PAX '07: Overcoming the online griefer

SEATTLE--Yesterday, Star Trek wunderkind Wil Wheaton kicked off the 2007 Penny Arcade Expo with a humorous keynote address in which he addressed the important social impact of gaming. As opposed to the negative spin associated with gaming culture in the mass media, he argued, gaming is one of the most social behaviors a person can engage in. He did note, however, that the mass media is under their assumption for a reason, and that's due to what has been coined as "John Gabriel's Greater Internet F***wad Theory."

As made famous by PAX organizer Mike Krahulik, the GIF Theory essentially draws the equation: Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total F***wad. This subject was directly addressed at one of the first panels on the second day of PAX, "The Social Component of Gaming Today." Speaking at the panel was Noah Ward, lead designer for CCP's EVE Online; Ilja Rotelli, director of online media at Wizards of the Coast; John Porcaro, senior group manager for Microsoft's Xbox Live and Games for Windows community; and Theresa Pudenz, public relations specialist at Flying Labs Software.

Two salient points arose during the panel. The first, as introduced by Rotelli, was the approach Wizards of the Coast takes to combating disruptive players. Noting his gamer background, Rotelli said that the way he approaches the problem is to identify what needs to be killed. Since murdering people isn't exactly a viable option, his team looks at killing the anonymity factor. His team's aim is to create a community that is as transparent as the real world. He went on to say that as anonymity fades, there will be a growing amount of trust in online communities.

However, as noted by Pudenz, anonymity isn't inherently bad. In fact, it can have a safe-haven effect for certain subsets of the gaming population, namely girl gamers. "It's about creating a place where people feel safe and have a reasonable expectation of not being harassed," she said.

The panel also spent a good deal of time discussing the ways in which the community polices itself. According to Ward, player reputation is vital to EVE Online's community. Players who want to excel at the game must work well with others and develop a common bond of moving forward, he said. To that end, it's important, in his view, to design online worlds that rely heavily on collaborative elements. Since the majority of players aren't Internet idiots, those who do display spastic tendencies while in an anonymous online setting are quickly ostracized from the community at large. In this way, CCP typically doesn't take direct action against so-called "griefers"--players who specialize in hectoring others. Instead, it lets the community deliver its own verdict.

The group also addressed ways in which to channel the passionate energy of the abrasive sect. According to Porcaro, it's all about giving these folks the impression that they are being listened to. He feels that giving them information, or at least letting them know why certain information is being withheld, works wonders in placating disgruntled individuals. The pseudo-privy knowledge gives them the feeling that they're involved, and helps to convert that vocal member of the community to the side of the company. Pudenz followed that up, saying that giving these people fan site kits is a great way to focus their energy into constructive means.