The Runes: Balder Considers F.R.A.

[Zaolat]

Honestly, I've been banned from #thesouthpacific for a while now -- and my experience in The South Pacific has since been more positive there. In many ways, I wish IRC and Skype and other offsite services were not used as much, because I think at its crux is what makes the politics in NS so toxic and socially driven.

Unrelated sidenote: I believe IRC is to an extent toxic to a communities activity. More often than not, I've noticed more activity on IRC then the forum/rmb of the region the chan is based on. It's not always a bad thing to use IRC and I don't want to exaggerate this effect at all since it itself is not the only factor in inactivity, but I have noticed this numerous times.

[-_-]

Not everyone has "sexuality" and "emotional manipulation" as a part of their Gameplay experience...

[Anumia]

Could we stop saying that "this" is toxic and "that" is toxic? I haven't had any issues with any form of messaging, and I'm sure a large number of other people also have not. Issues with specific people or between specific people should not be blamed on the medium.

[Drop Your Pants]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

[Anumia]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

Likewise. Maybe some people are doing it wrong.

[Ambroscus Koth]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

Likewise. Maybe some people are doing it wrong.

ding ding ding

[The Blaatschapen]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

You're a sheep, someone has probably pulled the wool over your eyes.

[Anumia]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

You're a sheep, someone has probably pulled the wool over your eyes.

I hope Blaat doesn't cotton on to what he just suggested...

[Venico]

IRC and Skype are means to create friends in this game and make it well, not sterile. O.o For almost two years, Koth, Cormac, and myself have never turned on each other or left each others' side. Of course we have disputes at times but that doesn't break the friendships we have with each other. I can honestly say that without IRC/Skype there is no way we would be as close as we are or even maintain the most basic of friendships.

I've made some awesome connections in this game that actually felt solid. I can look back fondly on memories of laughter and enjoyment from these mediums. Too many Cards Against Humanity games have ended with me muting my speakers because Koth is literally dying of laughter.

These mediums allow us to have the closest thing to real conversation we can in this game. It allows us to have human connections and interaction. Without that, this game is decidedly more hollow for me.

[Ambroscus Koth]

literally dying

[Zaolat]

literally dying

Heh, like yesterday?

[Solorni]

Honestly, I've been banned from #thesouthpacific for a while now -- and my experience in The South Pacific has since been more positive there. In many ways, I wish IRC and Skype and other offsite services were not used as much, because I think at its crux is what makes the politics in NS so toxic and socially driven.

Unrelated sidenote: I believe IRC is to an extent toxic to a communities activity. More often than not, I've noticed more activity on IRC then the forum/rmb of the region the chan is based on. It's not always a bad thing to use IRC and I don't want to exaggerate this effect at all since it itself is not the only factor in inactivity, but I have noticed this numerous times.

Toxic to a communities activity or toxic to forum activity?

I'd argue that a forum likely takes away from RMB activity and that an IRC/Skype takes away from forum activity. I don't think this means you have a more inactive community, but rather that the activity is being spent in different places.

---

Furthermore, I disagree with the notion that because members talk in real time that this leads to more fighting and such. It would likely increase fighting if such feelings were already personal. But I'm of the belief that one can have political differences without being personally aligned against eachother.

[The Runes]

Hileville Retires from TSP, Set to Transfer Board Ownership

Following controversy surrounding Hileville removing many members adminship, Hileville has stated he will no longer put in money into hosting the forums and said he will transfer the hosting of the forums. The controversy started a little while after he had removed Belschaft from the adminship team and then removed many of the other admins a while after. He stated that he had done so because of a lack of admin work on their part, but they argued he was doing so because of opposition to removing Belschaft's admin.

Hileville has stated he will be leaving TSP and that people can contact him via FB, Skype and Twitter.

[The North Polish Union]

I'm just gonna say that TSP is going to end up being like Osiris was last year so that if it does melt down I can act like some kind of GP prophet.

[Shadow Afforess]

Hileville Retires from TSP, Set to Transfer Board Ownership

So is the domain thesouthpacific.org going to lapse it's next payment? I might snatch it then.

