You’ve just come home from work, and have decided to spend the evening grinding away on your favorite MMO, killing computer controlled baddies to gather the precious loot that drops from their pixilated bodies and getting more experience to push your toon to the next level. All goes well at first. As you grind happily away, you can almost hear “Ranz Des Vaches” from Rossini’s “William Tell” playing in the background. Things then suddenly take a turn for the worse.
Suddenly, without warning, another player you failed to notice starts hitting the same mobs you are, killing them before you do, robbing you of the experience points you were earning just moments before. You voice your protest, but your complaints are met by the interloper with silence. You decide to move, and the other player follows behind, continuing to steal your kills. After a while of this, you finally get fed up, and take a swing at him. As soon as you do, you are staring at your own fallen corpse, watching helplessly as your adversary grabs all of your hard earned equipment.
Congratulations! You’ve just been griefed.
The above scenario is fairly common in the world of Multiplayer Online Games, and actually takes many different forms. In my beloved world of Eve Online, the griefers commonly turn to the profession of piracy, as I have. In many other games, griefing usually takes the form of random player-killing and kill stealing, much like the scenario I described above, but can even take the form of blocking doorways, training, or team killing (definitions here). Even in Second Life, griefing is present, but due to the non-confrontational nature of the game, usually takes the form of denial of service or the introduction by the griefer of strange objects into the habitat of the other players.
A Mario attack in Second Life
So, now that you’ve been griefed, how do you react? Do you hurl insults? Do you try to reason with your attacker? Do you tell him or her about the golden rule or make threats of eventual revenge? I can attest that none of these tactics work, and actually work to feed the griefer demon. I have a collection of “fan” mail from my victims in Eve Online, and I occasionally read them as a way to remind myself of some past “satisfied customers.” Since I’ve been on both ends of the griefstick, I thought I might share some tips that may improve your online game experience with regards to griefer attacks.
1) Only equip what you can replace.
There is a saying in Eve Online: “Never fly what you can’t afford to lose.” In a world as harsh as New Eden, when your ship blows up, all the hard-earned cash that went into the buying of that ship is gone. As a result, it is prudent to only equip something if you know you can replace it when it gets vaporized.
This piece of advice is pretty universal: always hedge your bets, and make sure that in a worst-case scenario, you’re not left high and dry. Not all online games have a “loot” feature for a slain player’s corpse, but in those games that do, don’t be sporting your new “+5 Godly Sword of Everything Slaying” if you’re not prepared to lose it. Not only would you be out of luck if it walked off with someone else, just by having it you may be attracting the “wrong” kind of attention.
2) Travel in groups whenever possible.
Most griefers tend to be very selective about their targets, and so I’ve found it useful to treat most online gaming worlds like the old Wild West. Groups aren’t very attractive targets in most cases, as they tend to be tougher nuts to crack. This won’t save you from an organized group of attackers, but if you can put up a strong resistance, your chances of getting “ganked” are smaller. In short: make friends and band together.
3) Don’t poke the pirates.
Never, under any circumstances, should you taunt the griefer. This actually is what they want in most cases, and this is why many of them do it. Nothing is more gratifying to a griefer than hearing the bleating of his victims, WIN or LOSE. Yes, even if you manage to turn the tables and kill your attacker, always remember rule #3. Failure to remember this rule could make you a favorite repeat target.
4) Get some sunshine.
Sometimes, when emotions get heated, it’s time for a break. If you’re feeling a little hot under the collar, logging off, even if for only 15 minutes, can reset your perspective, and your absence deprives your griefer of a target. Without a target, they may move on to greener pastures, but even if they don’t, that 15 minutes of sunshine may just remind you that it’s only a game, and it’s not worth having your day ruined over.
5) Punch him in the nose.
In the spirit of #4, “it’s only a game,” you might try fighting back. You may even enjoy the experience, and who knows, you may even turn the tables against the jerk that started it. If a game allows player versus player combat, #5 may even make you a few friends. I know I’ve made a few online friends with rule #5.
6) Watch for any EULA violations.
Most games have End User License Agreements that prohibit hacking and exploiting, so if your attacker is taking advantage of either, make note of everything that happens, and then report it to the developers or game moderators. Using hacks and cheats is “lame” imho, and most people in the gaming community look down upon it, including many griefers. Reporting cheaters does everyone a favor, griefers included.
7) Learn the tricks of the trade.
Do a little research online beforehand to figure out how griefers do what they do. A little knowledge goes a long way, and can help you avoid playing the part of victim in Johnny Griefer’s next online rampage. As the old GI Joe cartoons say, “Knowing is half the battle.” Being unawares only makes you a more likely target. There’s no telling what kind of trap you may end up stumbling into.
In closing, I’d like to present the video that partially inspired this blog post. Take my advice. Don’t let this happen to you:
July 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Looks like the formatting has been messed up on the page after this was posted. Or it could just be a problem when viewed on FF3.
Nice tips though.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
@jervis961 Not a FF3 issue. Turns out an image size was too large. Appears to be showing OK now. You’d think the WordPress admin tool would flag something like that ….
July 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
What do you expect from free software.
it just goes to show it pays to double check after posting.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Does anyone have any other tips they can share from their experiences? As a self-professed part-time griefer, I’m kind of going to bat for the other team a little bit here. Hopefully, my griefer brethren can forgive me.