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Grief Play
http://forums.kyhm.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=10073
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Author:  Vaergoth [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Grief Play

First of all, watch this video.

A little backstory: There was a woman who really enjoyed playing WoW. She died of a stroke. Her friends and guild members decided to hold an online funeral for her, in-game, so that anyone who wished could log in and walk up to her and pay their respects. They held the funeral in Wintersprings. They play on a PVP server. They announced the funeral on forums and chatlines.

A rival guild, Serenity Now, raided the funeral and killed everyone. Additionally, they posted a video of the raid, set it to music, and even at the end confessed "Sorry for your loss. Yes, we are assholes."

*pause for effect*

Grief play in MMO games has long held a great interest to me, because in analyzing it, we might get a better understanding of the psychology underlying the most heinous behavior imaginable in the real world. People will do many things that they would never ever ever consider doing in real life, seemingly for the sole reason that there are no concequences to their actions. And they will do them with reckless abandon, with seemingly little or no material advantage in the game.

Is it just that some people are so truly disturbed that they derive intense gratification from causing others to suffer (or the belief that they are doing so), and they would act out this behavior in their flesh and blood lives provided there were no forces to stop them?

Or is it not so much the causation of suffering to others but some unintended effect (IE: power or control over circumstances) that gives gratification?

The point I'm trying to get at here is that we can use this example of behavior to go from "Sorry for your loss. Yes, we are assholes." to a more complete understanding of why certain people enjoy being "assholes", for lack of a more precice term, forthcoming hopefully.

PS: Yes I know the video and incedent are old. In example, biotch.

Author:  Kest [ Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Grief Play

Vaergoth wrote:
Is it just that some people are so truly disturbed that they derive intense gratification from causing others to suffer (or the belief that they are doing so), and they would act out this behavior in their flesh and blood lives provided there were no forces to stop them?

Such as the disturbed funerals for gay soldiers...?

Author:  Vaergoth [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:04 am ]
Post subject: 

But see, that's ideologically based. Those people are trying to make a political and moral statement.

This, and acts like it, are motivated (seemingly) out of a desire to hurt others in whatever way possible.

Author:  Kest [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:30 am ]
Post subject: 

That's more like cloaking pure spite in a political/moral statement...

Author:  Tossrock [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:23 am ]
Post subject: 

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/in ... r_the_lulz

Author:  Dennis Cost [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:05 pm ]
Post subject: 

Who gives a shit?

Author:  thekillmaster [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:41 pm ]
Post subject: 

Dennis Cost wrote:
Who gives a shit?


Firstly, please do not necro old threads, especially if your post is a single, inane sentence.

Secondly, this is <em>Debate</em> Club, please do not post in these forums unless you wish to debate.

ptlis

Author:  Patrick Swayze [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:00 pm ]
Post subject: 

Dennis Cost wrote:
Who gives a shit?

grey?

is that really you?

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