allen-varney
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Potential avenues for MMO companies to deal with griefers
Ah, the MMO griefer. Most of us have encountered them, or been them, at some point. It can be frustrating to deal with but griefing in MMOs is enabled by the very nature of most online interaction -- anonymity -- and there's not much that can be done about that. Or is there? Much has been written on eliminating griefing before, and will continue to be written we're sure, but Allen Varney at The Escapist has a different take on handling griefers. Varney writes, "The motive to block and frustrate griefers masks what might be a great opportunity. Can we distract would-be griefers? Can we make the game so unpleasant for them they leave voluntarily? Sure. But go further: Could we turn griefers, despite themselves, to productive ends?" His article "Wanted: Ganked or Alive" points out how the behavior of griefers is something that can be predicted and exploited.
