Guild Wars 2

Cortechs.3265:

I am “unsociable” because I get very little out of being social. I am here to enjoy the game and atmosphere. I also enjoy helping and playing along side other people. However, I loathe small talk. I have no interest in hearing about peoples’ pets, classes, their jobs, their children, or their partners. I play these games to get away from real life; not have it constantly injected into my playtime.

When I see people jump on their cellphones (or cellular babysitters as I call them) every spare second they have, I wonder if they even like themselves a little bit. They can’t seem to be alone with themselves for even a millisecond.

You say that “combat and personal story don’t need a MMO at all”, but neither does socializing, which was my point. IRC can get you all the socializing you need; so can a VOIP program with a guild. Why must everyone at a DE stop and tell each other their feelings, and what they are eating for dinner in a combat-oriented online game?

Wow I’m sorry I asked, lol. I don’t “need” to socialize while playing a MMO, I just simply find it satisfying as opposed to a single player game. Why don’t I socialize outside an MMO? I do, at work, at parties, with my family, etc etc, but I like to socialize while slaying dragons and conquering dungeons as well. =)

But I’m not talking about idle chit chat about another players pet class or their feelings, if you think that then you missed my entire point. What satisfies me is strategizing a difficult encounter with others in our efforts to defeat it, maybe it’s just me but it makes it much more interesting than just sitting there with other players pressing my 1 button until it’s dead.

Rick.1378:

But I’m not talking about idle chit chat about another players pet class or their feelings, if you think that then you missed my entire point. What satisfies me is strategizing a difficult encounter with others in our efforts to defeat it, maybe it’s just me but it makes it much more interesting than just sitting there with other players pressing my 1 button until it’s dead.

That’s different, and I apologize for misunderstanding. I don’t mind talking shop once in a while or during dungeon runs (if I did them any longer), but I don’t think that is the premise behind this thread.

ANet went about making a game that A) has no trinity, and can be soloed by any class and C) automatically gives you credit for area quest participation without any need to be formally grouped. All this and people really ask why people do not seem social? This isn’t a social game. MMOs stopped be social a long time ago. As soon as any class could reasonable solo their way to the level cap, random social interaction was doomed. Now days, you have people (lots of them) with little or no idea about how their class works in a group setting, or basic group mechanics/etiquette. Why? Because they soloed (or mostly soloed) to the level cap. Gone are the days were grouping was far more beneficial then going solo (and in some cases it was required). Gone is the trinity (at least in GW2) that required groups to be made up of specific roles, thereby requiring little to no communication in the rare instances they are formed. Everything about GW2 screams single player game with communal areas. Hell, even trading with one another is no longer social (sort of miss the days when you had your ‘favorite’ crafter, and you would wait for them to be on to commission something to be made).

There are a variety of reasons.

1) Barrens chat – some hate it, some love it; those that loved it tended to be younger kids who were unable to progress much farther than the barrens; their benchmark for what’s “normal” is totally skewed

2) voice chat – the more you’re exposed to it, the less likely you are to engage in text chat unless necessary; it’s not so much keeping your head down, as it is flagrantly ignoring others because you just don’t care

3) downward spiral – most developers saw WoW and assumed that easier gaming is more appealing; while that’s not true, what is true is that the easier the game becomes, the less you need other people, and the less likely it is you need to seek help in chat; leveling in GW2 is easy enough to solo, but in more difficult content, such as dungeons, I’ve had no problem socializing with other players

4) thick skin – I can’t be asked to respond to that guy who is LFG for the past 1hr; the longest I’ve taken to form an entirely PUG group is 15m during offpeak hours; why? because it’s easy as kittens to put together a group, provided you take charge and form the group yourself

I’m sure I can come up with several others, but outside of the diminished difficulty of content, there’s really nothing you can blame on developers, or expect of them to do.

Phaedryn.3698:

C) automatically gives you credit for area quest participation without any need to be formally grouped.

That’s silly; SWTOR is to date the most anti-social game I’ve come across, and didn’t give area credit. I did run across countless small groups who, at their best, totally ignored people they weren’t already grouped with.

And this was supposedly a more mature MMO playerbase drawing on a population of players coming from perhaps one of the most social MMOs to date (not that I played SWG, but that’s just what I’ve heard).

