Ok, I DO NOT want this to become a flame or rant thread, "just another griefer post", or the like. I have a more or less academic interest in this topic and am legitimately after some information here. A big thanks upfront to anyone who can help clear things up for me. If you don't have any relevant information to provide, thanks for stopping by but there is no reason to reply or derail the topic.
This post is aimed at anyone and everyone who admittedly engages in (or maybe knows someone who engages in) combat logging, menu logging, complaining about pirating/griefing/terrorism, and the like. Those who are sometimes referred to derogatorily as "care bears" as opposed to the dreaded "PVPers". I realize that many may be reluctant to call attention to themselves in this way, but for any of you bold enough to do so, I am very sincerely interested in how you see/justify/understand/explain your own position with regard to these actions. To be very clear, I'm *not judging* you here, but I (along with many others) also have a hard time understanding where you are coming from. Whether I ultimately agree with your viewpoint or not is irrelevant here, I simply want to understand your position, if you would be so kind as to help.
Let me begin by briefly outlining one reason why I and others have a hard time understanding. Suppose we have the option of playing a game of dodgeball together. Suppose further that the rules for said game are very clear to both of us (when you are counted as "out", what kinds of throws, catches, movements are legal, team sizes and alternates, etc). By engaging in said game of dodgeball, all participants are implicitly agreeing to said rules, and penalties are applied appropriately by designated referees for any breach in those rules for either side. All very straightforward and happens in the world of sport all the time. Now suppose a particular player, Bob, does not like getting hit by the ball. He enjoys all the other aspects of the game, still chooses to play, but really finds getting hit to be painful and not fun. It would be absurd in the context of this game for Bob to enter the competition expecting never to get hit, or after having been hit out, complaining to the referee that getting hit by dodgeballs in a game of dodgeball should not be allowed. It would similarly be highly inappropriate if Bob ran onto the opposing team's court and attempted to disrupt all their throws, or otherwise circumvent the rules, in order to save his fellows from being hit as well. The point of the analogy is that in a game (physical or digital) where there are a set of clear rules for allowable interactions defined at the outset, which all players seemingly (albeit implicitly) consent to by participating in the game in the first place, there seems to be little ground to stand on to defend a position like Bob's. The question then is, where do you see your own justifications for rejecting or circumventing some of these rules in Elite? What is different in the case of Elite vs the dodgeball analogy? Why is it acceptable (or maybe preferable) to combat or menu log, or to complain about other players ruining the game for you?
Now I have a few possible explanations of my own, but you'll have to let me know how off-base I am here:
1) Is it that you don't consider yourself to have agreed to any such set of rules by playing the game? Therefore, another player's action against you is in equal violation of your understanding of whatever the rules are as your logging off would be? And calling attention to the illegitimate actions of other player killers is just as warranted as reporting cheaters, because according to your stance on the rules, they are cheating just as much as someone running an aimbot?
2) Is it that you aim to change or better the set of rules currently in place by engaging in some form of "civil disobedience" as it were, or by vocally criticizing certain aspects of the rules? To refer to the analogy again, you aim to someday change the game of dodgeball to no longer allow being hit by dodgeballs? If this is the case, does this vision for the future arise from personal desire, an original understanding of what the game was supposed to be, or something else?
3) Is it that you consider the actions in question to be unsportsman-like or exploitative in some way, although admittedly within the bounds of the rules and the scope of what the game is intended to be? For instance, is it like throwing the dodgeball unnecessarily hard, just to cause extra pain, even though such a thing is technically allowed? Therefore, you are reasonably allowed to criticize said actions, or engage in some similar kind of action to even things out?
Again your honesty and any elucidation provided here is greatly appreciated. I unfortunately can't compensate your time with anything other than my gratitude, but I think clearing up this matter a bit (without name calling and just talking past each other) could be quite beneficial to both sides of the argument. It is certainly of interest to myself and others in an academic sense at the very least, and I'd love to see a civil discussion arise.
tl;dr: In your *sincere* opinion, why is combat or menu logging, and/or complaining about griefing or PvP legitimate or justified for a game like Elite? No insults, flaming, or trolling please.
