I'm really struggling here...

[Steelcryo]

Got to agree, WoW's community is toxic as fuck. I've mostly stopped playing, more because of lack of content and enjoyment than the community, but I do log on time to time to catch up a little as I still enjoy the story and want to see new content.

Sometimes you will get nice people, like the other day I did a dungeon, accidentally pulled some stuff and said "shit, my bad" and was expecting flames but everyone just said "Np, it happens" which was refreshing. And that's what is bad, it was refreshing to have people respond in a positive way. It genuinely surprised me which made me realise just how much I expect people to just flame in WoW. While it's not as bad as some games (COD 4 lobbies anyone?) it still is pretty rampant and it definitely puts people off the game. Hell I remember in vanilla every dungeon having conversations with people as we were going. Now it's pretty much silent unless someone fucks up.

We all know the internet is a toxic place. People can say what they want with often no repercussions and that obviously transfers to games. Why I think WoW is so bad is because not only do Blizzard not really do anything about toxic people but also because with LFR/LFD you're unlikely to ever see those people again. Back in Vanilla we had trolls (I remember one particular person who loved causing grief in trade chat on my server) but mostly people were civil because they knew they were stuck with those players and pissing everyone off often got your character booted from your guild and basically blacklisted within the community. Which when they were the only people you could run groups with, you needed to stay on peoples good sides. Not to mention GM's were a regular appearance actually in game (I remember one being 40 feet tall in Stormwind once) which made people behave better if they thought a GM might be watching.

That has also been reinforced while I've been playing the Classic beta. Obviously it's a much smaller sample size and people are on better behaviour in case they get into trouble and ruin their chances of getting into future betas but overall, the community on there is much nicer. People run around buffing each other, grouping up for quests, talking in general chat, helping each other out. Stuff I've not seen really done on a regular basis in retail WoW for a long time.

I don't know what the solution is though, outside of Blizzard really cracking down on toxic behaviour.

[buffolone]

I've played WoW steadily since close Vanilla Beta. I've been invited to nearly every closed Beta/Alpha since the game was released. I'm one of the lucky ones who was sent the Orc statue by Blizzard for their anniversary several years ago.

Needless to say, I've been a die-hard WoW fanatic since 2004.

I've played through all the highs, all the lows, and through all the screams by internet trolls saying "THE GAME IS DEAD". Hell, I made it through WoD without so much as a blurp in my steady play.

But now...

Now is so hard to log in. I'm honestly starting to feel like all the overly negative internet trolls and really want to scream "THE GAME IS DEAD". Ugh.

In the last couple of months, I've been trying several other games out there. I've maxed myself out in Division 2, been playing some Divinity: Original Sin 2, good bit of FFXIV, and other single player games here-and-there. Having played a good bit of FFXIV I learned a really valuable lesson regarding WoW. It's just so toxic compared to other games out there. FFXIV, for example, has an incredibly helpful, polite, and kind community where everyone understands people are new at times. They know people make mistakes. They know people just aren't perfect. Mistakes are made, everyone moves on without drama or emotional outbursts, and life is good.

Then I logged back into WoW to heal an LFR. Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to say, LFR is probably the most toxic of toxic places in WoW and should be flogged for it's crumminess, but ya know what, other games have "LFRs" too. And they just aren't as toxic or negative. While in the LFR, someone made a mistake, not sure who or what mistake was made, but a mistake was made and a couple people died. A good portion of the people in the group immediately became irate and starting berating this person endlessly, not bothering to "Vote to kick", they simply wanted to vent their frustrations in the most toxic and overly negative and harmful way possible. They WANTED to "hurt" this person on a very personal level. When I brought up everyone's toxicity in chat, I was essentially berated myself.

This very well could be an extreme example, but it's the one I'm stuck with.

I'm a big boy. I'm 46, retired military, and spent most my life in emotionally charged and "tough" situations while serving. Now I work with legal mediation services as a volunteer, and have extensive training (as part of my Master's Degree) with online bullying. I'm used to it. I can take it, I can dish it, but not everyone is like me. This behavior can really have a lasting effect on people. And the ambiguity of being behind a computer monitor allows this type of bullying to occur with an unsettling frequency, without consequence to their actions.