Question to the OP and Sartheris, do you ever send out group invites? I frequently do when I’m doing a dynamic event and someone else shows up. So far, they’ve almost always been accepted.

The social environment of your server requires you to participate, not just expect other people to take all the effort. If you think things are too anti-social on your server do something about it. If you have a guild the discuss having in-game contests, if you’re going solo then try to engage people around you.

An active social environment is a two way street. If you’re not doing anything about it then you have no right to complain.

Ansultares.1567:

That’s silly; SWTOR is to date the most anti-social game I’ve come across, and didn’t give area credit. I did run across countless small groups who, at their best, totally ignored people they weren’t already grouped with.

And this was supposedly a more mature MMO playerbase drawing on a population of players coming from perhaps one of the most social MMOs to date (not that I played SWG, but that’s just what I’ve heard).

I am not sure what SWTOR, or it’s player base, has to do with the statement you quoted. There is content in GW2 that is clearly labeled as [GROUP] content that doesn’t require you to ever be in, or join, a group to complete. How is my stating that “silly”? I am not sure how SWTOR got dragged into this conversation…

Phaedryn.3698:

I am not sure what SWTOR, or it’s player base, has to do with the statement you quoted. There is content in GW2 that is clearly labeled as [GROUP] content that doesn’t require you to ever be in, or join, a group to complete. How is my stating that “silly”?

Area credit is not the issue.

That’s what’s silly; you’re blaming something that is not the cause.

Ansultares.1567:

Phaedryn.3698:

I am not sure what SWTOR, or it’s player base, has to do with the statement you quoted. There is content in GW2 that is clearly labeled as [GROUP] content that doesn’t require you to ever be in, or join, a group to complete. How is my stating that “silly”?

Area credit is not the issue.

That’s what’s silly; you’re blaming something that is not the cause.

I think you completely missed the point…

Area credit is but an example of game design that lacks inducements to group. This game is made for the solo player so much that even events clearly labeled as [GROUP] events do not, actually, require a group.

I’m not sure what part of that is difficult for you to follow.

This is the only game that I know of that gives me exactly the amount of social interaction I want, with the option for more. The only one.

Increase the social requirements of this game and I don’t have any other MMO to go to. I’ll just watch Netflix and play Super Nintendo.

If gamers were sociable they’d be out of the house instead, or have a group of friends to play with from real-life in the game. I mean, that’s just the breaks really. You could make people “socialize” a bit more with content more like GW1 but then again they weren’t socializing. They were saying stand over there or don’t aggro that. People are playing the videogame to get some game reward and it’s a lot less likely they’re doing it to meet people.

In everquest people often socialized as you were forced to group at a very early level. Not only that but they had “med breaks” which were each about 5 mins. Then you had buffing time which was roughly around 2 mins. Then depending on where you were you either medded again back to full (2-3 mins) or began pulling. It was so mind numbingly boring that to pad out time people just chatted away. Really what else could you do sitting there for roughly 7ish mins each time a cleric etc went OOM. Not to mention combat you could easily chat while doing.

Of course if a MMO did that again it would burn and die really fast. Rightfully so.

The most important thing is – the more faster you combat the less you will chat. Especially in Guild Wars 2 as mobs can hit quite hard especially in dungeons (Group content) etc so standing still typing isn’t a great idea.

Ohh and voice chat is WAY more common now than it used to people. People are most likely talking, but they are talking to people not only playing guild wars 2 but using their <insert vent/ts/whatever> server.

Reading through this thread i agree and disagree with some of the posts. Sure lots of people are unsociable but i met a ton of people and every time I play i gain a new follower (under contacts you can look at followers). DE Group Events when played in a zone with very little people (such as Charr zones) forces team work such as taking on a Champion Orge chief that was made for 5 people when you only have 2 people. You learn very fast to work together and be very skillful. People do not have to come together but weaker players will always want to play with the stronger players (not lvl but in skill). Each of my followers i helped and taught them the mechanics of the game and the trait system and to plan ahead. Its not often that a person knows their character to the point that they know how many enemies they can take at once or in DE Group Events know if they can take it or not. By being a helper rather then a brick wall generally makes the game a better place.

