- gamertag: [none]
- user homepage:
I see a lot of it, but its a bit subtle. If someone posts a thread in the Halo 3 forum, and its old news, they are flamed relentlessly for not being as up to date as some of the other forum goers. Similar things can happen in NM when discussing tactics, and as you know ranks.
Also, take a look at the Maw. I love that forum, and most of the people in it, but you can't deny that it is very elitist. If you don't know what you're talking about, in regards to servers, mods, etc, you will experience some condemnation.
That may not apply to your model as to why some new features might not work, but its a start. It is evidence of elitism. And, if user A feels to superior to user B else because they might not know as much about a game as user A does, it could translate over to forum interaction too. We don't see all the potential elitism in your model, because most everyone on this site is intentionally kept at the same level as everyone else. Because of that, we have not had many tests, with the notable exception of the join dates. And we all know they did in fact inspire elitism.
Separating people's stature from one another can, and sometimes will, cause people to feel superior. Its just human nature. So, if there is a possibility of elitism happening because the implementation of a new feature, its at least worth talking about.