Okay, gamer rant time. There’s this thing that I’ve complained about before that is still happening and still pisses me off to absolutely no end. Apparently me ranting about it once three years ago did not make it go away so I’ll do it again. It’s the Ellipsis of Fuck You.
Scene: Kat, Ian and I are playing L4D2. It’s our first time through Dark Carnival, and even though the game is set to Friends Only, someone shows up that we do not know. That’s fine, we can use the help, we’re newbies. Section 4, right before we get to the gates of the venue, we all go down. We simply got overwhelmed, because, hey, it’s L4D2. That’s what it is designed to do.
So we all die. Our mystery teammate types “…” and nothing else.
Now, if you’re going to stop and say something, SAY something. Type actual words. But three dots — the Ellipsis of Fuck You — means exactly that. “You are such a bad player that I am speechless. I want to say that you suck beyond words, so I will not use any words. You are a poor player and you are lucky I am even in your presence. Know that you have garnered my displeasure…in silence.”
I typed back “There sure were a lot of them.” He says “horrid place to stop.” I replied “Wasn’t exactly a choice.”
Now, “horrid place to stop” is at least constructive criticism — that’s something I can learn from and use next time through. I don’t know the choke points yet; I told him it was our first time on the map. Also, it’s two days after Christmas; it’s reasonable that we might be newbies who just got the game (and Ian was; Kat and I simply haven’t had time to dig into it until now).
But “…”? No, fuck you BACK, dude. It’s a bullshit elitist gamer thing to do, and you might as well have the stones to say “boy, you sure do suck.” Get on the microphone and sigh deeply at me. Or better still, fire up your video camera and give me The Look That Goes With The Ellipsis:
At least that would be actual interaction. But enough of this “I judge you from a lofty position of greater experience” bullshit. Either insult me or give me some advice. I don’t need to see that your e-penis is three dots long.