Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

ABOUT THREADS CAUSING FLAMEWARS

At first, let me tell you why I wrote this article. In the last few days/weeks, the number of threads that were likely to cause flamewars at the JCF has been growing rapidly. Almost all of those threads could be found at the “Clantalk”-board. The topic was often something like “What’s the best clan” or topics in which personal attacks were included.

Well, what’s a flamewar? Let it define me the way I think of it: a flamewar is a kind of verbal battle between at least two persons or groups. The reason is very often really not worth to discuss about (that’s why most of those threads were closed, I think), but still again there are people claiming of others- because of a really stupid and unnecessary reason, I think.

I’d like everyone to rembember my ideas about what could help preventing such threads. Well, here we go:

1. Personal attacks
I don’t want to attack JOL or CC now, but I saw a lot of threads in which they claimed about Shadow, and I even heard of an “Anti-Shadow-Server”. Well, I personally don’t know Shadow very well, I just chatted with him once, but I got a nice impression of him. And this is just an example. I think he’s not the only guy that is getting under personal attacks from other ones.
The reasons for such attacks are mostly easy and stupid. Also written in those threads, and often called: “He attacked me prior“. What is prior? Prior has passed! And if you still remember something like, for example, “Stupid guy”, is this a reason to make an “Anti-…-Server”, or to make a thread at the JCF just because of this? Do you need others to help you then? In my opinion, this is unnecessary. You can clear this with the person that attacked you, or don’t you have e-mail? Do you need a forum for this? Must everyone know that someone once told you stupid? Sure not.

2. Discussing about clans
The thread that finally made me posting this was one with the topic “Which is the best clan”. Already the word best is likely to cause flamewars. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think of his clan as a good clan, even a clan from which every good Jazzer says it wouldn’t be the best will think that it is very good. Sure, you can say which clans are good. DM and GpW sure are the best clans (not my [J2F]…but it will come ;p!), but those threads are unnecessary anyway.
If such a thread is created, there will be mainly two groups: the one that think of a clan as the best, because they KNOW that there are good members in, and the other group that thinks of its clan as the best because they perhaps don’t know any people of better clans, because of whatever reason: if they haven’t got TSF for example etc…
Well…what shall this speech tell you now? I’d like you all not to discuss clans in the way of polls. This causes flamewars, no matter if you put all Jazz2-clans as choices or only a few. The flamewar starts when the first one says: “my clan is the best” or “what? that clan isn’t that good…”.

3. Conclusion
Well, if you didn’t exactly understand what I wrote :D, here a conclusion:
- Don’t say any other one had started with a personal attack or something like that. Everyone can say this. This is weak. Either you are honest and say if you treated someone other bad, or…argh, can’t say what :). But please, really, this is serious. Try to come to terms with the one you “battled”, without telling others everything about it. Others will just remember other things, and flamewars can’t be prevented then.
- It’s hard, but please don’t also say something like “my clan is the best”. I think that even DM or GpW members are not allowed to talk that way. This also causes flamwars, because you can’t get everyone to believe this.

Well, thanks for reading this. I am sure you can’t prevent every flamewar, but I hope this will help to minimize the numbers of flamewars.

No go to the JCF and post some friendly things ;D!