Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="D1Tremere" data-source="post: 7570896" data-attributes="member: 61148">The work I do in decision theory leads me to believe that we need to be careful and exacting when we talk about something like &quot;Bad DM/Player&quot; issues. A clear and specific definition of the situation, followed by as non-subjective a justification as possible is required. In short, we have to operationalize the behavior.That said, the pillars mentioned in the first post set atop fundamental motivators or needs. People are never just jerks by nature (though biology can play a role), and sometimes only jerks by narrow definition. If you determine that someone is hurting the game with their behavior, it can be helpful to identify what is primarily motivating the behavior. A player may act out in a chaotic manner when board because they feel they are lacking meaningful agency in the game dynamic, and a DM may be overly controlling because they are excited about conveying a certain aspect of the game that they feel is amazing and must be shared. Etc. Likewise, people may put up with negative behavior from a GM/Player because they are afraid of loosing their sense of belonging should they make an issue of it. This is especially common in areas where IRL groups are hard to come by, and may represent a sizable chunk of one's social group. Often this is reinforced by the consequence of ostracism. Point being, figuring out why people are acting the way that they are can give you more tools to correct the behavior or remove the actor from your life. Sometimes the act of breaking down and analyzing the troubling behavior can, in itself,&nbsp; help people gain perspective that improves the situation.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="D1Tremere, post: 7570896, member: 61148"] The work I do in decision theory leads me to believe that we need to be careful and exacting when we talk about something like "Bad DM/Player" issues. A clear and specific definition of the situation, followed by as non-subjective a justification as possible is required. In short, we have to operationalize the behavior. That said, the pillars mentioned in the first post set atop fundamental motivators or needs. People are never just jerks by nature (though biology can play a role), and sometimes only jerks by narrow definition. If you determine that someone is hurting the game with their behavior, it can be helpful to identify what is primarily motivating the behavior. A player may act out in a chaotic manner when board because they feel they are lacking meaningful agency in the game dynamic, and a DM may be overly controlling because they are excited about conveying a certain aspect of the game that they feel is amazing and must be shared. Etc. Likewise, people may put up with negative behavior from a GM/Player because they are afraid of loosing their sense of belonging should they make an issue of it. This is especially common in areas where IRL groups are hard to come by, and may represent a sizable chunk of one's social group. Often this is reinforced by the consequence of ostracism. Point being, figuring out why people are acting the way that they are can give you more tools to correct the behavior or remove the actor from your life. Sometimes the act of breaking down and analyzing the troubling behavior can, in itself, help people gain perspective that improves the situation. [/QUOTE]

Verification