After this happened, I went back to some other game communities and posted similar stories, asked in-game regarding this situation, just to see how others would react, and for the most part, the answer I got, resoundingly, was "that's why we don't play WoW". WoW as a game might be going through some tough times with its content droughts, it's lack of interesting game mechanics, or whatever else you can pin on the development team behind the game. But time and time again, it always comes back to the general level of toxicity that exists within the WoW community as being the key factor that drives people away from the game. Sure, many of you will/could give me numerous examples of personal triumph over the internet trolls of the world, or how that's not at all what drove you away from the game, but the fact remains that MANY people ARE being driven away from WoW due to the community negativity and toxicity.

NOTHING will kill WoW more than a toxic community. Not bad mechanics, lack of content, or crappy raids. People will still show up for those. There are die hard's out there, like me, who will always try to "make it work". But when it comes to toxicity and flagrant negativity, nothing more could be the signal of the downfall than the community turning on each other. Eventually WoW will be good again (hopefully!). But without players coming in, trying to pick the game up, learn it for the first time, or even trying to see what all the the hype's about, WoW will never succeed.

This is a systematic issue with more than just a select few within the community. For the love of the game, be kind. Be patient. Be forgiving. Teach, foster, and mentor others around you. It's easier to achieve success through positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. If we want a robust community, we have to do OUR part to encourage others to come here. Blizzard does their part, and we do our part.

TL;DR - Stop being a douche (if you are), or stop others from being douches.

I could not agree more with everything you've said OP!

[Kalligos]

OP, have u ever tried League of Legends?There u can find megatons of toxicity Ppl wish u to die from diseases diss your family (alive and dead).U make a mistake and every1 starts to ping u and/or enemies spam how bad u are and the list goes on . WoW had heart warming playerbase who helped each other and ppl were socializing Nowadays these individuals are a small percentage of those who remain. So my point after the comparation of the examples i conclude that ppl at LoL are toxic and a percentage of wow playerbase is beyond retard

[Shaetha]

Those communities still exist in those games. And those gamers are not only better gamers, but better people than the new generation of gamers who are quick to lash out and tear others down rather than build back up.

They lack the fun arcade mentality of just pushing for a high score for fun with friends. It’s just a game no need to ever insult someone in it

Like I said, it is not new. Everyone of a certain age acts basically the same(as in have the same cross section of personality types) as everyone else. It has literally nothing to do with video games and everything to do with you being older now and shouting about "those young punk kids." Exposure is different. Point of view is different. People are not.

[PedroloGeo]

It is a problem of the size of the comunity. In other games where comunities are much smaller, or they care for each other or they disapear. I’m thinking about games like Eve Online where even if someone ganks you they usually open chat and explain what you did wrong or even pay your ship back if they see you are really noob.

In WoW... there is an enormous group of players who played for very long who can’t stand someone messing a tactic once, or doing 10% les dps than the raider.io metters. And they are this way because they know that if a new player leaves the game for the toxicity, hundreds of others will come. They don’t care at all.

TLDR: Too many players make people don’t care about the comunity.

[justandulas]

Like I said, it is not new. Everyone of a certain age acts basically the same(as in have the same cross section of personality types) as everyone else. It has literally nothing to do with video games and everything to do with you being older now and shouting about "those young punk kids." Exposure is different. Point of view is different. People are not.

Not even a little true. It was different and still is in other games.

Not every game has wow or LoL or OW toxic communities

[Castration]

nobody is forcing you to play, go do something else.

it's not that hard.

[Fynzie]

So the game is perceived as bad by a vast majority and it's their fault for telling it ? guys, stop reviewing movies and shit we might damage their box-office.

[rogoth]

I've played WoW steadily since close Vanilla Beta. I've been invited to nearly every closed Beta/Alpha since the game was released. I'm one of the lucky ones who was sent the Orc statue by Blizzard for their anniversary several years ago.

