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A Mandela Day mission

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In case you didn’t notice, today is Mandela Day, a day when we are meant to live by Madiba’s example and give of ourselves for 67 minutes – some people help out their neighbors, some give their time to worthwhile charities.  Well, I have an idea of how you can spend 67 minutes making the world a better place.

Here is your mission, if you choose to accept it: spend 67 minutes of your day, today, being nice, helpful and supportive while playing with others online.  Yup, take the time to actually reach out and be nice.  And no, it doesn’t count as being nice to NOT yell at the feeder and tell them to uninstall Dota 2.  This is about going beyond being polite, and actually being nice and helpful.  Like they used to say on children’s report cards, play well with others.  That will be your public service.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, mostly because of my time spent on Final Fantasy XIV.  I don’t normally play online, and if I do I avoid interactions with other people as much as possible.  This is mostly due to the notoriously atrocious behavior of people when they can hid behind the anonymity of the internet.  However, the population of FFXIV seems to be made up of adults.  No, really.  People are helpful, thoughtful and nice.  They communicate and even spell properly – plus they are happy to give advice, particularly to new players.  What does this mean?  You never feel lost, alone and stuck while playing.  You may struggle with encounters, but help is never more than a quick message away.

How different would Dota 2, LoL or any multiplayer game be if people actually made an effort to help each other?  It doesn’t take much – advice for future build strategies or congratulating someone on a job well done.  Just a small gesture can make a huge difference to someone’s perception of a game.  I’m not saying that you can never call someone a n00b again, or rage against them, or tell them to go make you a sammich.  But, for 67 minutes, I want you do make an active effort to play well with others.  Who knows who you might play with today – maybe you will influence someone else to make an effort and help a fellow gamer.  We can only do so much to cause change, and yet the effects can be huge.

Last Updated: July 18, 2013

46 Comments

  1. Concerned

    July 18, 2013 at 09:39

    Yeah, so listen up all you PS 3.5 fanbois, this forum also counts as online play so BE NICE!!????

    Reply

    • Ultimo_Cleric N7

      July 18, 2013 at 10:08

      hahaha! Ok I will be nice to the MS boys for today.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

        July 18, 2013 at 10:33

        Nah, only 67 minutes

        Reply

  2. Argentil

    July 18, 2013 at 09:40

    Yup, FFXIV probably has the nicest, friendliest players.

    I would take you up on your offer of 67 online-friendly minutes, but I’m gonna be working – then sleeping. I could try be nice on the LG comments section though 😛

    Reply

    • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

      July 18, 2013 at 09:43

      Well, this is still an online community so let’s try and make it a more friendlier.

      Reply

      • HvR

        July 18, 2013 at 09:50

        Somebody call Admiral Groot Wors, tell him to bring the HAMMMER.

        It is get along and be friendly time.

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 18, 2013 at 09:52

          Cheers to that, jolly goo’ time folks. let’s all play together in the playground!

          Reply

          • Argentil

            July 18, 2013 at 10:08

            Is anyone noticing I’m being nice by not saying anything?

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 18, 2013 at 10:09

            Aren’t you nice all the time?

          • Argentil

            July 18, 2013 at 10:14

            Every comment has a layer of disdain for humanity. Except this one – cause it’s Mandela time.

    • Tarisma

      July 18, 2013 at 09:43

      GW2 community is also very nice. Always people willing to help. I guess it’s cuz the game is community focused.

      Still haven’t done one dungeon where a player has been kicked

      Reply

      • That Super Twit

        July 18, 2013 at 13:35

        I agree, when my wife and I played GW2, the other people were always very friendly.

        Reply

  3. Tarisma

    July 18, 2013 at 09:40

    Shaddup noob.

    But on a more serious note SA’s dota 2 community must be one of the most unforgiving? And these guys aren’t even fucking my mom…

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      July 18, 2013 at 09:45

      Yeah I tried to join the local community and was left dismayed.. they all need a good PK

      Reply

      • Tarisma

        July 18, 2013 at 09:48

        I have 2 friends that are newish to the game an play for fun, they now only play with bots. Unless we can get a full team if friends.

