User blog:Angrykitty/ROFL

Background
Elitist (N.) - a vulgar term referring to players that excessively exhibit attributes or weapons considered by the majority of a player base to be extremely difficult to obtain without substantial resources in order to do so.

Example - That elitist jerk wouldn't know the first thing about how to change a tire on a Ford Bronco because he spends ninety-nine percent of his conscious adult life playing World of Warcraft.

Synonyms - Leetist, l33t4rd, 1337ist, H4xh0m0, Gilbuyer, RMTitist, monopolizer, socially handicapped player, socially crippled player, no-lifer, Red Bull's number one client, day-walker

UPDATE - A recent study conducted by an independent researcher suggests that nearly 60 percent of MMORPG players fit into some category of elitism while only 1 out of 20 players openly admit to being an elitist.

Elitists have almost become a regular movement since the advent of massive multiplayer games that involve both PVP (Player vs. Player) and COOP (Cooperative) environments. Some players may even go as far to use the definition of elitist endearingly, however the far majority of MMO fan-bases often regard being elitist as a negative phenomenon.

''

Common Types of Elitism
''
 * The Technical ElitistSuper-computer-nerd.jpg

Technical elitists are often considered to be the most negative because of their views toward other players who cannot comprehend the technical processes or mathematics of MMORPG gaming engines. While other players may regard the technical elitist's abilities to crunch numbers and reference game mechanics, many players find the technical elitist awkward and domineering during in-game discussions because they often lack certain social skills.


 * Social MMORPG Elitist

The social elitists are probably the most common type of elitists in MMORPG games. Many players often revere social MMORPG elitists as corrupt with power and control in the social factors of recreational gaming. Social elitists, unlike technical elitists, enjoy sharing spoils with other players as long as they are in full control of the decision making processes of the organization. Many social elitists that are not in control often seek to attain leadership status within a group for one of two agendas: Social elitists in MMORPG games often reference their established policies and views to be anti-drama for casual players, while the opposite is usually true. One technique heavily relied on by social elitists is an unbalanced or unfair social structure where players exhibiting elitist qualities have a favored status over others. Most elitists favor this approach to keep their enemies happy, and their threats at bay. Similar behavior can be readily observed from domesticated pack animals (ie. dogs, primates) which use this type of social hierarchy where several dominant males exist in the same social structure to subordinate others.
 * To usurp existing leadership and take control of the existing organizational structure.
 * To disband the existing organizational structure and take control of the remaining players and/or resources.


 * Exploitive Elitist

Commonly referred to as several other less practical names, I chose exploitive elitist to better describe the type of elitist that uses exploits to climb the social ladder and gain recognition. Players collectively refer to them as botters or cheaters primarily because of their playing style. It's possible for a technical elitist to be an exploitive elitist because its possible for the two types to become intertwined. The only difference between the two elitist types is that exploitive elitists use programs and scripts to gain the recognition of others with their uncanny playing style while technical elitists alone refrain from playing styles that are considered cheating.


 * Shock Elitist

Very few elitists fall into this category. Shock elitists often use profanity and racism, along with styles of communication that are often in violation of any user agreement. This type of elitist will often push the boundaries with other players to gain a certain fan base while casting/barring others out of their social circle. The play style from shock elitists often garners some type of loyalty (enough to concern in-game moderators) to become a problem and disrupt any harmony in game-play. Shock elitists often back down and become reserved when confronted by moderators to save face while maintaining their power among the player base which makes them hard to ban from engaging in future misbehavior.

Elitism and Final Fantasy XI
Ever since the debut of Final Fantasy XI in North America, players of final fantasy would be exposed to the social stigma of elitism. The Japanese player-base saw the sudden emergence of elitists when the first band of players began to reach endgame content around early 2003. This created not only a social divide for North American players just starting the game, but a language divide as well. Many players from Japan would often coin the phrase "JP ONLY" in their party searches to demonstrate their superiority and reluctance to party with inferior North American players. The new social atmosphere generated lots of animosity between English and Japanese player-bases and as a result, there was a divide in North American players who were quick to gain levels rapidly through their understanding of Japanese superiority. Many North American players came to a quick realization that the only way beat the onslaught of superiority was to join it. This brought on the creation of the windower program and the use of IME, which allowed North American players to type Japanese characters and symbols, making it easier to blend in with their Japanese cohabitants. However, such technical innovations and cheats did not come without a price. In North America, players were divided by their platforms and technical capabilities which lead to the haves, and the have-nots, in regards to the fundamental limitations of the Playstation 2 computer entertainment system.