Also another thing people dont take into account some of the game mechanics that are in place. If you help kill a monster both people are awarded more experience plus bonus from how long monster has been alive. You earn more karma in DE for more people being there and partipating. If you see a person fighting a monster dont be afraid to shoot it once or stand and help fight. One thing i hate more is when people run by and dont help kill off a champion monster so you could be 1 person holding off a champion monster and everyone else just runs up opens the chest and leaves without helping those people i hate for they are techinically the worst players in the game.

So points to make it more socialable game:

• Help people kill monsters
• Help kill champion monsters rather then run for chest
• Chat and help newer players without insulting them
• Give suggestions to help players play style (due note some people cant take advice just dont take it personally when they throw insults its not your fault that they suck enough for you give these said suggestions)
• Don’t insult people’s play style choices and understand that everyone plays differently
• Work as a team in dungeons and communicate to ensure ulity skills work with each other

My opinion is everyone plays games for different reasons. Some people play to get away from things like real life and maybe just want to play solo. Since this game does not require groups for a lot of it then its okay to play solo if you want.
Not everyone plays games to socialize maybe they get their fill of socializing in real life and just want to play the game to be left alone and relax it just depends on the person

Tosha Daydreamer.9251:

You don’t have to be in a group to be “sociable” in this game. I’m having fun with players who walk beside me for a couple DE’s without having to be in a group. I’m having fun in map chats.

I see a lot of people complaining about the lack of player interaction in this game, but it always sounds like they somehow magically expect it to happen. If you don’t say a word, you can’t expect the player next to you to start a conversation. If you put a little effort into it, you’ll have a fun discussion in no time. And if you are the quiet type, you can still play together with other people without it being awkward.

So no, I do not think GW2’s system of grouping and playing together makes the game less social. It’s the players themselves that make the community, not the mechanics of the game. And compared to GW1, this game has a more vibrant community, IF you are willing to put in the effort.

Exactly. People seem to think this game is bad for grping because it doesn’t FORCE you to group. I think its fine

People unreliable. If you screw up you’ve only got yourself to blame.
Also, don’t like people =)

Azoetia.2183:

This is the only game that I know of that gives me exactly the amount of social interaction I want, with the option for more. The only one.

I agree, its the perfect game for what the current MMO market wants as far as socialising and grouping goes. You don’t have to group except for 1 specific aspect but you can socialise as much or as little as you want while playing with and against others.

I’ll group, but it’s mostly for social reasons. Any mmo I’ve never been big on grouping to level, I’m just not patient enough to wait on other people lol.

Other night I grouped with guildies to help one out, and they all ended up standing around. So I went and did my thing, I can talk just as well with you in another zone AND quest.

No trinity system allows and to some extent justifies (and accentuates) individualism. There’s no need for specific classes, and most of the content in the game can be completed solo, so there is almost no incentive to team up. It’s the nature of the game and one of the consequences of removing the trinity system (I.E. actual “real” focused classes for tanking, healing and DPS’ing).

I think the post pretty much proves why the game is anti-social.

But I’ll sum it up a little in my own words.

Elitism.
I’m better than you.
You’ll slow me down.
That’s what guilds are for (even though they themselves aren’t playing with their guilds).
I don’t know you.
You’re stupid.
Noob.
etc…

List goes on and on.

Try to get people active and doing things, to make the game more fun, people whine and complain, and refuse.

If it’s solo-able, they will solo it. Always.

When I started off playing online games I was very unsociable, mainly because I was very shy. Even when I joined a guild with a mumble server I would stick to typing because I was nervous to straight up talk.

Now though, I usually accept random group invites, talk on mumble and other things. For me it took time, that could be one reason why most gamers are unsociable. Another would be some people just want to play this as a single player game and rely on themselves rather than look for other people they don’t know to play with.

Digital Dragon.2697:

I’ll group, but it’s mostly for social reasons. Any mmo I’ve never been big on grouping to level, I’m just not patient enough to wait on other people lol.

Other night I grouped with guildies to help one out, and they all ended up standing around. So I went and did my thing, I can talk just as well with you in another zone AND quest.