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          July 18, 2013 at 09:55

          Yeah I literally couldn’t get a game online when I said I was new,. People point blank refused to let me in the game and then simply hurled abuse at me.

          If I cared about people online this could have hurt me

          Reply

          • Sageville

            July 18, 2013 at 10:14

            Always wanted to try LOL and Dota2, but after hearing all this…..sounds like I’d be jumping into a pool of douche-bags.

            No thanks.

          • Zoe

            July 18, 2013 at 12:21

            you mean if you cared about people, online or off. 😉

      • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

        July 18, 2013 at 10:03

        Not singular, multitude of em.

        In Afrikaans we call them RVPK *reeks van PKs” (roughly translated to “series of”)

        SOPK

        Reply

  4. Gavin Mannion

    July 18, 2013 at 09:46

    My report card always said that I play well with others….

    Granted it was preceded with ‘doesn’t’ but still.. tipex fixed that

    Reply

    • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

      July 18, 2013 at 09:51

      Did you use the wet tipex brush or those strips?

      Reply

      • Gavin Mannion

        July 18, 2013 at 09:54

        I’m too old and was too poor for the strips.. we only had the one that came in a bottle

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 18, 2013 at 09:56

          Yeah me too 🙁 . One day my sister bought me the strips, I was like a king with my mighty pencil bag of Tipex strips, then I used it and I couldn’t use it properly and ended up wasting it….let’s just say…..I was STRIPPED of my pride…..badum…….dschh 🙁

          Reply

  5. ElimiNathan

    July 18, 2013 at 09:57

    “it doesn’t count as being nice to NOT yell at the feeder and tell them to uninstall Dota 2” 😀 Classic

    Reply

  6. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    July 18, 2013 at 10:01

    Yeah gotta admit DOTA2 would have had me carry on playing if the general community wasn’t so rough.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

      July 18, 2013 at 10:26

      Agreed

      Reply

    • CrasH

      July 18, 2013 at 10:46

      I would play it more if they tried to group the games and players more in the same level.
      You win 5 that were hard/close and exciting and maybe lose 1 that was close.
      Then they team you the next 4 games in a row with a leaver, a feeder, a guy that stands at the shop 2 minutes at a time looking for an item and a support that does not buy a chicken.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

        July 18, 2013 at 10:57

        You see that’s what bugs me. I am new to the franchise and I am the guy who spends 2 minutes at the shop (coz I don’t know what each item does and where it is) and get’s called a feeder because I’m new and because the higher level guys are unwilling to help me out and guide me and instead sit there shouting out profanities at me alongside the words “feeder” “noob” etc.

        Reply

        • CrasH

          July 18, 2013 at 11:15

          When maps loads you have the item game that runs, teaches you how to build any item, i play it all the time to keep each build fresh in my head.
          also there is a search bar… start typing in the items name and its infront of you instantly?

          And you can load up with some frinds and bots to help teach you.

          But in all fairness its not your fault the game decided to put you with better player/higher level player… and thats what i said as well… i don’t want to play with you before you know what your doing, as i am sure you don’t want to play with me as you could be the sole reason we lose… that not fair on me either…
          So why does the game put us into the same game…
          That why HON and LOL have a PR system and HON you can see it and LOL its in the background to try group people of the same skill together.

          Reply

  7. Trevor Davies

    July 18, 2013 at 10:12

    I’ve been nice for the last 2 days already. I said nothing snarky about consoles yesterday (excluding the first comment) and I’ve been helping a buddy level up faster in Borderlands by having him join my lvl 42 game when he was only lvl 18. The amount of times I died after running out of cover to revive him after he got one-shotted wasn’t funny – except for the part of watching him run straight into a fight & die immediately, that was pretty funny.

