Title: A Community Of Honor And Mercy.
By: 4HM | AUS
Date: 2005.04.16
Possibly the most frequently asked question on 4HM servers and forums is "why can't we swear?" The simple answer to this is that swearing is disrespectful to others, not only because it can be derisive, but also because many people, especially the parents of our younger players, find profanity offensive. We ban swearing - not necessarily because we think it is wrong or evil and not necessarily because we are trying to impose a moral code on our players - because our community is built on the foundation of honor and mercy. This can be seen not only in the "no swearing" rule but also in every rule we enforce. So, why is this foundation of honor and mercy so important to the 4HM clan? It's all a matter of perspective, really. Games, Counter-Strike included, are all about competition: pitting people against people. They are rule-bound exercises that allow people to come together and use various skills in an attempt to achieve a goal. This sort of thing can be very enjoyable. Unfortunately, for most people, all of the enjoyment in a game is wrapped up in the notion of winning and losing, i.e. winning makes the game fun and losing takes the fun out of the game. Most people are seeking glory and esteem through playing a game skillfully. The end result of this approach to games, though, is anything but fun. Take a look at most public Counter-Strike servers, for instance. The game is filled with exclamations of "newbie," "idiot," "unfair." Most people emerge from the game feeling hurt, angered and frustrated. Most people actually hate their opponents. At 4HM, we find this sort of atmosphere futile and meaningless. Most of our clan members have jobs or schoolwork, families and a full-time life to attend to. We simply don't have the time or the energy to try to use gaming to prove something about ourselves. What a community of honor and mercy provides us is much more valuable than glory and esteem: it provides us with a place that we can go to relax and enjoy some free time with friends. Think about the difference here at 4HM. In what other communities do you regularly hear players, defeated by their opponents, offering congratulations and support to the person who just beat them? Where else have you seen the least skillful player offered as much respect and friendship as the most skillful one? These are the values of our community, and these are the values that we, as 4HM admins, will guard so jealously. What is a community of honor and mercy? Honor, at its roots, really boils down to simply the golden rule: "treat other people the way that you would like to be treated." This means thinking about the desires of the people around you more and thinking about your own desires less. It means being considerate and kind. It means holding to a higher standard. It means good sportsmanship. An honorable person plays the game for what it is and does not waste time complaining about imbalances or disappointments. An honorable person tries to keep the game fair and even instead of building their own image and statistics at the expense of other players. An honorable person upholds the rules. Mercy, at its roots, is all about saving people from the bad things that they may well deserve. Mercy goes hand-in-hand with honor and takes the concept of respect and good sportsmanship to a whole different level. A merciful person does not gloat about victories or lord success over others. A merciful person is quick to kindness and slow to anger. A merciful person sets aside retribution in favor of community and respect. You see, in a community of honor and mercy, people can come together, be friends, have fun and walk away feeling relaxed and satisfied with their experience. It's all about being respectful, friendly and courteous over and above all of the bad things that might happen while playing a competetive game in a public community. < back