This, except in my case, I want to be able to do what I want on the spur of the moment, whether it’s detours for gathering or taking an impromptu break to go outside with the dog.

I’m lazy, too. When I’m playing, I’m playing… I don’t want to be “talking” via the keyboard, which would sometimes be necessary with strangers. If I do group, it’s with family and friends who have my vent info and we can communicate the easy way.

A lot of the time I just want to do my own thing, I don’t mind grouping for specific tasks though. To be honest I don’t mainly play MMO’s for grouping, I just enjoy the dynamically changing content that you can’t find in single player games. Some people can’t seem to wrap their minds around that though.

i think the main problem is the party system… ppl waste lots of time finding party wich makes ppl prefer to play solo/guild. another thing is the party slots… why 5? why not 9+? since WvW = zerg

The days in which people played MMOs specifically to play with other gamers are gone. Now MMOs are single player games in which, if you like, you can group and be social. Gone are the days in which you had to be nice to people and have proper etiquette when grouping/talking with others or else your bad reputation would spread across the server and nobody would group with you.

Now some people are social, others aren’t. A lot are rude, because there is no repercussion to their actions. They don’t NEED anyone to do anything in the game. On the other hand, some people just talk with their cliques and real life buddies via VOIP and don’t really care about anyone else etc. etc.

The days in which you were required to be social in MMOs (which old timers love but newer MMO players don’t like since they experienced a different kind of MMO than the old timers) are gone, and most likely never coming back. Before, MMO gaming was a genre for very specific gamers, now that genre, along with gaming in general, is expanding to include more people. Sadly, there is not much that can be done about it, except just go with the flow.

Last night I was doing a dungeon on my warrior and another warrior joins the party. I ask him if he uses either regeneration banners or healing shouts so I can do the other one…no response. I message him again, I see him moving and fighting RIGHT NEXT to me, no response again… people just don’t care anymore. The solo gaming along with the lack of trinity means nobody needs anyone and, instead of viewing other players as a person and someone you NEED to work together with in order to accomplish something, they just view them as either a thorn on their side slowing them down or a thing that is completely expendable.

I remember when they said “this game is very social”, but, in the reality in GW2 it’s not that social, alot of people are solo, friend list/LFG are useless (really most people doesn’t even use it). Only thing that saves the social side of this game is Guilds, at least.

But it’s not everywhere, PVE is really not that “social-intuitive”, but Dungeons, sPVP and WvW are. Also Lions Arch Map Chat.

i enjoy only playing witth a certain group of people.

I’m not unsociable, but I’d much rather have a dungeon finder than have to shout in chat about forming a group.

I just don’t have enough time to maintain relationships within an online game. There’s more important matters, like work and grad school and real-life relationships.

I come into the game to escape reality, not be faced with more social obligations.

I’ll interact in map chat, and if the mood strikes me to do a dungeon that someone’s asking about… I’ll join their group.

The thing I liked about the original Guild Wars was that if I didn’t want to have to depend on other people (like if my friends and guildies were offline) then I could try something on my own.

I miss that part of the game.

Tharjax.9068:

I rarely see people grouped in this game, why is that? Do gamers this day in age just want to be left alone to do there own thing? I myself have a heck of a time finding people to play with.

Discuss.

I personally have always preferred to solo in all the MMOs I have been in since 1994. Now I have done things with guild mate and friends.
I have seen the results of PUGs (Pick Up Groups) and I will never work in one ever again.

What I truly consider to be “unsocial” is players that purposely cause trains for example. Folks like this in my eyes are the truly unsocial player.

I like how GW2 is setup. It allows you the freedom to join in and help a person or group as the situation dictates.

This game is still new being just over two months old. I have stated elsewhere that this is not enough time to truly see how those playing truly are.

In Virtual Worlds it takes several months if not years to truly develop a community. Once people get back to this way of thinking I believe you will see just how social this game can be.

Rick.1378:

The solution IMO is to make dynamic events and dungeons and such more social thru the use of tactics and such. Right now there are
mone. […] In eq2 there was communication between players and you could not zerg down the event, there had to be communication and strategy

Thank you, someone who gets it!
I don’t want to chit chat, I hate chit chating ever since I was a child. I’m usually that super quiet person at a party because I can’t be bothered to talk about the weather or your dog. I don’t want to make friends, as a 25 year old I have more friends on and off line than I have time or patience for.

