybe the Firefox spell check helps as well.
Apart from that, you are not in a hurry. You WANT to post something and take the time to do it (well most), so why the rush? In game there are tons of things to distract you. If not several conversations at once.

Just my guess.

[Deleted]

The strange thing is, OP, that talking on WoW, forums and the internet as a whole is the reason I have decent grammar and can spell most words correctly. On topic though the reason you don't meet many people like yourself is that due to the sheer amount of illiterate people and childish people we've "learnt" to avoid /2 and talking in PuG's and stick to /g and private channels (you can make channels on WoW with passwords that all your friends can join).

[Nah]

I typically tend to worry far less about capitalization and certain punctuation in-game than on forums, though I obsessively correct my own misspellings and serious grammar fails on both. By the same token, I also tend to spell out commonly abbreviated words more clearly on forums. My one exception is usually "ppl." It's so firmly ingrained in my mind that "ppl" is pronounced like "people" that I just don't really notice it anymore.

[Alfador]

2) I can use correct grammar, but its faster not to, so i am using "ppl, y (for yes or why), r (are), pls (please) " and many many more

Really? You have a full ASCII keyboard in front of you, right? 26 letters, a shift key for capital and lowercase, arranged in something resembling QWERTY fashion? It's not a phone. I'm sorry but I refuse to buy the "faster" excuse in this case.

International issues I understand. I don't harp on actual spelling because not everyone is an all start at the English language. Some people just never got that great of an education, for many others it's just not their primary language. However, when you use "u," "ppl," "r," and ugh, worst of all, "ur," you're not abbreviating a multi-word phrase. You're not really saving a noteworthy amount of time. It comes off as pure laziness to me. I almost completely disregard the opinions of people who type in that manner because the impression to me is that if you don't care to at least put the effort into the typing at all, you place little value on what you have to say.

[Promethax]

Well, you gotta type something fast if you want to say something before the idiots kick you.

Just say'n.

[stuperdude]

EU Servers....

[Lovestar]

The number of registered users compared to the number of users who post regularly is quite small. The number of registered users compared to the number of guests usually viewing the forums is miniscule on busy days.

You're looking at a very small segment, and usually those most inclined to communicate openly are also those most comfortable with using language. Especially since posting poorly on a forum usually gets you mocked or flamed.

So, my assumption would be that you're interpreting skewed data. I also caution you about assuming someone's a "blabbering idiot" just because they're lazy or take shortcuts with communication. Following language rules isn't very hard and many foolish people do it swimmingly.

[Deleted]

i try to use correct grammar in so that the reader will hear it correct in his head, but i allways skip capitalizing I, puttings ' at don't and we're and stuff, i dont use dots to end sentences i use enter :P this isnt cause i dont know how to write it or whatever, it just slows down my typing speed and i dont really consider it that important, to be fair english skills do in no way determine someones intelligence, they do in fact only determine their english skills

[Kellorkleft]

The strange part is that although I try to form a post with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation on MMOchamp, I do however tend to reduce to trolling whenever I visit the WoW forums.

[Captain Noctus]

I use proper grammar and spelling wherever I can. I speak in fully formed, grammatically correct sentences in trade, guild chat, and even in groups. The only time I tend to use abbreviations or ignore the basic rules of writing English is when I am in the middle of a fight, or something similar, and I have no time to really pay attention to what I am typing. My major weakness is, however, over use of the comma.




P.S. You should also check my DeviantART. Comments and Constructive criticism encouraged! Oh, and feel free to post suggestions of what I should draw next, I have kind of hit an artist's block. o-o'

[Alfador]

I also caution you about assuming someone's a "blabbering idiot" just because they're lazy or take shortcuts with communication. Following language rules isn't very hard and many foolish people do it swimmingly.

These two sentences are in contradiction.

Assuming someone is stupid for failing to do something is not the same as assuming someone is smart for doing it. I don't automatically assume someone is smart or isn't lazy because they type neatly, but if someone is typing like they're using a cell phone when they clearly aren't, I can safely eliminate them from the smart, non-lazy category.