Needless to say, I've been a die-hard WoW fanatic since 2004.

I've played through all the highs, all the lows, and through all the screams by internet trolls saying "THE GAME IS DEAD". Hell, I made it through WoD without so much as a blurp in my steady play.

But now...

Now is so hard to log in. I'm honestly starting to feel like all the overly negative internet trolls and really want to scream "THE GAME IS DEAD". Ugh.

In the last couple of months, I've been trying several other games out there. I've maxed myself out in Division 2, been playing some Divinity: Original Sin 2, good bit of FFXIV, and other single player games here-and-there. Having played a good bit of FFXIV I learned a really valuable lesson regarding WoW. It's just so toxic compared to other games out there. FFXIV, for example, has an incredibly helpful, polite, and kind community where everyone understands people are new at times. They know people make mistakes. They know people just aren't perfect. Mistakes are made, everyone moves on without drama or emotional outbursts, and life is good.

Then I logged back into WoW to heal an LFR. Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to say, LFR is probably the most toxic of toxic places in WoW and should be flogged for it's crumminess, but ya know what, other games have "LFRs" too. And they just aren't as toxic or negative. While in the LFR, someone made a mistake, not sure who or what mistake was made, but a mistake was made and a couple people died. A good portion of the people in the group immediately became irate and starting berating this person endlessly, not bothering to "Vote to kick", they simply wanted to vent their frustrations in the most toxic and overly negative and harmful way possible. They WANTED to "hurt" this person on a very personal level. When I brought up everyone's toxicity in chat, I was essentially berated myself.

This very well could be an extreme example, but it's the one I'm stuck with.

I'm a big boy. I'm 46, retired military, and spent most my life in emotionally charged and "tough" situations while serving. Now I work with legal mediation services as a volunteer, and have extensive training (as part of my Master's Degree) with online bullying. I'm used to it. I can take it, I can dish it, but not everyone is like me. This behavior can really have a lasting effect on people. And the ambiguity of being behind a computer monitor allows this type of bullying to occur with an unsettling frequency, without consequence to their actions.

After this happened, I went back to some other game communities and posted similar stories, asked in-game regarding this situation, just to see how others would react, and for the most part, the answer I got, resoundingly, was "that's why we don't play WoW". WoW as a game might be going through some tough times with its content droughts, it's lack of interesting game mechanics, or whatever else you can pin on the development team behind the game. But time and time again, it always comes back to the general level of toxicity that exists within the WoW community as being the key factor that drives people away from the game. Sure, many of you will/could give me numerous examples of personal triumph over the internet trolls of the world, or how that's not at all what drove you away from the game, but the fact remains that MANY people ARE being driven away from WoW due to the community negativity and toxicity.

NOTHING will kill WoW more than a toxic community. Not bad mechanics, lack of content, or crappy raids. People will still show up for those. There are die hard's out there, like me, who will always try to "make it work". But when it comes to toxicity and flagrant negativity, nothing more could be the signal of the downfall than the community turning on each other. Eventually WoW will be good again (hopefully!). But without players coming in, trying to pick the game up, learn it for the first time, or even trying to see what all the the hype's about, WoW will never succeed.

This is a systematic issue with more than just a select few within the community. For the love of the game, be kind. Be patient. Be forgiving. Teach, foster, and mentor others around you. It's easier to achieve success through positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. If we want a robust community, we have to do OUR part to encourage others to come here. Blizzard does their part, and we do our part.

