Oh Well

Well I had a long in-depth commentary on money and banks and all that's been going on with them recently. But my connection decided to hiccup and even though I had pushed the save button nothing is here about money and banks. So since I don't feel like babbling on and on again about money and banks we're going to discuss something else now. Video Games.
My "wife" (I say that since we are legal domestic partners, and that because it's cheaper than an actual wedding) and I play World of Warcraft online. Many of you might have seen the commercials for the game with William Shatner (my favorite one), Mr. T (her favorite one), or Verne Troyer (a gnome laughing maniacally is always funny). Still others of you might actually play it or heard the game mentioned from that disturbed yet hilarious South Park episode.
I run a guild on our server that has had its ups and downs and we have more alternate characters in the guild than we do individual players. But we always try to have as much fun as possible with our friends online. What we have come to dislike about the game however, are the types of players who think that the game is all there is to life. By this I mean they feel the need to criticize and insult anyone and everyone who doesn't play the way THEY would play that type of character. It's a game, get over it. If you are such an expert on how to play that type character, then why don't you play that type of character instead of the one you are on now.
World of Warcraft falls into the genre of MMORPG. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. In short for those who don't know what that would mean, it's like Dungeons and Dragons except on the computer over the internet with literally thousands of other people at the same time. So instead of that fun table-top game with a handful of your best friends you're in front of your computer typing your thoughts to people you've never seen before and are more than likely from all walks of life from around the entire world. Instead of rolling dice and making notes on your character sheet and seeing the eraser streaks from all the changes you've made as your character progressed, you actually see your character with armor and weapons, swinging swords and casting spells with pretty effects that light up the area.
Within World of Warcraft there are different types of servers with different rules for each type; Normal, PvP (Player vs Player), RP (Role-Playing), and RPPvP (Role-Playing, Player vs Player). Normal is just questing and fighting against the environment, you against the game itself for the most part. PvP is the same as Normal, with the exception that players from the opposing faction can attack you at any time without reason or warning in almost any area of the game. RP I haven't tried, but there are rules along the general lines of you have to role-play your character. How that is enforced or proven I don't know though for me it would mostly involve my dwarven characters insulting ever elf they see (frail spindly things those elves).
Now I told you about those servers to tell you something else. Just because you're on one type of server and not on another type, doesn't mean you have to play a certain way. But accept that other people will play their characters their own way. I play on a normal server but I get the bug to roleplay my character from time to time and woe be to any elf who comes near me. Other times I get the urge to just fight and mix it up, and that's what they have the battleground, arena, and even the duel features for. But just because I decline to duel doesn't mean you have to be a rude obnoxious prick. Telling me what type of equipment I "have to have to succeed" isn't going to make me play my character the way you want me to. I don't want my character running around with a big green fez for a hat, or armor that is eight different colors. I want my characters to have a set of awesome looking armor that matches and is intimidating, I want them to carry an exotic looking sword or axe or hammer or gun. But not something that looks like he's holding a bird by the tail as it vomits arrows, that's just not appealing to me.
So I'm going to end with this, play your game. Have fun, level up, pwn that mob even. But play your game. YOUR game. You pay the money for the subscription (or your parents do, whatever) so it's your game. Not that jerk jumping around like he's on permanent pogo stick legs trying to duel everyone he sees. Your game. If you die, oh well that's why they don't penalize you for dying in the game it happens, it's part of the game and it's expected. Play your game. Thank You.