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Xerihae · 04-29-2008, 06:59 AM

I'll be honest, this thread is partly born out of my recent... frustration... with certain peoples attitude on here, although I do think it's part of a bigger trend in humans.

Why is it, exactly, we're so averse to admitting that our opinions are just that, opinions? Especially when it comes to the kind of MUDs, films, books, activities we enjoy and why we enjoy them. Someone who has a different opinion is inherently "wrong" in our mind, when in actual fact they're not wrong, just different. Game mechanics are NOT a science. Programming them is a science, but whether they're any good or not is completely down to opinion. We can point to certain mechanics that the majority seem to enjoy, but that once again doesn't inherently make them "correct". It just means more people enjoy them. If someone enjoys a mechanic that only a minority of people do, that doesn't make them wrong. It just means they enjoy something different to you.

By the way, before anyone starts crying HYPOCRITE I'm well aware of my limitations and I do my best to try and recognise when I'm stating opinion and when I'm stating fact. Sometimes I fail, other times I succeed even if it just means not contributing to a discussion any more because I disagree with someone and realise we're both on opposite sides of the fence.

What I'm basically getting at is that if someone on here says "Game mechanic A is awesome!" and you disagree, the correct response is "I disagree, because I don't like it. Here's why..." and NOT "You're wrong, and I'm going to prove to you why you're wrong." That's where a lot of the petty arguments on here stem from. The other person is NOT wrong, they just have a different opinion, and no matter how much you might wish to you're probably not going to change their mind if it's something they enjoy. Insulting them, calling them names, questioning their experience with lines like "if you were more experienced you'd agree with me because I'm right" is pointless and counter-productive.

I don't know whether this will make anyone sit back and think a little before replying on here, but I hope it at least provides some food for thought.

END RANT!

04-29-2008, 06:59 AM	#1
Xerihae Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Name: Chris Location: Wolverhampton, UK Posts: 358	Fact VS Opinion I'll be honest, this thread is partly born out of my recent... frustration... with certain peoples attitude on here, although I do think it's part of a bigger trend in humans. Why is it, exactly, we're so averse to admitting that our opinions are just that, opinions? Especially when it comes to the kind of MUDs, films, books, activities we enjoy and why we enjoy them. Someone who has a different opinion is inherently "wrong" in our mind, when in actual fact they're not wrong, just different. Game mechanics are NOT a science. Programming them is a science, but whether they're any good or not is completely down to opinion. We can point to certain mechanics that the majority seem to enjoy, but that once again doesn't inherently make them "correct". It just means more people enjoy them. If someone enjoys a mechanic that only a minority of people do, that doesn't make them wrong. It just means they enjoy something different to you. By the way, before anyone starts crying HYPOCRITE I'm well aware of my limitations and I do my best to try and recognise when I'm stating opinion and when I'm stating fact. Sometimes I fail, other times I succeed even if it just means not contributing to a discussion any more because I disagree with someone and realise we're both on opposite sides of the fence. What I'm basically getting at is that if someone on here says "Game mechanic A is awesome!" and you disagree, the correct response is "I disagree, because I don't like it. Here's why..." and NOT "You're wrong, and I'm going to prove to you why you're wrong." That's where a lot of the petty arguments on here stem from. The other person is NOT wrong, they just have a different opinion, and no matter how much you might wish to you're probably not going to change their mind if it's something they enjoy. Insulting them, calling them names, questioning their experience with lines like "if you were more experienced you'd agree with me because I'm right" is pointless and counter-productive. I don't know whether this will make anyone sit back and think a little before replying on here, but I hope it at least provides some food for thought. END RANT!