TL;DR - Stop being a douche (if you are), or stop others from being douches.

let me just clear up some misunderstandings you have regarding a few things:

First off your statement about how often you run into these 'toxic' situations, it has a scale, so at the lower end of content you will find this situation occur much much more frequently, the higher up the content level you go the less often you find people like that, there's always people like that but the number and frequency goes down.
Secondly this is nothing new it has been this way for years, the reason why it wasn't 'as bad' as it is now is because the playerbase has shrunk down to such a low level, (estimates put global player count ~2 million with majority of those in china), that you are significantly more likely to run into 'toxic asshat #1' on a more regular basis than you ever would have done in the past.
Furthermore your statement regarding the community killing wow, while somewhat true to a degree it's not the whole picture, blizzard have been slowly killing wow for years now, they have gutted classes to hollow shells with no flavour, the game now is just a vacuous mess of 'nothing' to do, they have implemented systems to fix a problem and in so doing caused several other problems that needn't have been there to begin with in short the dev team and leadership of those teams are a shambles and need an overhaul.
Lastly, and this is something i don't think you realise is that your age and experience (both in game and outside of it) are not what the average player will represent, i am 29 coming up 30, i was in my early teens when this game came out and i started playing, while i was raised well by my parents, i was also 'raised' by the people i met and interacted with in the game at the time and some of my mannerisms were shaped by those experiences just as much as my experiences in school or the work place, there will be a lot of people who would likely say the same thing, sadly there's not many people like you or me left playing the game anymore, the majority of people who are playing now are those who have and are growing up in the 'modern age' with the game systems that to them are seen as normal if you act like a dick to people when they mess up, they haven't had the life experience to make them understand the differences, and like it or not this is just going to keep getting worse as time goes on as the new generations keep getting more accustomed to the anonymity of the internet as a normal part of life and companies greedily wanting all the profit they can get facilitating the instant gratification in game and allowing you to buy your way to victory instead of earning it.

[munkeyinorbit]

How can you make mistakes in LFR where you can literally stand in the fire?

Because you die?

[erifwodahs]

To be fair, it's my community which keeps me playing. I love my team and I think this guy is right. I don't mean "lets all embrace community" or "be social" like few vanilla people are thinking. We should not be forced to be social, but it should be prohibitive to be toxic. That is why I can't play LoL. It is exhausting mentally. Not that I take shit from random online person, but it still tires people out. I don't really like to talk to randoms in a first place, but I have recently been boosting some low gear friends through m+, met some terrible guys on my way, as I don't really have a choice, when my friend is low gear. They were pretty talkative, and while I moan a bit about not getting dispelled on discord voice, but the only stuff I tell to the guy "make sure u dispel me at 30 stacks (tank). If they ask a question I will answer if for sure. So yea.. two sides I see here is people actually not trying at all, not asking questions in wow - leeching and people who are offended by any "common sense" questions, specially on lower levels of difficulty. It's a bit different at higher levels of difficulty, because you sometimes have to take a hit for fucking up and wasting time of your team. Tho in constructive manner, not "git gud you rtard kys"

[Bearded Sith]

yes, banning and reporting always works. so do prayers.

Appears as though it really does work. Enjoy the ban.

[alturic]

With good gear, yes. When you're new, no. Conversely, why not educate them to NOT stand in the fire so they can move up the raiding tier ladder to raid more difficult stuff and be a more "useful" raid to our community? Teach. Foster. Encourage.

I have found the people who do LFR and stand in fire are the exact people that came up with the line "I pay for my subscription not you, thanks". In other words, and yes this could be due to me playing with like-minded people on a structured basis, people who do LFR seem to be the exact group of players that this forum considers "toxic".

- - - Updated - - -

Appears as though it really does work. Enjoy the ban.

Was his posted edited silently? Are we seriously infracting and banning people for saying "so do prayers" now, IN FUCKING CONTEXT of saying "banning and reporting always works"? Unless he post was silently edited, I mean when has banning and/or infracting people for saying factual things become normalized?

[Bearded Sith]

Got to agree, WoW's community is toxic as fuck. I've mostly stopped playing, more because of lack of content and enjoyment than the community, but I do log on time to time to catch up a little as I still enjoy the story and want to see new content.

Sometimes you will get nice people, like the other day I did a dungeon, accidentally pulled some stuff and said "shit, my bad" and was expecting flames but everyone just said "Np, it happens" which was refreshing. And that's what is bad, it was refreshing to have people respond in a positive way. It genuinely surprised me which made me realise just how much I expect people to just flame in WoW. While it's not as bad as some games (COD 4 lobbies anyone?) it still is pretty rampant and it definitely puts people off the game. Hell I remember in vanilla every dungeon having conversations with people as we were going. Now it's pretty much silent unless someone fucks up.

