Honor, Sportsmanship and Teamplay (pt.6): Honor (Finale)

I gave you a lengthy exposé of what I think Honor is (or should be) and why I consider it to be important and worth aspiring to.
But it’s probably high time I adapt that to the world of online gaming in a way which is less abstract. Though I assume I have to overcome an obstacle here.

Honor as a concept for conducting oneself in the real world, for having values and principles and for standing in for those, is hopefully comprehensible and recommendable.
In the world of the internet such a concept loses its power the further we move from tangible persons (e.g. Bloggers or people in groups or organizations with closer similarity to real life counterparts) to more abstract and (partially) anonymous people who present themselves rather through avatars and nicknames than what could be considered a "real" person. [1] The common online player is exactly that: An avatar with a nick, which represent him and might – or might not – reflect on the person wearing it.
The more artificial a person’s online personality is the more difficult it becomes to relate to the person behind it. All that depends (and reflects) on that person’s attitude and behavior (as it would be in real life, but less direct and lacking the additional layers of human contacts, which are immense in their effect and importance). Gaining or giving respect, not to mention honor, is a difficult and usually long process which most likely will be restricted to smaller groups [2], where opinions, conduct and actions are more clearly perceived.
Also by nature the often impermanent structure of internet groups makes it harder to build a reputation, to gain respect, and far too often one finds himself going through the same discussions or arguments every few months.

But there’s also an opportunity in all this:
Since the perception of a person on the internet is not complete but fragmentary it makes it easier for somebody to uphold a level of conduct, reason and dignity. Usually we interact with each other in indirect ways (chats, forums, blogs) and most likely in small bursts instead of lengthy encounters which are the norm in real life. So you can focus on your attitude and conduct during those time frames and better avoid the trappings of the dark side of human nature  [3]

All that is relevant when dealing with more regular structures of the internet (like forums, chatrooms, newsgroups). Online gaming is of course different, but in regards of honor it’s thankfully actually a lot easier.

I think it’s safe to say that honor encompasses pretty much everything which one would consider sportsmanlike. So if you think of yourself as a sportsman you are most likely already half-way there (or even more ).
So let’s think of honor in online games as an extension to sportsmanship. Acting along the lines of honor is basically a sportsman going the extra mile.

So acting honorably in online games would comprise the points I already made for sportsmanship.
In a nutshell:

• Rejecting cheating and actively condemn any use of cheats
• Rejecting the use of exploits, glitches or bugs in the game code or map design to get an unfair advantage or to play the game in a way which is in violation of the game’s principles.
• Renouncing any kind of deliberate lame actions or behavior (e.g. grieving).
• Respecting the right of the other people on the server to play the game in a manner supported by the majority on that server and trying to refrain from actions which compromise the overall fun.
• Trying to keep the game fair.
• Conducting in a manner which is non-offensive to others.
• Showing dignity in face of victory and defeat.

This is very much the bulk of it, and obviously covers a lot of ground already.
So let me add a few things that I consider to be more on the side of honor than sportsmanship:

• Showing some basic respect towards the people one plays with.
• Being generally helpful towards others, but especially towards inexperienced players.
• Opposing lame behavior which compromises the overall fun

Those are guidelines. It’s not the bloody 10 commandments. [4]
To follow all this perfectly, all the time, one would have to be a saint.
Nobody can expect a person to be a role model 24/7. I can’t stress it enough: Honor is a way, a path which not always follows a straight line. The important thing is to strive for it, to come back to it once you might have strayed and to acknowledge that’s it not always easy (in regard of oneself, but also towards others).

Now tell me: Does this look so hard? Does it look unreasonable? Don’t you think games would be more enjoyable if more people would sprinkle in more of such conduct and attitude? And always remember: None of this is in opposition to being skilled and competitive! [5]
Or is the entire childish name calling, the lame behavior, the sometimes mean-spirited or even hostile conduct, the selfish I-Do-Whatever-I-Want-attitude we experience on the common pub server so much more preferable?

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t suggest this to be either black or white. Many people are conducting themselves in a perfectly acceptable manner though they may not strive for any highbrow ideals.
That’s fine and with some aspirations for good sportsmanship absolutely commendable. But if we want to affect those people who are attracted by the DARK SIDE we need more. We need people who can act as role models. We need people with strong positive reputations, people who are respectable, people who show that there are alternatives to the behavior and attitude I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

And I’m sure most of us know such people. Usually there are only few, but consequently more prominent. Ask yourself if it wasn’t nice if there were more of such players in the game and the community.
Also ask yourself if it wasn’t nice if there were more such people in real life. Precisely because I think honor is easier on the internet this can be practice for the more complex and more complicated challenges of being a more honorable person in this non-virtual world most of us are still living in. [6]

One closing personal remark:
After reading all this you might be wondering if I consider myself being an honorable person? And it might be slightly disappointing and potentially hypocritical to tell you that I don’t.
But similar to a player who sees the youtube-video of a highly skilled soldier and tells himself: “I want to be as good as this guy” I have an idea of honor, I have met a few people who qualified and while I’ll probably never meet those ideals myself I try. I fail more often than I like to admit (but graciously I often get points for trying ).
This clearly disqualifies me as a role model. But it does NOT disqualify me as a proponent! And that’s all I’m trying to achieve here.