Barrens chat notwithstanding, most people who play WoW are, for the most part, intelligent people who communicate in a simple but effective manner. But sometimes, communication crosses over from the straightforward into, well, it’s not always easy to tell. Consider this, the digital form of prehistoric grunts. This screenshot was taken while leveling my hunter, Nimrod, in the Hinterlands:
This exchange could have gone much more favorably had the individual simply asked me for more details. But his combination of broken English and demanding instructions made me bristle and choose to ignore him.
It reminds me of Proverbs 17:28.
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
Occasionally the relative anonymity of WoW makes people relax and say things that they might not say in polite company. Maybe it’s an off-color joke, or a racist comment that can be thrown away as guild chat scrolls up. But sometimes, people reveal a little bit more about themselves than you would ever expect to know. Case in point:
I’m glad that he felt comfortable enough telling me about his preferences, but I have to wonder if the rest of the folks in the group were so esteemed.
If you’ve ever been too shy to talk to the pretty girl (or handsome guy), and chose instead to write a note with the requisite do-you-like-me-check-yes-or-no box, then you’ll undoubtedly appreciate the ease with which one can share one’s feelings in party chat. Consider this exchange, one of the first communiques between my fiancee and myself, as we met through World of Warcraft.
In your travels in Azeroth and Outland, try to spend a few seconds thinking about what you’re going to say. In some cases, it may mean the difference between a group falling apart or downing a boss. And in others, it may, in the words of Humphrey Bogart, be the start of a beautiful friendship.