    Reply

  8. Yolanda Green

    July 18, 2013 at 10:17

    I will be nice by teaching some new players how to play Dota 2 tonight, against bots. Else I might not be so nice to the opposing team xD

    Reply

  9. FoxOneZA - X-Therminator

    July 18, 2013 at 10:25

    Now only if we had a Mandela month hmmmmph…

    Reply

    • Argentil

      July 18, 2013 at 10:28

      I think there would be a mass exodus of dota quitters if we all had to act nice for a whole month :O

      Reply

  10. Kromas

    July 18, 2013 at 10:35

    Tonight I am playing Mass Effect and I won’t punch the reporter in the face. But seriously, go out and do something non gaming related for 67 minutes. Be it cooking for your family and friends or helping out with something. It won’t kill you …. well unless you have not seen the sun in years like me 😛

    Reply

  11. CrasH

    July 18, 2013 at 10:37

    This atricle is basically an Oxymoron… Be nice to feeders and noobs… they are not nice too me…
    They destroy the value of the game for 4 other player on their team.

    And if everyone was nice to them, they would never learn… I started on Dota long ago and my 1st comps were on map version 3.16b… and although a lot of people were still learning that time, i got my fair share of flame for doing stupid things, and i learned from them. (even played local lan games with friends to learn, instead of online)

    Now you can play against bots, read forums and guides, watch video explaining each move and spell and how to combo it and yet they still suck. It just takes one, to cause the loss of a game.

    For Mandela Day, all noobs, feeders, big mouth, kiddy bobs should stay off they games they suck at for 67 minutes.

    Reply

    • John Ambitious

      July 18, 2013 at 10:48

      So if I want to try out a game that’s been out for a while but just haven’t gotten a chance to try until now I’m not allowed to?

      Reply

      • CrasH

        July 18, 2013 at 11:44

        HHmm. only for 67 minutes…

        Reply

        • John Ambitious

          July 18, 2013 at 12:22

          Okay, cool cool

          Reply

    • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

      July 18, 2013 at 10:49

      You don’t learn like that bro, some are strong enough to take it, but others get despondent and stop…. very uncool

      Reply

      • CrasH

        July 18, 2013 at 11:06

        You child breaks something but was running around madly just before, your dog urinates on your carpet while the door is open, and i know there are many more i can give…
        Is okay, the child will not do it again if you calmly tell them not to…(does not work) Your dog will never urinate on the carpet again if you stroke it and put it outside calmly (will not work).
        There is a small number of people who can respond to polite, logical debate and realise there error or see your point of view. Don’t even have to agree, but just realise there are other options. The rest… Need the stick.
        Oddly, the removal of corporal punishment is more to blame thena nything else with how people are online and the false sense of being annonymous.

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 18, 2013 at 11:11

          I just can’t agree with that, the person in your team who messes up or who is still learning is likely a peer, and as such should be treated with respect, you get people that intentionally do dumb stuff, but such a bully mentality makes it hard for people who really want to learn to actually get good at the game….

          Reply

          • CrasH

            July 18, 2013 at 11:29

            I did not ask to be a teacher… If they add the option that i can select like enable mentor… and then all the new commers and low skilled had a option to tick, new comer, or even training… and then it grouped me with them it would be a choice.
            Instead, i am stuck with a lower skill player and i have been the lower skilled player in matches as well… i am not pro, but just avarage.
            The differance is i can see that i am the weakest link, and i ask/listen to my team in those cases explicitly, but at least i can,cause i understand the heroe’s,the moves, the animation and the obective set.

    • Theo Steenekamp

      July 18, 2013 at 11:07

      Ok so you can stay of this site for 67 minutes then? 😀

      Reply

      • CrasH

        July 18, 2013 at 12:44

        I know, I sound horrible, but anyone who has played a multiplayer games knows the frustration and even worse is, we all been on both sides of this argument. Everyone start off a newbie, it’s an avoidable, but i asked for 67 minutes, not for people to quit.

        Reply

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