Ms. Netiquette’s Game Etiquette Dos and Don’ts

Hello Dear Readers,

This week we’re going to do something a little different. Rather than answer questions, I’m just going to regale you with the things I’ve learned over the years.

Believe it or not, I actually do play a lot of games on Pogo, and if I were to give you my real screen name, you’d see I have quite the hefty collection of badges! I even ended up earning that insanely time-consuming Poppit! Red Dice badge. While I’m furiously attempting to complete the week’s challenges, I spend quite a bit of time just watching the chat and am often impressed with how friendly our Pogo players choose to communicate. But, as you can imagine, there are times when I can not help but raise my eyebrow at what goes on in the chat room.

So, this week I’m going to offer everyone a few simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” to make your social experience on Pogo a little more enjoyable!

1. DO choose a screen name that is appropriate. If it’s your first time on Pogo and you’ve chosen a name that is questionable, it’s only a matter of time before you will lose that name. It could be a week, or it could be years. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching someone who has accumulated high ratings, numerous rankings, badges, and more, only to lose much of that when his or her account is closed for having an inappropriate screen name.
2. DON’T assume you know how to play the game before trying to play the game.We have a “How to Play” guide with every game which will explain the basics of the game play. If you are playing a game with a seasoned partner, they will find it highly irritating if you have no idea what you are doing.
3. DO be friendly. A simple “Hello all” or “Hi everyone” will immediately let people know that you’re a friendly person. This will make it easier for you to find game partners and make friends.
4. DON’T take things personally. With regularity I see players come into a room, say “Hello” and then wait for 5 minutes before saying something about how nobody is polite. The truth is that it’s very likely nobody saw the chat. People are generally pretty nice, and if they don’t respond it’s probably because they are focused on the game. It has nothing to do with you.
5. DO set the expectation. When playing a multi-player game that can be played with varying degrees of aggressiveness, be clear with your intentions. If you want to play a friendly game, tell people in the chat room that you are starting a “friendly” game. If you want to play a super competitive game, then say so.
6. DON’T stoop the level of an abuser. You will run into many of them, and they will try to bait you into a fracas. Once you’ve bitten, they’ll file an abuse report and guess who ends up getting suspended? That’s right: you. As tempting as it may be to defend yourself or others, refrain. Make friends with the “Mute” feature and use it often.
7. DO use the Report Abuse feature when you see players breaking the Terms of Service.You may be the only one in the room who does. Some players may be new and are not familiar with the feature, and others may have already muted the player long before the Terms of Service violation occurred. Once you report the abuser, the abuse will be muted for you.The abuse reports are anonymous to the abuser. She or she will never know who filed the report. Depending on the severity of the abuse the abuser will either receive a warning, a suspension or an immediate account closure.
8. DON’T let peer pressure determine the way you play the game.There are a few games on Pogo where players sit in rooms and try to dictate how the game should be played. Now, a little negotiation in a two to four player game is perfectly acceptable. But in a game where many people can play, you should play the way the game was intended to be played.
9. DO be a gracious and honest winner. If you were playing a skilled game and your opponent played well, then tell them so. You can simply say “good game” or “gg” or you can say “well played!”If you played well and your opponent congratulates you, then simply say “Thank you” or “ty.” You needn’t pooh-pooh your win with “I just got lucky” or “You win some, you lose some.” It’s okay to be grateful for the acknowledgment of a game well-played.
10. DON’T be a poor sport. This is only a game, and sometimes you do win, and sometimes you do lose. If you lose, then lose with dignity. Don’t accuse your opponent of cheating, or just being lucky. He or she won fair and square, and while it can be frustrating to lose, especially if you’re on a losing streak (and we’ve all been there!), you, yourself, are not a loser. You simply lost a game. If you whine and moan and go on and on about it, then you begin to acquire some of the qualities of an actual loser. You really don’t want that. Nobody enjoys playing with a poor sport.

There you have it! Most of this is common sense and I’m delighted to point out that the vast majority of players are already abiding by these simple do’s and don’ts. If you come across someone who needs a refresher, you might want to point them in the direction of this column!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Netiquette