What I want is for my ONLINE game, which I play WITH PEOPLE to be meaningful like any other activity I do with people. Gw2 doesn’t have that. It feels like I’m a solo player wth NPCs around me, even if I’m playing with my friends or boyfriend.

That doesn’t mean we need forced grouping, that doesn’t mean people ever have to group at all, I just want the game to be “smart” and make us discuss the game strategy and tactics. But this game doesn’t require strategy, you’re just a person in a group of players spamming random skills. Even in a dungeon.

But what do I know? Most people spend their free time staring at the TV like zombies, having to think and cooperate might hurt their brain!

In general I don’t go out and actively seek out groups. The main reason is because I want to do what I want to do. If I want to complete a map I’ll do that. If I want to do a dungeon I’ll do that. If I want to farm I’ll do that. If there is an event going on that I want to do I’ll join that and help other people, but I’m not going to go out and randomly group up with random people. That’s just not me.

If you really want and need socialization, then you need to seek it out and get in guilds etc. Just bumming around expecting it isn’t taking action into your own hands and then you are just expecting it to happen. Think of those that are running around not affiliated are playing the way they want to.

The Earth is an open world, some do public events to socialize, some stay in their own world and do their hobbies anonymously. Where is the public outcry to get more out into local events? Now can a game steer more socialization? Yes, but probably by making the game harder to have to force grouping, then you would have the other side B&M’ing. Solo players are big money.

What I want to know is why women are creating male characters in game?

I have noticed that people aren’t very chatty in GW2 compared with the game that spawned it, and its largely due to the way it works. All the mechanics that make the game fun to play also make it hard to type. I love using skills and moving and dodging and rolling around but I keep having to quickly put “two ticks” in the chat when someone asks me a question cos I can’t kill things and talk.

My guild is getting better now with people talking more, but honestly the only times I’ve had an actual conversation with someone through this game is when we were both stood in a city or a safe part of the map doing nothing.

I hate to say it, but when I group up with someone not as fast as I when doing something, I get stressed and they get the stressed attitude, which is not fair on both of us. But this isn’t always the case, but if I can get something done solo, I’ll do it myself.

I have but just a few hours of playing solo, so I am always socializing, just with those in my guild. I do throw out little lines semi-often after a good win by a group of unknowns. It is a prayer sent out there that could lead to something, but almost all the time it goes without any reply back. Ok, I’m still socializing with my little bandito’s, no need yo’s. Totally ok either way.

I expect many people here like video games, you really need to seek out gaming buddies outside of even GW’s 2. You can build lifetime friends to play with and never see the silence that seemingly bothers you.

By the way, I’m socializing with the players, being here posting. However big-brother likes to show their heavy hand which is an example of them thwarting social behavior. I never have before, but I don’t feel safe either, between the lines.

If you really want and need socialization, then you need to seek it out and get in guilds etc. Just bumming around expecting it isn’t taking action into your own hands and then you are just expecting it to happen. Think of those that are running around not affiliated are playing the way they want to.

I’m in a guild :P Best guild ever. Been with them since GW1. They’re wonderful people who I really like. I have “real life” friends in game too. Even my own boyfriend plays this game. And when I play, if I go to a new zone, I say I just got there and if anyone would like to team up. I reach out. I help players if they have questions. I participate.

But that’s not the issue. This game doesn’t encourage socialization. We don’t need each other, why would we slow down our game to have our friend around? When I played with my friends in GW1, it felt like I was playing with my friends, and we had a good time. When I play with my friends in GW2, it doesn’t feel like I’m playing with my friends, but like I have strangers/NPCs around me.

There’s is no need for cooperation in this game, playing alone or together makes no difference, in fact playing together is only burdensome, because you got to wait around for each other, constantly ask “which way to go”, or see if the other has completed hearts, or you need to run to repair guy, or see a merchant for a gathering tool, run back to town for story quest, wait for your friend because he doesn’t have the waypoint… ugh! The game pulls us apart from each other! Better not even bother teaming up.

