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Why the Norn and Charr hate on the Clock Tower?

in Halloween Event

Posted by: onapony.6270

onapony.6270

Hear me out folks. I’m not here to spread the hate, or complain about being on the receiving end of it. But I hope you will engage in this discussion for a moment to wonder at how a community that is otherwise very friendly and helpful quickly degenerates into hate speech, bullying and isolation of someone that is different.

First a quick note that this is not about the puzzle design of the Clock Tower. I do not agree with a lot of the hate on the puzzle design; I sip my tea during the wait times and the load sequence; I LOVE the voice acting of the Mad King and it does not get old for me; I enjoy the rush of the crowd at the beginning of the race etc. Alas, it just so happens that the design is the perfect storm for stimulating the hatred of large (Mass Challenged? ;-) player characters. Allow me to elaborate.

It’s been a while since I have seen a game stir up so much hate. I have a Norn toon -here’s the part where you say “ahh.. now I know where this is going.” But maybe you don’t.

(For those of you that have not played the Clock Tower – it is a jumping puzzle. Norn and Char characters are big, as you know, and they get in people’s line of sight, thus causing spitting, fuming and generally unsavory behavior).

My own experience with this fun and well-designed puzzle is a two sided coin. On the one hand, I really enjoy the puzzle itself. But I have never completed it; haven’t even made it to the first chest. Not because I wasn’t having fun. Not because I suck. I was routinely the 2nd or 3rd last to fall in the 10 or so times I tried it (and sometimes I fell in first). But because on the other side of the coin, I found myself on the receiving end of several hateful remarks from several other players. Eventually, I simply left the game, my head held high that I had not lashed back with mean-spirited comments of my own, but disappointed that I would not likely bother to take part in this piece of the game again.

I’ve read a couple other posts on this forum and elsewhere from people with Chars (or Norns) that have said they reveled in that bubbling pot of poison and hate and had even more fun because others were getting their breeches in a knot. Sorry – that’s just not me. Not because I’m a wus, but because I love playing games, and I don’t want to play if I’m spoiling someone else’s fun. Even if they act like venomous bullies. Plus, there’s just too much else to do that’s fun, so why waste my time?

It’s great that there’s so much else to do, and I can avoid the hate. But why is it there in the first place? Aren’t games supposed to put players and competitors on even ground? Aren’t they supposed to hide our true identities (if we wish) and allow us to pretend to be someone else – an escape from the harshness of the real world? Aren’t they supposed to remove race, height, weight and thickness of glasses from the equation?

Certainly, players will always make themselves stand out, no matter how balanced the game is. They can act out and sometimes that removes the neutrality and causes people to focus attention on them (either good or bad). But that’s not what I’m experiencing here. What I am experiencing is a gross imbalance in the game design. And this imbalance has two effects. One – it adds wonderful diversity. And through this diversity it adds realism and immersion. I love being a massive Norn standing next to a teenie weenie Asura. But the second effect is that it sets us apart as different and basically, as an obstacle to fun. The Clock Tower is indeed the perfect storm for bringing Mr. Hyde out of Dr. Jekyll.

The Clock Tower is challenging as far as jumping puzzles go and causes tension in these ways:

1 – The mad rush in the beginning. Tense? Yes. Adrenaline-pumping fun? Heck yeah.

2 – It requires dexterity, judging your leaps in both distance and aim.

3 – There is limited space to move/adjust position (regardless of others playing).

4 – There is limited time.

5 – There is limited screen real-estate to see.

The first four points can be part of any good jumping puzzle and I argue they add to the challenge and fun. The last one is the problem, and combined with the immense tension caused by the puzzle in the first four, it is indeed the perfect storm for Norn and Char discrimination.

Here we see the flaw in the design. But it’s flawed in the way that real life can be flawed, isn’t it?

So, really, if we want to appreciate Guild Wars for what it is – a game with intended flaws – does that mean we have to live with hateful remarks as well? Does that mean that we have to give up the even ground of gaming and the escape from discrimination? Do we have to avoid playing parts of the game to avoid being the butt of jokes and hateful remarks?

Or, should the game be made more neutral and even? Should this wonderful diversity be painted grey to address these design flaws?

Norn and Proud