AtWar Toxicity

Has AtWar become too toxic? I think so. Perhaps it is certain players and certain maps/scenarios that fuel the toxicity and not an AtWar thing.

I love WW1. I feel I've gotten to be a good Serbia. I understand things like not capping Greece neutrals when you are about to be overrun. While many players get totally vaporized by turn 6 as Serbia, I am a reliable Serb for being able to stack and provide Italy with a safe space to stack in the Balkans. I don't say any of this to claim accolades, but just to make the case that there is an incredible toxic atmosphere at times. What never ceases to amaze me is how I can do something right (e.g. letting my defensive stack get hit by AH) and yet be insulted, belittled, and called names all because while I made a good move, the result was not what I liked myself (e.g. my stack getting vaporized).

And then after one person insults, it becomes contagious, and begets a feedback loop, where others join in based on the first person. In this post, I will abstain from mentioning any other players by name. But it is kind of breathtaking when the attacks can even contradict (e.g. I'm overly defensive, and then I'm not defensive enough).

But the worst part is, of course, not that my play is critiqued. I don't mind that. I'm human. I make mistakes like everybody. It is that it is all name calling and insults. Don't dare miss a message in chat as you might be in the middle of grabbing something to drink while playing At War, because you might miss a joint attack, and next thing you know somebody in your own coalition is saying "ban the faggot".

And as you have to deal with all of the insults, you are put into a position of having to defend yourself by pointing out somebody else made an error, not because you care to get into all that, but trying to point out maybe the weak link was Italy which lost a transport ship and went to suicide in the Alps.

There is one player, who I will mention, b2spirit. I don't mention him for anything bad, although I was a bit disappointed it seems as though even he has caved a bit to the toxic crowd. I appreciate that he noted when he first started on WW1, I actually took time to teach him rather than trash him. And that's just it. If all we do is trash others in their mistakes, rather than taking time to sit down and teach somebody, help somebody, how do we expect them to get good? And why should we trash anybody over a game? I can at least feel good knowing that b2spirit told me I taught him Serbia well enough to equip him to play with the "pro" crowd (which has become the toxic crowd) and he is one of the few non premiums they let play on Serbia.

As for me, I have a few detractors. Where, exactly, it all started, I'm not entirely sure. Almost every game can be toxic. But more often than not, it starts with somebody who actually blames me for something I didn't even do wrong in a game. At least nothing critical. And then that person is insulting me, and then others see it, and they join in. And now there are a few people that absolutely will not play with me on their team with me being Serbia. There is a narrative that has been fueled and advanced that I am the "worst Serbia ever". Literally.

I don't call them names back. Just yesterday I was in the middle of a game as Serbia. At least one of my teammates on entente has me on ignore. Did I say something to him to make him do that? No. I don't know if he just has an anger problem and needed somebody to take his anger out on or what. But he has trashed me and my play as Serbia, but not just by pointing out a mistake or anything, but by name calling. So I make my stack as Serbia. I had Sofia capped because the opportunity presented itself, and I had a nice IF infantry stack parked in Sofia. It was a weak non premium AH, and I was planning to defend. And as that was happening, I was being messaged. The content of the messages? I'm the worst Serbia ever. Nobody on entente wanted me. I would even help the team by leaving. So about turn 15, I left. Why should I play for a team that doesn't want me? And how can I be both the worst Serbia ever and bad for leaving the game? Shouldn't my departure help entente? And yet me leaving becomes the pretext for people to make more comments, saying to get me banned.

Well, today I see I am banned by the one who hates me for no legitimate reason and calls me the "worst Serbia ever". I am attaching a screen shot of the message. The irony. It is nothing but profanity. And yet somehow I was supposed to fight for that team? I was the one who is bad for leaving the game turn 15? Have I ever called this person names like this? No. I post this to show just how toxic some of the games can become. And as somebody who had supported me now suggests, I don't think me leaving was me losing control of my emotions. Again, I have not responded in kind by name calling. Others call names, others tell me I'm not wanted on the team, I left. That's about the most professional way to deal with it. How is leaving a game a lack of emotional control, but then using language like what I show you good emotional control?