Comments on: I am NOT a slacker!

By: Merkat

Merkat — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:53:33 +0000

I foist off gear to guildies when it’s a bigger upgrade for them. I suppose I’m a slacker! WOO HOO

By: Othiane

Othiane — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:05:12 +0000

Hee hee… Bear Tankiest! Guess I’m not a Goalie… I REALLY want to be the Bear Tankiest.

By: Durathor

Durathor — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:49:37 +0000

Maybe he should have used the term ‘satisficer’ rather than slacker. That applies for someone who is happy once they have an item that is good enough, rather than someone he needs to maximise (max-min?) to get the absolute best

By: Awlbiste

Awlbiste — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:37:07 +0000

I would say I’m some of both. I like the fun of gearing up, within the content that I’m able to do, and try to figure out and achieve the best gear I can get within the content I am doing. Like right now I just returned to the game a bit ago and hit 80 yesterday. I’ve already got some good crafted epics and am looking at how I can be the best I’m able within the guidelines of crafted gear, boe things (within my price range) and 80 5 mans/heroics. It’s fun so long as I don’t feel like I’m overtaxing myself.

By: guin

guin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:29:57 +0000

From the point of view of another Canadian, we definitely do not have the cultural baggage associated with the word slacker. In my mind, it’s synomynous to satisficing. As in, making sure goals are met, but just barely meeting the requirements. With that cultural understanding, his use of the word slacker matches exactly his intent.

By: bigbearbutt

bigbearbutt — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:41:34 +0000

Well, I did say they were labels.

Labels when actually USED are for people too lazy to think for themselves and learn about the people you meet one on one. Hardhat, anti-authoritarians, computer geeks, jocks, liberals, conservatives… labels are for lazy people that want to have some predetermined way to think of you… without thought.

Sorry, I made the mistake of assuming that everyone was with me on what a label is, and that we were just looking at how these two descriptions of behavior can encourage us to look at how we enjoy our game a bit differently from what we’ve usually seen.

Everyone certainly does not fit into either one or the other of these two categories.

By: plainsrunner

plainsrunner — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:01:49 +0000

I definitely agree that you cannot label it in just two categories

I, personally, would love to be in a slightly more hardcore guild than what I have been set to in all my time on WoW. However, I work night shifts which generally leaves me raiding odd times and in place with a more “casual” guild and by casual, I really mean casual. As in havent even cleared naxx casual. Because of it, you end up defining yourself in different ways…I am the part perfectionist guy because there has to be a level of “structure” placed on the raiders or else there will be no progression, but at the same time have to be understanding enough to back off and be an goal oriented and happy area because, well you are not going to grab that next piece quickly and you have to understand the reasons behind it. You still need to progress and thus the goal oriented side, but if you stay at a perfectionist mind frame….well you will burn out in that environment too quickly.

But what about the alt perfectionist…the person who sees a certain point in gear who says that a solid level and is happy with it but continues to hone the craft that is his class….not a slacker by any means…this is where casual raiders have to find their happy medium, I think.

By: Pix

Pix — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:57:05 +0000

I too am a Goalie. I relate to this statement so well that I had to quote it: “What I worry about is being capable of doing my part in a run well enough while playing with friends that I don’t let anyone down. And if I’m well enough geared to help support a healer or DPS through difficult content who isn’t yet near their own gear goals… BONUS!” I want to be good at my job. I want to be efficient, effective, and I want to be a beneficial part of a team. I don’t care if the neck that just dropped has 6 more spirit than my current one… I’ll be just fine without it and I’d rather see it go to someone who can make better use of it. Upgrades are always nice, but it’s nice to progress as a group, not just an individual. =)

By: Soldieroffortune

Soldieroffortune — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:07:13 +0000

Interestingly enough, I have become more gear dependant as I’ve become more goal oriented. I have an 80 bear tank, 80 rogue, and an 80 holy paladin. All are geared well enough to take on any encounter in the game (though I may need some work on one or two before taking on Uldar). I leveled and geared one of each because I want to be able to fill whatever role is needed and to lend a hand where I can. Similar to BBB, I like the social aspect of the game, so I’ve leveled and geared myself to focus on being able to put myself in situations where I can play socially (not sit around Dal all day trying to find that group that still needs an “X”). But the thing is, getting the most out of each of these characters takes SKILL. As focus on my healer, I play my rogue less, I focus on different parts of my UI, I rely on different skills, and, what do you know? I hop back on my rogue, and my dps has dropped by a couple hundred. Not a big deal, I still put out enough to get us through the enounter, my “share” and a bit more, but I don’t have the same cutting edge ability as I used to. Same with the tank. Yeah, a lot of WOLK is easy, but some of the encounters are just plain HARD on a tank. they take skill and practice with your cooldowns, etc. As I play dps and healer, some of my tanking edge is lost. Back to my point starting this, though, with better gear, I can get away with being a little bit sloppy. So, yeah, I’m goal oriented, but in order to meet my goals of being all things to all people, as the situation demands, I do still want that next piece of gear.
Hope you are better at balancing the demands of “alt-itis” than I am John. Semper fi (I’m old-school Army, but I helped drag a bunch of Marines through Airborne school back in the day, and they made me an honorary enough Jar-head that they granted me the privilege of being faithful and making that aaaoooraaah noise that passes for a whooa! amonst the lesser beings, lol)

By: bigbearbutt

bigbearbutt — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:21:32 +0000

And now Leah and Echo lead us to the path of asking ourselves… who is the motivation for the goals we set?

Are you setting your own goals… or are you looking at what your friends want to do, and setting your own goals to match theirs?

What if someone IS setting their goals to try and make their friends in the guild happy and help get them to that content… but they really don’t like feeling that they HAVE to keep grinding for Emblems or Rep or Heroic drops? Does that person start resenting the game because it feels like a job?

Goals are great… as long as they are self imposed. Work ain’t work if you’d gladly do it for free. :)

Ah, I love having something to mull over, I’m just merrily buzzing away.