I know, another thread bashing on the LFG/LFR systems amirite? No, please hear me out... I do not really have a problem personally with any of these systems. But I have noticed most of the community has been in an uproar about somethings like "i can go afk and get gear" or "i can take most dmg/do least dmg and still be rewarded". I think there is a problem a lot of people overlook, and here it is:
The Vote to Kick System.
That's right, I believe fault lies within this system. You see, if someone is underpreforming in a LFG/LFR group... No one has the intention to try and help them or give them advice or teach them. You simply initiate the vote to kick them and be done with it. Is this really the way the game should be? I understand that there are AFK players that need to be kicked sometime, ever thought about implementing a "Flag as AFK" system similar to PvP? I just feel like maybe, LFG/LFR would be a slightly better place to be if we took the time to help under-preforming players in there. We have all been there! I will give you some scenarios:
Example:
A person new to tanking, not necessarily the game, queue's up for a section of ToT LFR. He is obviously nervous about going in because he has never tanked it before.
He enter's the instance by saying "Hey guys, this is my first time tanking this fight, can you please give me some tips?"
Immediate responses look something like "Omfg noobtank lets votekick him" "Why would you queue up if you don't know what to do?" "Let's kick him and get someone who knows the fight"
He gets kicked and :
A. Has not learned anything about the fight from a tank perspective.
B. Feels like it is a waste of time to queue up as a tank because he will just get kicked for asking a simple question.
C. The game has lost a potential tank to queue for LFG/LFR.
Now, maybe not every LFR will be like this. But I'm willing to bet that more than 50% of them would turn out like this. Is it so wrong that this guy is asking for advice? Should he really deserve a kick because he didn't look up things before hand? IMO, no he does not deserve a kick for that. Some people don't know about third-party sites with guides and PoVs, it isn't their fault. What makes everyone so special that they have to treat this guy like crap, and not be helpful? Because they know the fight? Stupid reason if you ask me. Scenarios like this are the reason the Vote to Kick system needs to be changed. It promotes toxic behavior and does not help people new to fights or raiding learn, it simply gives the people who know everything the ability to get rid of them easily, while mocking them. Is that how the game is supposed to be?
There needs to be a new way of kicking implemented. I believe the biggest problem with LFG/LFR is the Vote to Kick system. Why? Because it is abused. If a particular group thinks someone is not doing good enough, they don't try to help them, they just vote to kick them. Shouldn't the people who have been playing WoW for a long time be the teachers? Shouldn't we try to help people to make the game a better place for everyone? But why do that when its so much easier just to kick them? I dunno man, maybe I am crazy and maybe I am too nice for my own good. It's pretty clear that the Vote to Kick system promotes toxic behavior and unhealthy gameplay habits, and unfortunately I don't have a solution.
I am not trying to start shit on this thread. I am not trying to talk negatively or be "the bad guy". I use LFG/LFR regularly, and when I come across someone who needs help, I help them. It's simple. And after thinking about ways to make LFG/LFR a better place to be, I came to this conclusion. Make it so if you are AFK in a LFR for more than 5 minutes, you are kicked. If you are going to be doing one, there is no reason you should be going AFK other than an emergency, in which case you shouldn't be upset that you got kicked. If you think that is harsh... think about it, why would you enter a raid with 24 other people and make them wait? I don't really have a solution to getting rid of people who go in and just auto attack stuff, or who aren't being helpful. But for people who try, and just are doing things a tad bit wrong, they don't deserve to be kicked.
This is just my opinion, and I don't know how to solve everything. But I do think some kind of change needs to be made to this system. Too many times have I seen toxic behavior spawn from it. The game is supposed to be fun for everyone, not just people who already know what they are doing. After all, I'm sure no one ever loaded up WoW for the first time and knew everything there is to know. People should not be punished for asking questions or not knowing the correct way to do things. I hope some of you understand where I am coming from, and don't view this as a "I'm QQing" thread. Just trying to make the game a better place. Thank you for listening.