We all know the internet is a toxic place. People can say what they want with often no repercussions and that obviously transfers to games. Why I think WoW is so bad is because not only do Blizzard not really do anything about toxic people but also because with LFR/LFD you're unlikely to ever see those people again. Back in Vanilla we had trolls (I remember one particular person who loved causing grief in trade chat on my server) but mostly people were civil because they knew they were stuck with those players and pissing everyone off often got your character booted from your guild and basically blacklisted within the community. Which when they were the only people you could run groups with, you needed to stay on peoples good sides. Not to mention GM's were a regular appearance actually in game (I remember one being 40 feet tall in Stormwind once) which made people behave better if they thought a GM might be watching.

That has also been reinforced while I've been playing the Classic beta. Obviously it's a much smaller sample size and people are on better behaviour in case they get into trouble and ruin their chances of getting into future betas but overall, the community on there is much nicer. People run around buffing each other, grouping up for quests, talking in general chat, helping each other out. Stuff I've not seen really done on a regular basis in retail WoW for a long time.

I don't know what the solution is though, outside of Blizzard really cracking down on toxic behaviour.

Excellently put, and your anecdote regarding the group the other day that was positive is perfectly analogous of this whole community. It's refreshing and welcome when the rare occurrence of someone being kind and nice comes around. It should be the other way around.

[PollyO]

I've played WoW steadily since close Vanilla Beta. I've been invited to nearly every closed Beta/Alpha since the game was released. I'm one of the lucky ones who was sent the Orc statue by Blizzard for their anniversary several years ago.

Needless to say, I've been a die-hard WoW fanatic since 2004.

I've played through all the highs, all the lows, and through all the screams by internet trolls saying "THE GAME IS DEAD". Hell, I made it through WoD without so much as a blurp in my steady play.

But now...

Now is so hard to log in. I'm honestly starting to feel like all the overly negative internet trolls and really want to scream "THE GAME IS DEAD". Ugh.

In the last couple of months, I've been trying several other games out there. I've maxed myself out in Division 2, been playing some Divinity: Original Sin 2, good bit of FFXIV, and other single player games here-and-there. Having played a good bit of FFXIV I learned a really valuable lesson regarding WoW. It's just so toxic compared to other games out there. FFXIV, for example, has an incredibly helpful, polite, and kind community where everyone understands people are new at times. They know people make mistakes. They know people just aren't perfect. Mistakes are made, everyone moves on without drama or emotional outbursts, and life is good.

Then I logged back into WoW to heal an LFR. Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to say, LFR is probably the most toxic of toxic places in WoW and should be flogged for it's crumminess, but ya know what, other games have "LFRs" too. And they just aren't as toxic or negative. While in the LFR, someone made a mistake, not sure who or what mistake was made, but a mistake was made and a couple people died. A good portion of the people in the group immediately became irate and starting berating this person endlessly, not bothering to "Vote to kick", they simply wanted to vent their frustrations in the most toxic and overly negative and harmful way possible. They WANTED to "hurt" this person on a very personal level. When I brought up everyone's toxicity in chat, I was essentially berated myself.

This very well could be an extreme example, but it's the one I'm stuck with.

I'm a big boy. I'm 46, retired military, and spent most my life in emotionally charged and "tough" situations while serving. Now I work with legal mediation services as a volunteer, and have extensive training (as part of my Master's Degree) with online bullying. I'm used to it. I can take it, I can dish it, but not everyone is like me. This behavior can really have a lasting effect on people. And the ambiguity of being behind a computer monitor allows this type of bullying to occur with an unsettling frequency, without consequence to their actions.

