unforum

[Rosemarie_Weissenfeld]

 To all players of Purity Towers

[FSURobbie]

Hi Dusty,

I agree with everything you've said. I apologize if I've personally done anything to upset or offend you and I'm sorry you've had such a bad time with your first ARG.

I can speak from experience and say that ARG's are a ton of fun and I've met and played with a lot of great people here on uF. Purity Towers has taken a strange twist that I haven't seen too often and it's not due to the PM's but seems, to me at least, to be because of the players. I myself was responsible for some testy exchanges in the beginning, to be exact it was with you I believe, and while I've tried to keep a light, playful tone I've noticed that this game has been taken very seriously by some and that more than a few people have mentioned that they have felt mistreated.

I again apologize for any part I've personally played in your bad experience and can only hope you give ARG's another chance as I can promise you this situation is not the norm. ARG's are typically built upon community interaction and teamwork, that's a large part of the fun, and I truly hate that this aberration seems to have turned you off to future gaming.

I can only hope that we all will take notice and change the way we approach the game so that not only do we all enjoy Purity Towers, but we also come out friends at the end, regardless of the outcome.

After all, it's a game, the point is to have fun. Grotians and Proscripts are make-believe. You folks are real and I have no desire to offend or hurt any of you. I think that's true for all of us, so maybe we just need to step back, take a breath, and remember it's just a game. When we play a board game everyone walks away friends regardless of who wins, this should be no different. Who cares if they win Clue if none of their friends ever wants to play with them again?

I truly am sorry you have had a bad time Dusty, I hope it gets better from here and you see what ARG's are supposed to be great at: building a fun community full of great people that are excited to play together.

[Rosemarie_Weissenfeld]

Thank you Robbie, and I too am sorry for our prior exchange with bad blood. You bring a humor to all of this that everyone else seems to be lacking. There have been times in the last couple of weeks I have wanted to stop playing because of all the insanity happening.

We all play our roles, but we also have to take a moment and remember that not all of us are IG characters, but real people with real feelings. The insults and name calling, it all stacks up and wears down on everyone playing.

I can only hope that people will realize that everyone that is playing has feelings and that the insults and slander and bickering and such really takes a toll on each and every one of us. So I hope that we can all relax and stop taking this so seriously, I mean, like Robbie said, Grotians and Proscripts are not real, but each and every person playing this game is, and we need to have respect for one another in order to function and get through all of this.

So guys, can we stop all the crap and play this game to the end and stop acting as if it is real? Because well, I wanna enjoy this and I want to have new friends that I can bond with after all is said and done.

[Syncopal]

Hey Dusty I've just read your posts... and I'm not sure if I missed some things or if maybe I'm a part of what you view as the problem. If I am, I truly never meant to offend you and definitly didn't want to turn you off of Arg's. From what I've seen this community is one of the most open and accepting places I've ever seen and you definitly shouldn't cast a negative view on Args because of a few players...

I can't speak for Robbie, but I've always viewed our banter as just a fun back and forth IG. There was never any malice or real spite in it from my end... and I got the same impression from Robbie as well... and while I agree with Robbie that this can't be all be layed at the PM's feet... they did set up an adverserial relationship between sides... and well... revolutions and underground movements aren't very pretty anyway you cut it...

And if I'm IG (Which I view as playing the game) then I'm going to play it like i would in real life... If I have been oppressed for my life and am part of an underground movement... I'm going to pick and pry and tease the oppisite side to hopefully make them reveal some information or crack and convert to our side.

Maybe it's because I have a rebellious nature but that's also fun to me... because it's all IG... at least in my mind.

So please don't let the way I or any other players play the game affect you're impression of the game overall and definitly not ARG's in general... I would never insult anyone here personally... but IG I will call a PP a PP.

And I look forward to many adventures with the Unfiction family in the future and hope to play many ARG's with you and ... o hell.... yea even FSURobbie in the future...

[Syncopal]

Ok have been instrusted on the specific meaning of IG... so newbie here apologises and where i say IG I really meant when I'm playing the game...

And appearently there are other goings on which I have missed so I'll defer to you guys on all of that... It is really hard for me to keep up on twitter/fb/chat/Gu forum/irc/uF... lets just say that my first and last computer classes were taught in basic... so there is a large learning curve for me on that end... but I can do this:

10 Print 'You Guys are Great'
20 goto 10
30 end

LOL!!!

[FSURobbie]

[Rosemarie_Weissenfeld]

So pool party around 7 then Robbie?

[FSURobbie]

[Rosemarie_Weissenfeld]

Tomorrow at 7 sounds good, but someone has to sneak me into the Towers, you know they don't like us Grotians!

