[OPINION] GE =/= serious business, people. >_>0

* Edited for clarity.

Sometimes, I swear, if there's anything Filipinos are great at, it's drama. Even in gaming, oh boy.

Case in point: this thread.

The title alone reeks of flamebait. And I don't understand why it's still up, considering that it went downhill and hasn't recovered since.

FYI, yeah I get into a lot of drama too, especially because I am the type to please people. A notable GE-related example is my Brunie cosplay during the Granado Espada Philippine Launch last September. I admit I look fugly with the pale hair (and now I don't even want to be blonde anymore, which is a big thing because if you know me personally, I wanted to dye my hair blonde for the longest time) and of course the ponytail, but where I was looking for constructive criticism on the costume (since I cannot afford and do not wish to subject myself to risky plastic surgery), many commenters were giving nasty comments about ME ... AND my friends, who were also in costume. I will admit that I was terribly hurt to have it rubbed in my face, but I made sure to report only those who gave particularly nasty criticism without suggesting better alternatives for the sake of being nasty. I did appreciate the critique given to me though, but I still would like to insist that Brunie is more blonde than either completely silver/gray-haired (too unnatural and old-looking for this fine lady, I'm going for realism) or brunette (just... no) based on this, plus the Doratomo character design series.

And there's the brouhaha during the run of the Fantazztic Film Awards. I was seriously pissed because it was dissed AUTOMATICALLY by someone who thought that the producers/directors were just trying to gain internet and GE fame off making a machinima movie in GE. But see, two of the producers were actual hardcore gamers who I looked up to in gaming, since I've been drifting in and out of it since forever - and THEY WERE MY GUILDMATES ON THE OPEN BETA. Also, by "hardcore" I mean, one of them DOES NOT EVEN BUY G-POINTS BUT RELIES ONLY ON GOOD OLD-FASHIONED LEVELLING, and no he doesn't AFK either. The other hardcore gamer is a WOMAN WHO PLAYS, and last I checked even MODS, TABLETOP GAMES (which I'm sure half the GE crowd have never experienced - I should know, I admit to being one of them non-tabletoppers), AND works in an arcade-related company. The third I have no idea about his "gamer credentials," but he works in another gaming company and as far as I know has played a good number of console games, so that should count for something right? It was good that the one dissing them admitted that he was threatened by my friends, which only goes to show that nasty people are jealous at heart. What I found doubly pissy and disappointing was that the behaviour of the person dissing them REMAINS UNCHECKED, and that person does not care that he did character assassination in the first place. WTFH? Again it's one thing to give constructive criticism; it's entirely another IF YOU OPEN A THREAD AND ACCUSE THEM FROM THE GET-GO. It took all of my willpower not to throttle the idiot once I met him in person, and I am so disappointed that he enjoys so much immunity from many people, some of them my friends even.

I dare whoever reads this blog - assuming ANYONE reads it, lol! - to make of it what they will, and possibly DISCUSS. Of course, I'm not sure what's left to discuss either seeing as I have been rambling. I'm not so sorry anymore that I'm hitting a lot of people, but I wanted to get this out of my chest since I am no longer having fun and not enjoying myself in an otherwise trivial online game where, among other disturbing things, I'm seeing my offline friends become bitter enemies. People, a game is a game is a ALWAYS A GAME. We play it for FUN, because WE ENJOY BEING PART OF IT. What do people not get about that??? I don't understand why people think that mudslinging and character assassination are "FUN". And I certainly see why a lot of the other international gamers in GE are pissed off at Filipinos and Filipinos like me.

On the good side, at least the Tribute to the Ladies meet-up/discussion seemed a complete success. I only wish I wasn't so late, but I came from another function that I realised I should have gone to at a much earlier time, since they needed more hands and I was out gallivanting with another crowd (who are friends since high school days and are predomintantly only casual gamers at best, though one was a pRO beta tester who eventually became a Shadowmaiden). D: AND I had to leave early too, but oh well.