If only the game required cooperation from each other, then even if you’re a busy person who only has 30 minutes to play, even if you don’t like to be social in games, the game would still feel more meaningful and sociable. You’d want to stick around each other, when you recognize a person you’d think “Hey, I remember that person, they’re good at X, I’m glad I came across them!”

Being solo or not makes no difference right now, you don’t need that other person to watch your back, or distract the enemies while you run the quest objective, or even coordinate skill usage! Everyone can play a solo glass cannon build and mash random buttons to victory.

It feels really lame.

One silly example: in BWE3 (I think), ANet made a “mistake” that caused enemies to be a bit smarter and leave AOE. People complaaaaained so much because it made the game sooooooooo difficult. Personally, I loved it. Why? It’s something that would encourage teamwork: you see that elementalist AOEing, so you stun/KD the enemy for the AOE to land well. That sort of cooperation is something that’s really lacking in the game, making the game less social. Sure, if you were soloing you could still get the job done, but if you were with others that sort of spontaneous cooperation would be lots of fun.

I’m far more likely to socialize with a player who’s near me and trying to do what I’m also doing. I’ll help kill a champion. If there’s an area of thick aggro, I’ll help fight through it. If I see a dead player I’ll fight to them and give a rez.

What I completely ignore are random invites and whispers. Too many times in MMOs I’ve found those are generally not with the effort to respond to. I treat those like the old telemarketers who call during dinner.

I dunno if I would be considered anti-social in-game I’m pretty close though, and definitely pretty quiet IRL (except to those select few I ramble for days to :P). I will gladly talk to anyone that PMs me and asks questions and join groups and join those conversations. But I wouldn’t say I’m super talkative; usually the quiet observer that has some input sometimes.

As far as making/joining groups. I’ll join a group for a DE if someone invites, it REALLY helps in the drops department. But other then that, there is not too much reason to be in a group other then keeping track of each other.

In other MMOs I rarely made groups with strangers, I think in this game I do more groups with strangers then ever before. But I do find me being “alone” in my endeavors to be a bit more relaxing most of the time. I spend a majority of my time in a group trying to either keep up with the other person or something. At least outside of party I can go at my own pace and wander where I want.

Now if I had more IRL friends in-game I’d gladly probably be grouped with them a majority of the time.

I do feel I experience some kind of nervousness when having to group with strangers. I always get anxiety when grouping for dungeons in any game if there is one person I don’t know or grouped with before. /i’mweird

I dunno if I would be considered anti-social in-game I’m pretty close though, and definitely pretty quiet IRL

You can be a quiet person and be more sociable than a loud person I’m quiet IRL but always socializing (gardening together, helping friends with a house project, explaining school work to nephews through play…)

well if some content can be soloable, why go through the hassle of trying to find a group to do it, when that time could had been spent getting it done. Unsocial? unlikely.

In life do you ask random people to help pay your mortgage? No you just do it. I will group with people if they ask, but if they just randomly invite me, I will kindly deny there help.

Because any time I go to say anything at all the moderators give me an infraction.

Azoetia.2183:

This is the only game that I know of that gives me exactly the amount of social interaction I want, with the option for more. The only one.

This is exactly how I feel. I group up with my guild a lot, not because I have to, but because it’s more fun than playing by myself. Sometimes though I like to just wander by myself but most of the time I’m willing to group up. However, at the same time, I’m not as likely to group up with complete strangers just cuz I don’t know if they know how to group properly… stick with the group, communicate. While a good group can really increase my enjoyment of the game, a bad group is just frustrating.

Azurite.3824:

Azoetia.2183:

This is the only game that I know of that gives me exactly the amount of social interaction I want, with the option for more. The only one.

This is exactly how I feel. I group up with my guild a lot, not because I have to, but because it’s more fun than playing by myself. Sometimes though I like to just wander by myself but most of the time I’m willing to group up. However, at the same time, I’m not as likely to group up with complete strangers just cuz I don’t know if they know how to group properly… stick with the group, communicate. While a good group can really increase my enjoyment of the game, a bad group is just frustrating.

I understand what you’re saying, but what if a couple of strangers turn out to be a couple of warriors that trait deep into their defensive trees and a support guardian?

