Oh, come on. Fuck the “more robust mathematical models”.

That idea on Gamasutra is one of the most stupid I ever read. It hits my nerves when I see so many others discussing it and giving it legitimacy.

Now I only wait a mmorpg to implement it so I can point my finger and having a good laugh.

This is the perfect example of control that YOU DO NOT WANT to give to the players. It will jump in the first position as a source of finest-quality DRAMA.

I think that these games have already enough problems with this type of harassment that often can trespass the limit of “a few” players. Give the players more of this power and you are just begging to turn a community into the biggest clusterfuck ever.

With the addition that people play these games to have fun. To pass a good time. Noone would like to feel under constant examination (of fourteen years old) or have other people rating them.

You know what? The exact opposite of the intended purposes will happen.

The players will start to group less and less with players they do not know. They’ll play alone as much as they can in order to avoid that public, now legitimate, form of harassment.

The rate system will slowly have a recursive outcome where more and more players that were branded as “bad” (or “less good”, where’s the difference?) start to consequently drag everyone they can in the same status, or worst.

So really, where is the use? It’s a public guillotine. It’s a tool to create exponential amounts of drama and make even the most solid community blow up. It’s a way to put another barrier between the players so that they have now legitimate tools to harass each other. Even in larger organizations, now.

If I play a game it’s also because I want to experiment with it. I don’t think it adds to the fun if I’m being punished now even by a rating system that allows every jerk to judge what I do. Or the fact that I didn’t read a spoiler site or min/maxed my equipment enough before entering a dungeon.

Really. Fastest way to blow up an entire community. I don’t think that there will be many players that would tolerate such a thing. It’s already hard as it is right now. A system like that would definitely complete the transition: “Fuck the other players. I value my time more than this shit.”

NEVER, ever give the players more reasons to divide themselves. To create differences. To create reasons of hate, misjudgment and prejudice. These things already happen without giving them even more “aid”. The “communal” form of government can only happen under one, fundamental condition: everyone must be equal. This is why it’s an utopia. Because people create divisions and divisions create hate.

Fuck the rating systems. Under every form. The guilds already fuck these communities with all sort of inventions, like ranks, DKPs, 3rd party programs and all the other shit and requirements they impose. We should remove the barriers, bring people in, NOT OUT. Remove those lines and boundaries of legitimacy, pretence and control over each other. Not add more of them.

Not turn every player into a totally arbitrary number. Not remove even that little bit of personal interaction that we have left.

We must free ourselves of this shit. Not sink even more into it.

The conclusion? A system like the one proposed would encourage exactly what it tried to remove: Dishonesty. Theft. Malice. Petty disregard.

This is the most retareded idea I’ve heard in a long while. I hope it wins a prize.