Goonhub
10-03-2022, 07:57 PM
I've been thinking for a while how to format what I have to say here, and if what I have to say would even add anything constructive. I guess we'll see. I'm going to be speaking based off of my experiences so while I may put forward a few things not all of those things will be applicable to this situation.
I've been into roleplaying for a few years, and I have seen cliques and meta-buddy groups form repeatedly in the games and communities I enjoy. The nature of these groupings vary from game to game but the one thing that always marks them as being problematic isn't that they're forming into groups; The problem is that these groups then proceed to act in an exclusionary matter which causes anyone not already "in" to be left out entirely until the time that it may interest the group, at which time the group may treat the outsiders more like an npc in a video game than a human being.
I've been on the receiving end of this many times, and I imagine I was also responsible for having left people out inadvertently too. I feel as if I may of been a bit slow to notice either of these happenings due to my personality and the matter that I roleplay - generally with short interactions with less impact. Over time I filtered into roles where these brief interactions would be expected - Merchants, innkeepers, hired swords, etc. These roles required that other new people were interacted with either to ensure steady employment or simply because they offered a service that was highly desired and could monetize said service.
All of these provided for interactions greater than what I typically encounter on space station 13. Many of the equivalent jobs that I've tried either typically result in being ignored or, as mentioned earlier, being treated like an npc. I've noticed in ss13, especially goonstation, that oftentimes the people treating me in such a manner aren't actively in a group. Rather, they're an individual who wants one of their motives filled and has elected to visit the bar or kitchen instead of a vending machine. If I were to be a merchant there expectedly isn't much interest in anything that isn't commonly available - And most items that the merchant can obtain are very commonly available since money is hardly important or difficult to obtain. The chaplain tends to have difficulty finding interactions unless a staff member adds some form of odd divine intervention. Doctors are expected to just heal as quick as they can so medical rp is rare. The list of examples goes on and on for just about every role that exists.
Having seen all of this makes me wonder if the mechanics of the game itself aren't to blame to some extent. There's a great deal of things that CAN push a player to interact with another, yes, but there's seemingly even more that drive them away. If you want to eat or drink there's countless vending machines or safe bits of food scattered about the station. If you want an object you can probably head to the asteroid field and get it, or otherwise purchase it. The only roles that HAVE to interact are security and medical. Most other departments are either expected to do very little or nothing at all. Even chefs and bartenders tend to leave out a variety of easy to make drinks and foodstuff rather than having people approach them and ask for specific items. I'm not sure if I'd readily propose any changes other than having more mechanics that push players to interact with eachother.
Of course that does little for the people that are genuinely in a clique and ignoring others players or for the people feeling left out but I figure that it'd be better to try and add to the conversation that to not. Thanks for reading.
I've been into roleplaying for a few years, and I have seen cliques and meta-buddy groups form repeatedly in the games and communities I enjoy. The nature of these groupings vary from game to game but the one thing that always marks them as being problematic isn't that they're forming into groups; The problem is that these groups then proceed to act in an exclusionary matter which causes anyone not already "in" to be left out entirely until the time that it may interest the group, at which time the group may treat the outsiders more like an npc in a video game than a human being.
I've been on the receiving end of this many times, and I imagine I was also responsible for having left people out inadvertently too. I feel as if I may of been a bit slow to notice either of these happenings due to my personality and the matter that I roleplay - generally with short interactions with less impact. Over time I filtered into roles where these brief interactions would be expected - Merchants, innkeepers, hired swords, etc. These roles required that other new people were interacted with either to ensure steady employment or simply because they offered a service that was highly desired and could monetize said service.
All of these provided for interactions greater than what I typically encounter on space station 13. Many of the equivalent jobs that I've tried either typically result in being ignored or, as mentioned earlier, being treated like an npc. I've noticed in ss13, especially goonstation, that oftentimes the people treating me in such a manner aren't actively in a group. Rather, they're an individual who wants one of their motives filled and has elected to visit the bar or kitchen instead of a vending machine. If I were to be a merchant there expectedly isn't much interest in anything that isn't commonly available - And most items that the merchant can obtain are very commonly available since money is hardly important or difficult to obtain. The chaplain tends to have difficulty finding interactions unless a staff member adds some form of odd divine intervention. Doctors are expected to just heal as quick as they can so medical rp is rare. The list of examples goes on and on for just about every role that exists.
Having seen all of this makes me wonder if the mechanics of the game itself aren't to blame to some extent. There's a great deal of things that CAN push a player to interact with another, yes, but there's seemingly even more that drive them away. If you want to eat or drink there's countless vending machines or safe bits of food scattered about the station. If you want an object you can probably head to the asteroid field and get it, or otherwise purchase it. The only roles that HAVE to interact are security and medical. Most other departments are either expected to do very little or nothing at all. Even chefs and bartenders tend to leave out a variety of easy to make drinks and foodstuff rather than having people approach them and ask for specific items. I'm not sure if I'd readily propose any changes other than having more mechanics that push players to interact with eachother.
Of course that does little for the people that are genuinely in a clique and ignoring others players or for the people feeling left out but I figure that it'd be better to try and add to the conversation that to not. Thanks for reading.