- MsCadetUNIVERSE
- |
- Noble Member
While I find it likely that any such reward system would (at least to a certain extent) decrease any sense of unity among the community members, I will agree with this idea on an experimental basis if current titles and site history are disregarded. If they want to start a new system, everyone should start on the same level.
Because it's absolutely pointless to implement a system of rewards intended to encourage consistent, long-term good behavior if people already know they are going to be rewarded as soon as the system is in place for their behavior before its conception. Defeats the purpose if you don't have to work for it, which may lead to some people feeling like it was partly an excuse to give perks to the members with higher titles.
And while some of this does sound good in concept, what is there really that's going to influence a user to maintain good standing on one account? Some people make poor decisions and care enough to learn from them so they don't find themselves disadvantaged later on. But a lot of people just want to come here to have discussions and not worry about things like titles or rewards. These people, regardless of their behavior, may feel discouraged from participating on the site because they don't take it as seriously or aren't as privileged as others. Like PE in high school- some people just show up to participate and have a little fun, while others seem to think it'll be the end of the world if they lose the game. And it's difficult to have fun when others are being too competitive and taking things too seriously.
Another flaw inherent in this idea and the current system- the apparent mindset that new members (or currently lower titled members) are going to be young. A lot of you talk about it like how "adults" talk about middle school students. "We should offer this much incentive to get them to behave this way." Yes, I realize that in a lot of cases, this is true now true and going to remain that way to a certain extent. But with a new IP coming out (probably to multiple consoles), I would imagine that the pool of potential new members is going to be very diverse. Playstation owners, people who like the RPG genre if that's what Destiny turns out to be, etc. It's not going to be like Halo where the people who were 5 years old when Combat Evolved came out are now 15 year olds who jumped on with Halo 3 or Reach. I'm not trying to be harsh or offensive here. It's just something I noticed that I think should be considered. I know I find it annoying when people call me "kid" or talk down to me because they see my title and assume I'm a 14 year old guy.
I don't want people to feel like they don't belong here. Or that they're less important than others in the community (except the Ninjas or staff). I'm going to use the high school analogy again (sorry) because that's what the community often reminds me of. It sucks enough being the freshman or the new guy. To be constantly reminded of that just makes you feel more out of place and discourages you from trying to get more involved.
While I think it's a good idea in theory, I just see it being more trouble than it's worth and causing more disagreement and dissension among the community. I don't see any reason to add to the current system, especially when (in my opinion) it already has its flaws and causes a fair share of arguments. Call me a pessimist, but I think it's wiser to plan for the potential negative consequences rather than be blinded by the potential gains.