I began playing BGs at lvl29 the other day. Did not know what “Honor farming” was. Nor “twinks”. Nor “premades”. Thought the game was the game. The battle on the screen. Now I know better. I came to forums thinking, well, if that’s how you play to win, then I guess I’ll try and find a team. Definitely not opposed to teamwork, grinding and working to be good at something. Importantly, though, fairness is a no brainer…Fairness. Is. A. No. Brainer. So, it an unpleasant surprise reading forums, to see the vehemence that many defend the transparent unfairness of premade pug stomps with. Some folks call for separate pug queues and then a swamp of trolls rage on them. This little essay is ONLY directed at those who vehemently insist that we never separate premade and pug queues. I’m fully aware that there are many premade players who are normal, well adjusted adults(and kids) that would have no problem with separating playing style categories in the interest of fairness to pug players. I’m even looking to find a team of such people, so long as they aren’t the type of people I’m speaking to below.
However, if you get triggered by the suggestion that there be dedicated, separate pug queues in BGs so that casual players can enjoy the game, too, that tells us something about you. Because, we are not suggesting that you not have your premades. We are not suggesting that you not have your social experiences and planning and what-not. We are not asking you to disband your discord groups, or in any way stop playing as teams. We are not asking you to stop coordinating and/or pursuing excellence here, if that makes you happy. We are simply suggesting that casual, pug players also have a way to enjoy the game on their terms. And?.. that is simply intolerable to you. It takes away your toys. Your toys are the facts that on the vast majority of BG instances, there will actually be no possibility that you could lose. But even more important to you, played out here on the grander scheme, is that you force casual players to adhere to the condition that you can’t lose. Period. That’s some messed up stuff, right there. What is important to you ultimately is not the comradery. It’s not the virtue of merit. It’s not the satisfaction of excellent individual and team play. (Those things are fun for sure, you could transparently still have all of that if the game had separate pug queues. And there’s just no denying that.) The fact is that most of you have a particular, two-fold personality trait. The first part is that, while you simply want to dominate people on every single BG, adults understand that that isn’t how games work. The point at which you create a condition where there is no chance for your side to lose, then THAT ISN’T A GAME anymore. You…cannot grasp that. Which leads into the second part . The reason you cannot grasp that is because you enjoy forcing players to conform to your idea of what the meta-game should be because you understand that it is distressing to them. It allows you a chance to inflict, rather than play. In healthy, moral hearts and minds, that isn’t needed. That is malice. And you enjoy it. A lot. If you didn’t, then the suggestion of separate queues(which is just “Different strokes for different folks”) wouldn’t upset you at all because it wouldn’t be costing you anything. In fact, the opportunity to inflict any type of dismay on others is vitally important to you.
So, moral people immediately understand all of this, even if they wouldn’t put it into words. And by extension we understand how separate pug queues would allow for (more)fair game play for more people. For you, however, forcing skilled premades to only battle other skilled premades would lose you the thing that you can’t admit you want. Which is to actually eliminate the fun of a game for people who see the world differently/play casually.
I won’t be showing up to see your responses. In return for your malice in the game, I control that whatever you try to say to me, you will remain completely unheard by me, at least. Enjoy that. You’ve earned it. I would also encourage people who agree with me to not feed the trolls. They really do get to have their control in the “meta” realm. Don’t give them the satisfaction of gaslighting you through another “conversation” here.