Agemnon.4608:

Azurite.3824:

This is exactly how I feel. I group up with my guild a lot, not because I have to, but because it’s more fun than playing by myself. Sometimes though I like to just wander by myself but most of the time I’m willing to group up. However, at the same time, I’m not as likely to group up with complete strangers just cuz I don’t know if they know how to group properly… stick with the group, communicate. While a good group can really increase my enjoyment of the game, a bad group is just frustrating.

I understand what you’re saying, but what if a couple of strangers turn out to be a couple of warriors that trait deep into their defensive trees and a support guardian?

For me, I don’t put as much focus on the classes and builds players have but rather if they’d be sociable and pleasant to group with. And I’m not saying I wouldn’t group with strangers. If I receive a polite pm asking for help or to group for an event or such, I might give them a chance.

For me, it’s really about personal situation. I don’t have fixed working hours – I work from home, mainly freelancing and I am an illustrator, so basically I can run around Tyria for twenty minutes, than minimize GW2 and work on that shoulder pads in photoshop for 30 minutes, then go back to GW2 for an hour and so on.
So, I often play solo as it gives me a “shackles-free” feeling while playing.

On the other hand, the game per se, I see absolutely nothing that would drive players towards antisocial behavior, on the contrary. The argument of not having to group to do things together actually works as a counter-argument, as people can go with the flow in GW2 and form spontaneous parties. For example, I was hearting and eventing today with 5-6 other players for an hour or so. Now, there wasn’t much verbal communication, that’s true, but there was communication and I could feel it. I am sure all the players felt like part of the group after twenty minutes, for example. And there was SOME verbal communication, not much, but still significantly more than in MMO’s where you have strict partying and tagged mobs. People simply started to comment on things like they would in, say, waiting room. Some exchange was going on, on various levels.

So, in a nutshell, I myself have a bit odd playing regime, so more often than not you could see me being silent and soloing through content. But if we talk about the game as a field that encourages antisocial behavior, I do not agree.

That said, I must also add that I haven’t developed a thick skin on teh intrawebz, although I have been playing multiplayer games for almost twenty years and a number of MMORPGs. I guess that my “oldschoolness” in human interaction prevented me from getting into the “online players are pixels” mode, so I perceive every interaction as a real one. More often than not, other side doesn’t do that.

When I 1st started playing this game, I was on a server where everyone was unsociable. It made me very sad. Playing an MMO alone is like masturbating – you can do it, but you would much rather have a partner.

Now, I am on the RP server, where I belong, and most people are sociable.

This message was brought to you by a Social Kitten

the only social interaction i get is when i get thank you s for ressings. last night though, i had triggered a skillpoint (combat) in the Straits of Devastation. the zerg mob stood around while i battled a losing battle, not bothering to help. when one player finally came by to help (maybe he was passing through?) he came and helped me get that skillpoint. i gave him 2 silver, which was sposed to be my travel money, but since he was nice to help me out, i sent him some silver for their assistance.

thanks player, for helping me with that skillpoint. i was able to get my first elite skill with it.

what i don’t like are all of the random party invites from players. i had a random invite, accepted into their party of sorts, but NOBODY else spoke in chat while i asked “what’s up?” or “what kind of party is this?”. if you are randomly inviting people to party, you should make an effort to talk to them. now i just decline all invites, because it’s a waste of time.

Because I work in a call center all day and don’t want to have to communicate with anyone on any level in my spare time- when/if I do I’ll be on vent with my guild.

The over sensitivity of players and willingness to ban anything that moves by A-Net keep me from socializing as much as I could. I don’t plan on risking my game over someone that takes offense to things so easily.

^
Long as it’s PG-13 you should be fine.

For rest of gamers unsociable I am not sure where it started or if it’s always been that way. I’ve been gaming since NES Entertainment System and EverQuest when I was younger. My major MMO was Ragnarok Online so a lot of socializing, parties and guilds came from that.

GW2 is a game where the player can pace themselves or group together. It’s just finding the right group of people to play with that are fun! Stick in the muds are boring.

I’ve been soloing GW2 due mostly to taking the game at my own pace and leisure with the occasional grouping quest here and there. I’m not too big on guilds like I was before due to time management and the requirements of being constantly active(I like my freedom to explore the game without rushing through lol).