After this happened, I went back to some other game communities and posted similar stories, asked in-game regarding this situation, just to see how others would react, and for the most part, the answer I got, resoundingly, was "that's why we don't play WoW". WoW as a game might be going through some tough times with its content droughts, it's lack of interesting game mechanics, or whatever else you can pin on the development team behind the game. But time and time again, it always comes back to the general level of toxicity that exists within the WoW community as being the key factor that drives people away from the game. Sure, many of you will/could give me numerous examples of personal triumph over the internet trolls of the world, or how that's not at all what drove you away from the game, but the fact remains that MANY people ARE being driven away from WoW due to the community negativity and toxicity.

NOTHING will kill WoW more than a toxic community. Not bad mechanics, lack of content, or crappy raids. People will still show up for those. There are die hard's out there, like me, who will always try to "make it work". But when it comes to toxicity and flagrant negativity, nothing more could be the signal of the downfall than the community turning on each other. Eventually WoW will be good again (hopefully!). But without players coming in, trying to pick the game up, learn it for the first time, or even trying to see what all the the hype's about, WoW will never succeed.

This is a systematic issue with more than just a select few within the community. For the love of the game, be kind. Be patient. Be forgiving. Teach, foster, and mentor others around you. It's easier to achieve success through positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. If we want a robust community, we have to do OUR part to encourage others to come here. Blizzard does their part, and we do our part.

TL;DR - Stop being a douche (if you are), or stop others from being douches.

I've played for about the same time as you, just not vanilla beta. I am guilty for being toxic at times towards players that don't have a clue at what their doing/not good at the game (in pug raids). I've played the game forever, I'm from New York, it's just in me I can't change it.

But what I can recommend is to find a mythic raiding guild that raids 2 nights/days a week (whatever fits your schedule, these guilds are out there, you just need to find them, I recommend wowprogress.com). A decent one. You will enjoy the game much more. You will clear content, hopefully get CE and won't have to deal with the nonsense that goes on in LFR and heroic pugs.

I raided Sun-Thurs in a hardcore raiding guild from vanilla-cata, stopped playing bc of IRL stuff, came back for Legion and have joined a 2 night mythic raiding guild and I'm enjoying the game just as much as I did years ago.

My point is you can get stuff done in limited time nowadays and not have to deal with the toxic environment in the lower end of raiding. The higher raiding you get into, generally the less toxicity.

GL sir.

[Bearded Sith]

Was his posted edited silently? Are we seriously infracting and banning people for saying "so do prayers" now, IN FUCKING CONTEXT of saying "banning and reporting always works"? Unless he post was silently edited, I mean when has banning and/or infracting people for saying factual things become normalized?

You must have missed all the rest of the trash she spouted. It's not that post that got him banned. It's that post that sparked a delightful bit of irony.

[wanax]

I have found the people who do LFR and stand in fire are the exact people that came up with the line "I pay for my subscription not you, thanks". In other words, and yes this could be due to me playing with like-minded people on a structured basis, people who do LFR seem to be the exact group of players that this forum considers "toxic".

- - - Updated - - -



Was his posted edited silently? Are we seriously infracting and banning people for saying "so do prayers" now, IN FUCKING CONTEXT of saying "banning and reporting always works"? Unless he post was silently edited, I mean when has banning and/or infracting people for saying factual things become normalized?

I think it was for the trolling not say “and prayers”

[alturic]

You must have missed all the rest of the trash she spouted. It's not that post that got him banned. It's that post that sparked a delightful bit of irony.

That was still the post that got infracted.

[wanax]

I've played WoW steadily since close Vanilla Beta. I've been invited to nearly every closed Beta/Alpha since the game was released. I'm one of the lucky ones who was sent the Orc statue by Blizzard for their anniversary several years ago.

Needless to say, I've been a die-hard WoW fanatic since 2004.

I've played through all the highs, all the lows, and through all the screams by internet trolls saying "THE GAME IS DEAD". Hell, I made it through WoD without so much as a blurp in my steady play.

But now...

Now is so hard to log in. I'm honestly starting to feel like all the overly negative internet trolls and really want to scream "THE GAME IS DEAD". Ugh.