[Terisclu]

Hileville Retires from TSP, Set to Transfer Board Ownership

So is the domain thesouthpacific.org going to lapse it's next payment? I might snatch it then.

uh-oh

[Shadow Afforess]

So is the domain thesouthpacific.org going to lapse it's next payment? I might snatch it then.

uh-oh

It's been paid for until 2016. So you are safe.

[Solorni]

Auction for TSPs forum?

[Tlik]

I've seen more cuddles and glitter than toxicity

I'm quite sure glitter is a significant part of the toxicity. Seriously, that stuff is lethal. And a pain to clean out of carpets. Mainly a pain to clean out of carpets.

[Glen-Rhodes]

Hileville Retires from TSP, Set to Transfer Board Ownership

So is the domain thesouthpacific.org going to lapse it's next payment? I might snatch it then.

Snatch us an IP.Board 3.4.6 license, and then we'll talk.

[Zaolat]

Unrelated sidenote: I believe IRC is to an extent toxic to a communities activity. More often than not, I've noticed more activity on IRC then the forum/rmb of the region the chan is based on. It's not always a bad thing to use IRC and I don't want to exaggerate this effect at all since it itself is not the only factor in inactivity, but I have noticed this numerous times.

Toxic to a communities activity or toxic to forum activity?

I'd argue that a forum likely takes away from RMB activity and that an IRC/Skype takes away from forum activity. I don't think this means you have a more inactive community, but rather that the activity is being spent in different places.

---

Furthermore, I disagree with the notion that because members talk in real time that this leads to more fighting and such. It would likely increase fighting if such feelings were already personal. But I'm of the belief that one can have political differences without being personally aligned against eachother.

forum in this context then. I'm sure your right too, I wasn't trying to exaggerate. The trend can be minimal, it's just what I have observed.

[North East Somerset]

This game isn't worth someone messing up themselves. No game is. If someone needs someone to talk to, drop me a line.

Given the fact that what you say in distressed states in private conversations.. on social messaging services... can and will be used against you for the political purposes of others, I have to recommend against seeking advice from other players on mental health and stress issues unless you really, really, really think you can trust them because once you give that information to people, you're giving them power over you -- and once you give power over you to that person, you've given them political currency which they will use if it becomes valuable enough.

Some of the logs used in this current case are logs of me in a really bad place just venting to a player or players I thought I could trust -- I've seen this done before on multiple occasions. If you're a big enough political target, your health means nothing to people - even if they're supposedly friends.

You should pursue help from RL friends, councilors and at worst, vent to pillows and mattresses -- NS GP at its core is a bifurcation of the most personal aspects of human nature with a "political", "social" and "culture" face -- those players who claim naively that you should just "take a break" seem to be under the impression that this isn't a systemic element of NS GP. At its heart, in a warts-and-all depiction: NS Gameplay is a melting pot of personalities, egos, sexuality and emotional manipulation.

It's a skype channel with a RP'd legal system attached to play out personal feuds in the most public, embarrassing and demoralizing way.

It's relationships with political titles and drama attached.

It's facebook with a parliament and a political hierarchy.

Ambitious and passionate players should avoid as much informal, social communication with other players as possible -- (a) don't get too attached because most of them are wolves when they see the value in it, (b) anything you say, regardless of where you say it can and will be used against you, (c) power in NationStates is gained through social means, but the truly ambitious and most passionate players make their mark on the game even without the hobnobbing and the social process -- in their case, social contact can serve as a pressure cooker that will make their experience in the game more negative overall.

Honestly, I've been banned from #thesouthpacific for a while now -- and my experience in The South Pacific has since been more positive there. In many ways, I wish IRC and Skype and other offsite services were not used as much, because I think at its crux is what makes the politics in NS so toxic and socially driven.

A truly fascinating insight into your mind but I couldn't disagree more.

Nationstates is what you make of it.

If you think it's all about egos, sexuality and emotional manipulation - then I daresay that's because that's what you make it all about.

I've never had that problem. It's a game. A few people I've come across in the game I would say I am good friends with, and a number of other people I would class as colleagues or associates. I've never really had a problem with any of these people beyond what I would say is normal human behaviour in the relevant context.