[SituationNoir]

Hi Guys,

Let me first make it extrodinarily clear, that I agree with everything thats been said in this thread so far. You are all absolutely right and I know that there are other people who feel much the same way.

My participation in the game has been sporadic, at best. The time zones as I've explained, make it difficult for me to coordinate with fellow players, but I come back when I can and look forward to updates and catching up on whats been happening.

I enjoy this game. I enjoy meeting people through this game and whilst I haven't had the chance to meet with all you, I hope to get to know more people as things progress.

At the moment I'm playing along, sending emails to characters, the usual. I haven't had much experience with players who are playing the Proscript avenue and I haven't had much need to. Naturally, the nature of the game is such that 'infiltration' etc is likely. As is paranoia. I completely agree with everything thats been said thus far in this thread, we do need to watch ourselves, watch what we say and 'play nicely' as it were.

I also agree with Syncopal. I play as I would if I was in the situation. If I was in the same situation as the Grotians, I might be a little ticked off. If was a freedom fighter and a passionate one at that, then I'd be shouting from the rooftops and yes, damning my oppressors for what they'd done. And I think we've all indulged in a little bit of that. Because we are playing a game and each and everyone one of us is taking on a role in that game, as a player and as a member of a team.

But thats just what it is. A game. So, if a Grotian says "All Proscripts are Pigs." (it's a bit harsh, but they arn't really educated you know. Pig is probably a strong word for them lol), then they're talking about proscripts. Not the people behind them. Not the players. For the most part, here on uF, we all seem to get along. Behind the scenes, maybe not so much. I can't comment. I haven't had any problems with anyone I've been playing with so far and I'm really enjoying playing with you guys (My god that sounds dodgy >.<).

This is going somewhere, I promise.

There's been an incident. Some people will know to what I'm referring and the reason I'm not going into too much detail is out of respect for that persons privacy. This is someone that I have spoken to and was well liked amongst players. Unfortunately, it would appear that maybe, that whom they chose to potray within the game (if it is indeed this person - we have their word only), was not someone who people became big fans of. This was not directed AT ALL at the player. We were completely unaware of the players actions and the way they were playing the game. Their revelation came as a shock to us all. That said, it's one of those things that happens quite regularly in ARGs, though perhaps not quite so dramatically. Whilst it was accepted and appreciated as part of the game, the way this person went about things, was not overly appreciated.

Nor were some of the things said before this person made their revelation. Whether these things were said real or merely said to shock, I don't know, but the response from other players was. This person knows who they are. And I am so, so sorry to this person, if they have been offended. I know words hurt and I really, really know how hard. However, their judgements and comments about people and the way they play this game, I have no respect for. It was an unwarrented attack and a blatent attempt to undermine the hard work of people who did not deserve it and have done their best to make this game fun and exciting for everyone. I was shocked by this persons actions and irrespect of what stress they may have been under in game, it was not necessary.

They have shocked people, good people who had genuine concern for them and considered them a friend And I have no doubt that the response would have been the same if they'd acted in this way towards other players of the game. No doubt at all.

At the end of the day, this is a game. We are all players and its something that is supposed to be fun for all. For the most part it has been and it will continue to be. There are so many wonderful ARGers involved in this, so many smart, funny people who bring so much to this experience for all, both old players and new. This is one of the first times I've been able to get so involved in a game and you guys have made it the most fantastic experience, so thankyou, thankyou so much! Lets continue playing the way we were in the beginning. Lets be bold, serious and a little bit crazy and lets have some serious fun!

[diszaster]

[Asphodel]

Maybe we need to reaffirm the "out-of-game"-ness of uF, to keep it wholly a safe haven not just for gameplay but for human feelings. This would mean that even light, playful banter about in-game politics would be relegated to other, more in-game forums.

Facebook and the Ning groups would be appropriate places for this behavior. We need to be able to come here to decompress, to see each other as real people, to remember the faces behind the masks that we wear outside. I believe that this would be sufficient to ground the circuit, so to speak, and allow the game outside to continue while we inside are at peace.

[Thunderwolf]

Did I miss a big fight or something?

When did everything become SERIOUS BUSINESS?

It's a game guys. a game on the internet. Even if personal attacks WERE made against individuals IRL as opposed to IC (which I do not believe is the case), so what? It's not real!

who wants free cookies?

[diszaster]

Oh look, I got banned from the GU. I wonder if it's because I said stuff on uF?

[Thunderwolf]

Highly doubtful, uF is OOG.

I got banned from Vanguard too.

boooooooooooooooooooooo.