In the last couple of months, I've been trying several other games out there. I've maxed myself out in Division 2, been playing some Divinity: Original Sin 2, good bit of FFXIV, and other single player games here-and-there. Having played a good bit of FFXIV I learned a really valuable lesson regarding WoW. It's just so toxic compared to other games out there. FFXIV, for example, has an incredibly helpful, polite, and kind community where everyone understands people are new at times. They know people make mistakes. They know people just aren't perfect. Mistakes are made, everyone moves on without drama or emotional outbursts, and life is good.

Then I logged back into WoW to heal an LFR. Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to say, LFR is probably the most toxic of toxic places in WoW and should be flogged for it's crumminess, but ya know what, other games have "LFRs" too. And they just aren't as toxic or negative. While in the LFR, someone made a mistake, not sure who or what mistake was made, but a mistake was made and a couple people died. A good portion of the people in the group immediately became irate and starting berating this person endlessly, not bothering to "Vote to kick", they simply wanted to vent their frustrations in the most toxic and overly negative and harmful way possible. They WANTED to "hurt" this person on a very personal level. When I brought up everyone's toxicity in chat, I was essentially berated myself.

This very well could be an extreme example, but it's the one I'm stuck with.

I'm a big boy. I'm 46, retired military, and spent most my life in emotionally charged and "tough" situations while serving. Now I work with legal mediation services as a volunteer, and have extensive training (as part of my Master's Degree) with online bullying. I'm used to it. I can take it, I can dish it, but not everyone is like me. This behavior can really have a lasting effect on people. And the ambiguity of being behind a computer monitor allows this type of bullying to occur with an unsettling frequency, without consequence to their actions.

After this happened, I went back to some other game communities and posted similar stories, asked in-game regarding this situation, just to see how others would react, and for the most part, the answer I got, resoundingly, was "that's why we don't play WoW". WoW as a game might be going through some tough times with its content droughts, it's lack of interesting game mechanics, or whatever else you can pin on the development team behind the game. But time and time again, it always comes back to the general level of toxicity that exists within the WoW community as being the key factor that drives people away from the game. Sure, many of you will/could give me numerous examples of personal triumph over the internet trolls of the world, or how that's not at all what drove you away from the game, but the fact remains that MANY people ARE being driven away from WoW due to the community negativity and toxicity.

NOTHING will kill WoW more than a toxic community. Not bad mechanics, lack of content, or crappy raids. People will still show up for those. There are die hard's out there, like me, who will always try to "make it work". But when it comes to toxicity and flagrant negativity, nothing more could be the signal of the downfall than the community turning on each other. Eventually WoW will be good again (hopefully!). But without players coming in, trying to pick the game up, learn it for the first time, or even trying to see what all the the hype's about, WoW will never succeed.

This is a systematic issue with more than just a select few within the community. For the love of the game, be kind. Be patient. Be forgiving. Teach, foster, and mentor others around you. It's easier to achieve success through positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. If we want a robust community, we have to do OUR part to encourage others to come here. Blizzard does their part, and we do our part.

TL;DR - Stop being a douche (if you are), or stop others from being douches.

I feel like the toxicity is present in all gaming communities. I know it’s been in WoW as long as I’ve played. In BC I had some guy tell me to kill mused for playing prof warrior in bgs. I 3 capped that WSG with some pocket heals. I play world of tanks sometimes and you have turbodouches on there that scream in chat and call people n..... but you can mute them. I think with how games are now focused on random group, play the match, never see most of them again has harmed the community aspect of most games. Now you have to go find a group of people outside of the game that you like to then play with instead of finding them in game by trying different guilds.

I don’t know. I’m rambling. I agree with you though. People need to start being people again and at least be respectful. Also, if people are that bad to you irl you need to go other places, get a new job or something. If you’ve had a bad day go to the gym, lift, run, get a punching bag, or hell go to the bar. There’s no need to take that out on anyone else.

[Goldfingaz]

That was still the post that got infracted.

I reported at least two of their posts for derailing/trolling in this very thread, that was one of them. Time to move on and get back to the topic at hand.