So uh.. You do realize that the video game world and the real world are two different things, right?
I get that griefing/trolling isn't fun for the person being targeted but lets stop taking the step to label the perpetrators as mentally deficient in some way, shape or form. I can come home on my lunch break, troll/gank people in a variety of games (and do this most days), then go back to work and continue to be empathetic with my co-workers, customers and supervisors and just generally live and do things as a normal person does them without harboring some sick, twisted sociopathic daydream in the back of my mind.
Mind you, for me, Elite is dangerously close (haha) to being just another version of the pointless Rust/H1Z1/DayZ crap sandbox type of game that I tend to avoid. I don't enjoy it when the only thing there is to do is attack other players. That gets boring fast.
So lets all take a step back, take a breath, slow down and quit getting our panties twisted over people who choose to play the game differently than you would prefer them to. We all know C&P needs a dramatic overhaul as well, but claiming that mental illness is a contributing factor to players who gank at random is pretty much the most childish thing I've seen since this game launched.
Oh, sure. Normally I am on the 'griefers' side (you wont believe how often I get called a griefer around here just for not crying at the moon!). Open is Open, which means it is not up to me to judge what others do as long as its within the rules of the game. But still, my point is valid:
if someone's sole enjoyment comes from the unhappiness of others, regardless of the activity involved, thats not a good thing. And it is generally considered by healthcare specialists to be a marker for mental illness (or rather a personality disorder). You may disagree with that, but it is how it currently is. Doesnt mean Open should be 'regulated' (other than better C&P), and one could even argue that for those who really do have certain personality disorders 'griefing' in a game sure beats some alternative outlets. But still, noone can seriously argue that doing things only because it makes complete strangers unhappy is healthy behavior.
Ofcourse, a lot of 'griefing' isnt griefing in that sense. Just because you dont know the motivations of others doesnt mean they did it solely to grief. Just because someone does something you dont like doesnt make them insane, or dangerous, or evil. But these are different discussions, better suited for when there is at least concencus on the idea that enjoying other people's suffering is not a sign of a healty mind at all.
Btw, some people can actually murder a bunch of drifters and then go back to work and continue to be empathetic with their co-workers, customers and supervisors and just generally live and do things as a normal person does them. Doesnt really serve as much as an argument for or against anything.
