MMORPG's and griefers- help me understand

[ArrMatey!]

I'm sort of a newbie on MMORPG's, and tonight I ran into my first round of griefers. These people created secondary characters -specifically- for the purpose of stealing items from others, then logging the character off so said item could never be recovered.

I don't understand the mentality. Can someone please explain why someone does this?

(as a caveat- this is in an RP-heavy game.)

[asterion]

I don't understand the mentality. Can someone please explain why someone does this?



Because they're idiots and jerks.

[Doomtrain]

If someone has a good reason why people are assholes, they'll make a mint. People just are.

[Miller]

The idea being, they then delete the character and whatever hard-to-get items they're carrying? Hmm. Could be their other characters already have copies of the items, and are trying to improve their rarity, although this strikes me as a monumentally stupid way of doing so.

[smiling bandit]

For some people, cruelty, especially when its anonymous and without risk of retalition, is fun. They're not necessarily stupid, just sinful.

[Mekhazzio]

In a nutshell, they do it because they get their jollies from pissing people off. It happens in some form in every single game it can possibly be done in, it's an inherent part of multiplayer. You're playing with other people, and people are jerks. Simple as that. Even in pay-for-play online games with vigorous policing, it still happens, even when they know they'll get the hammer within days/hours/minutes.

[ArrMatey!]

I laugh and nod now. It all seems pretty true, really. Had a really exasperating day, and the items in question are trully gone for good. On the upside, staff has given those involved a final warning, which will result in banning next time. Ah, good times.

Thanks for the explainations. I guess it just boils down to.... Assholishness. :rolleyes:

[Doomtrain]

The idea being, they then delete the character and whatever hard-to-get items they're carrying?

They probably transfer them to another character (on another account) before deleting/letting the other character get banned.

[Glory]

Ha, sounds like you read Page 8!

Some EQers might remember the reference :)

http://www.brellrants.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2734

(warning post has some profanity)

[Dunderman]

For some people, cruelty, especially when its anonymous and without risk of retalition, is fun. They're not necessarily stupid.
Yes they are. Cruelty is inherently counter-productive and therefore stupid.

[Apos]

Well.... sometimes griefing can be kinda funny....

http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/727.html

[Turek]

I can't explain it. But it's what turned me away from UO.

[Cerri]

Ha, sounds like you read Page 8!

Some EQers might remember the reference :)

http://www.brellrants.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2734

(warning post has some profanity)


*laughs*

I played on Fennin Ro (quit EQ when I got into WoW Alppha back in January), but MAN, was that story famous across all the servers...was all anyone talked about that whole week...I actually remember sitting and reading up to about page 63 or so one reeeeallly long night. I loved Woody of GU comic's take on it.

MMORPG comedy gold, that was, and the most famous EQ incident ever, eclipsing even Sullon Zek's Fansy the Bard.

"SONOFABITCH!!!"

[aruvqan]

*laughs*

I played on Fennin Ro (quit EQ when I got into WoW Alppha back in January), but MAN, was that story famous across all the servers...was all anyone talked about that whole week...I actually remember sitting and reading up to about page 63 or so one reeeeallly long night. I loved Woody of GU comic's take on it.

MMORPG comedy gold, that was, and the most famous EQ incident ever, eclipsing even Sullon Zek's Fansy the Bard.

"SONOFABITCH!!!"
LOL, It hit the Alt.Game.Everquest newsgroup about a month ago, I had totally forgotten about it. I think Annie now has a link to that, the 'Burning Wood' page, and the newest fun, a thread on how NOT to join a guild that rivals 'page 8' in her sigs...
let me check.

http://webpages.charter.net/lenny13/age.faq.htm is the FAQ,

and here is the link on how not to join a guild...it has to be read to be believed...
http://www.fnfguild.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4

[smiling bandit]

I played on Fennin Ro (quit EQ when I got into WoW Alppha back in January), but MAN, was that story famous across all the servers...was all anyone talked about that whole week...I actually remember sitting and reading up to about page 63 or so one reeeeallly long night. I loved Woody of GU comic's take on it.

For those of us who don't want to read 8 pages of in-jokes and scammers in everquest, can you give us the short version?