Griefing is always a problem.

Maybe "trolling" should be discussed next? I'm sure that's not a verb, but it still happens...

Also, dictionaries don't prescribe the meaning of words, they just reflect language use and, in that, are hopelessly late and conservative.

 

Well, every form of "griefing" I know of consists of screwing with other people's stuff.

Just call it "screwing with other people's stuff"? You know, the direct approach.

I suppose to reduce it to one word, "vandalism" comes to mind.

 

The slang version of "trolling" is taken from the fishing term. Trolling is where one drags a line along in the hope that a fish will bite, just like one drags a forum post along in the hopes that a user will bite. So yeah, it's a verb. Even in the real world.

Although someone who trolls for fish is called a "troller." I don't know why they started calling the Internet version a "troll." Probably because people are stupid.

 

I Googled "definition of prank" and copy-pasted the entry. Took all of 10 seconds, wasn't really that time intensive.

I treat every argument like it's a formal debate, albeit less preparation and more on the fly thinking. That's how I win most of my arguments.

You're apologizing for something I didn't take issue with. Griefing isn't a real word, you're right, and I never disagreed with that, nor will I ever (unless it's ever actually entered into the dictionary). What I disagreed with was the claim that pranking=griefing.
And really, no need to apologize to begin with. Nothing personal, right?

 

I think it has to do with the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Trolls take pride in dragging people down to their own level, and getting an emotional rise out of their victims. In the legend of the goats, two of the three goats crossing the bridge manage to convince the troll to take another victim who is bigger, stronger, and has more pride. In other words, they are advising the troll to victimize a more satisfying target. However, when the third goat is confronted by the troll, it is so large and strong that it effortlessly tosses the troll off the bridge. There are different ways to interpret the meaning of the story, but one way is to use it as a metaphor for internet arguments.

However, there are competing theories on where the original usage came from.

If anyone is "winning" after an internet argument, it is probably the person who takes it the least seriously. It's not an issue of who made better arguments, but who has the healthier emotional state, imo. EDIT: However, as someone who has personally participated in formal debate, I also suspect you aren't as emotional about it. So now that I think about it you probably do "win" most arguments in that regard. Formal debates always have a very healthy detachment from the subject matter or outcome of the match. In the end, it's just friendly competition.

 

If winning an argument on the Internet is that important to you, I'll let you have it. I don't want to bicker over the definition of a word - I have things I'd rather be doing. I'll still call it what I call it and you'll still call it what you call it, and I'll think you're wrong and you'll think I'm wrong, and we can both get back to what's important - playing some Starbound.

 

Sorry, I wasn't making myself clear enough. I meant to imply that trolling was going on in this thread...
Thanks for the trivia info, though, I didn't know this.

 

leave it to a thread about griefing to get

still sort of works if said troll is looking to pull and incite arguments that are useless and completely off base from the original topic of discussion. The troll is then trolling for a flamed response and thus griefing those who came to the thread for a legit conversation along the way.

Also trolls live in caves and only come out when suitable bait is present. or under bridges where they exact tolls but that is another topic of discussion entirely.

 

Griefers are heretics. They rebelled against the emperor and must be stopped. Space marines GO

 

Trolls are people who forgot to take their meds.

 

I do belive that it would be entirely possible to give the player a tool to manually deisgnate an area to be protected by such a device. Just because the object "normally" protects a pre-defined area dosn't preclude the player from having the capacity to definie such an area themselves.

 

This is what I am hoping they can do. It would also make for an interesting PvP mode if you have to find and disable the item protecting your enemy's fortress.

 

I'd consider this "pranking" rather than "griefing". Griefing implies that the act causes grief for the targeted person or persons, ala the term "griefing". A prank is an act in which both parties can walk away from the act in good spirits with a laugh.

Of course, you've gotta know your target as well. Different people have different senses of humor so while one person may see me repeatedly removing a single, random block of no real significance from their considerably large structure a mild annoyance but humorous act, another might see it as me just generally being a dick.

Rule of thumb: Don't prank people unless you know their sense of humour and know they'll get a laugh from it.

It also helps immensely to recognise when a joke has gone far enough.

On the other hand, completely dismantling that large structure they have put hours of work into is just straight-up griefing. Unless you have some magical way of undoing what you have done with the press of a button and, once again, you know the person will be able to see the funny side when all is said and done.

 

I totally agree with you, Silvador! Favorite prank I've seen: someone filled this guys house, from top to bottom, on every possible space, with levers. It looked absolutely hilarious! Pranks don't do any real harm to what the player has done, they are just silly and ridiculous. And you maybe have to spend a few minutes, or several, undoing them and that's all. Pranks are best done on friends because you now they will laugh and won't hold it against you

 

pranks are funny, malicious destruction is not. In Terraria I spent a good amount of time wiring all the lights and doors in my friends base on timers so with everything was flashing and opening/closing. It was pretty funny. We also used to try and be sneaky with flooding each others rooms with water or lava, again nothing completely irreversible.

First time I hoped online in starbound this kid was running around throwing bombs everywhere in a base some kids had just built. that is NOT funny.

 

One of the most difficult things to understand is that humor does not translate, and is completely subjective. What is funny to someone (throwing bombs) is griefing to someone else (the builder). Some jokes (bad/offensive language) are bad or offensive to others.

I think the most objective definition could be that pranking does not require significant time/effort to clean up afterwards, whereas griefing has long-lasting effects. Also, pranks are usually done with the other person in mind, because you know they will react to it. Lots of griefing is just pushing common buttons and applying that to everyone around you.

 

Agreed. It's hard to stop griefers because oftentimes Griefers don't actually believe they're doing anything wrong. In their mind, they just blew up a huge hole in your house, but it's just a hole, right? It's not a huge pain in the ass to fix, is it? They excuse their behavior as you being a builder, and thus not qualified to gripe when you can simply rebuild your shit. They're completely thrown for a loop when you throw a fit about it. "Well, GEEZ! SORRY MOOOM", is what they think.

What they fail to understand is that when people build something, they often DON'T want to have to build it AGAIN.

When was the last time you put hard work into a project and then said "You know what? I'd be completely alright with it if this whole thing just went to shit and I had to do it all over again."?

... never? Of course not.

 

Most actual griefers don't have the emotional/mental maturity to think about what other people think. They lack empathy, because they only focus on themselves and their thoughts and desires. If you actually think "what would the builder think?" you probably aren't a griefer. Or you're a sociopath.

 

I think of pranking as wrapping someones car in plastic wrap. And griefing as keying the side of said car.
TPing someones house vs egging it which could permanently discolor the siding.