I would say I am a fairly "ambitious" and "passionate" player. But I see no need to "avoid" informal communication with other players for fear of something. I don't know, it's just never been a problem. Maybe I'm really really lucky in 10 years of playing, probably 30,000 forum posts and too many hours on IRC/MSN/Skype to count - but I daresay Unibot, the root of your issues may lie somewhere other than the social mechanisms of the game or it's players.

For example, you talk of Gameplay being a melting pot of sexuality and emotional manipulation in a negative sense. My very first impression of you socially when we first met one to one was that you were trying to organise a "NS date" with me when you thought I was a girl, within about 10 minutes of meeting me. That isn't really normal social interaction considering the context was you had no idea who I was or what I was like even. If you took an equivalently reckless approach irl, you'd end up acquiring more than a bruised ego.

Likewise your opinion that social interactions are all about ego, well - in all the people I've met in NS, I doubt anyone fits that bill better than you. Your entire political approach to the game has always been about what suits your perception of your reputation the best. You've trodden all over defender allies and friends in your pursuit of power, and constantly dismissed the advice of your NS colleagues whenever it has not been what you want to hear. Basically anyone who disagrees with you is a conspirator against defenderism according to you. The only reason the game is "all about egos" in your opinion - is cause you make it so.

Ultimately as with anything in life, you have to take a degree of responsibility for your own actions and their consequences rather than trying to be a victim to the system the whole time. You make your choices, and often you know of their consequences and on occasion have even been specifically warned of them - but you make a deliberate decision to continue regardless. You can claim extreme ignorance but I don't find that credible given the context of your intelligence and abilities.

I disagree there is anything intrinsically socially corrupt with the game. Furthermore I've never betrayed anyone's trust on a RL personal matter and neither have I been by my NS friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, I suspect many of the times when you have, it's been of your own making.

[Durkadurkiranistan III]

18/f/cali, reporting for duty

[Shadow Afforess]

If you think it's all about egos, sexuality and emotional manipulation - then I daresay that's because that's what you make it all about.

I've never had that problem. It's a game. A few people I've come across in the game I would say I am good friends with, and a number of other people I would class as colleagues or associates. I've never really had a problem with any of these people beyond what I would say is normal human behaviour in the relevant context.

Pot, meet Kettle:

For example, you talk of Gameplay being a melting pot of sexuality and emotional manipulation in a negative sense. My very first impression of you socially when we first met one to one was that you were trying to organise a "NS date" with me when you thought I was a girl, within about 10 minutes of meeting me. That isn't really normal social interaction considering the context was you had no idea who I was or what I was like even. If you took an equivalently reckless approach irl, you'd end up acquiring more than a bruised ego.

If NationStates is what you make of it, it seems you are just as interested in egos, sexuality, and emotional manipulation as the rest.

[North East Somerset]

If you think it's all about egos, sexuality and emotional manipulation - then I daresay that's because that's what you make it all about.

I've never had that problem. It's a game. A few people I've come across in the game I would say I am good friends with, and a number of other people I would class as colleagues or associates. I've never really had a problem with any of these people beyond what I would say is normal human behaviour in the relevant context.

Pot, meet Kettle:

For example, you talk of Gameplay being a melting pot of sexuality and emotional manipulation in a negative sense. My very first impression of you socially when we first met one to one was that you were trying to organise a "NS date" with me when you thought I was a girl, within about 10 minutes of meeting me. That isn't really normal social interaction considering the context was you had no idea who I was or what I was like even. If you took an equivalently reckless approach irl, you'd end up acquiring more than a bruised ego.

If NationStates is what you make of it, it seems you are just as interested in egos, sexuality, and emotional manipulation as the rest.

What...? That makes no sense.

I never asked Unibot to ask me out on a date, he instigated it entirely. I was introduced as a girl by someone else in the Euro chat because Unibot had no idea who "NES" was. The person who introduced me called me "Nessie" which apparently sounded like a girls name to him. The point is that Unibot is asking for these kind of problems, rather than being victim of a systematic gameplay issue. Given his reputation precedes him it is somewhat a vicious circle now but he could easily break out of it by showing some behaviour that contradicted the perception of him as primarily interested in egos, sexuality and manipulation.

So far he hasn't. At every opportunity he has been drawn into an ego battle. And at every opportunity he brings sexuality into his interactions with female gameplayers. And that's what he makes of the game, so it's no surprise that is what he perceives the game to be like.