Hey folks, Happy Friday and/or weekend!
Last week I shared some thoughts around how we can all create a more welcoming community, especially given that we're still looking forward to an influx of new players on December 2nd, but that was just a comment in a thread, in response to a one-off. It was also very much a "JMod weighs in" moment, whereas the beauty of community is that we all have a voice that should be able to be heard.
Today, I want us all to take the next step towards a kinder and better community. And I need your help.
We can all hope for something better, but the ability to make a positive change is truthfully within each and every one of us. All of us have agency. We can make choices and choose our reactions to circumstances. We can choose our words and our engagement carefully, even when difficult emotions arise. That's what I want everyone to focus on today.
It's fair to say that this community has undergone a series of collective hurts. Not just from Reignited, but from a number of instances over the years. We can ignore that hurt and continue as we have so far, or we can start to openly and properly talk about it.
We can speak to why we feel the way we do, and what others can do to help move us towards a kinder space.
Some of that may be things that we as JMods can do better. Some of it may be how members of the community interact with and treat each other. Since joining Jagex last December, I too have had many thoughts about things across the board, but today I don't want to make big statements. Today I want to just listen and chat with you. While I won't have answers to every topic, I may be able to provide some helpful context somewhere - and I will still be reading everything that flows through here.
It all needs to start with a conversation. With all of us listening and being curious.
With that said, I would like to open it up to each and every one of you (and yes, I mean you lurkers as well - if ever there was a time to get involved even nominally, this is it).
TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
A few basic terms of engagement before we get started with contributing:
- Everyone comes in and leaves here with their dignity intact.
- Respect is the highest virtue here. No one should be made to feel lesser just for having a diverging opinion.
- We have time.
- You do not need to rush out an answer, there is no urgency. I'm not rushing off and will continue to monitor this thread over time. Take your time, compile your thoughts and we'd love to read them. Firing a hot take from the hip probably won't convey the nuance we're looking for today.
- We're not here to win arguments or convince other people to share our opinion.
- The point of today is to create a shared understanding, not to champion a cause. Realistically, none of us are going to have our feelings swayed by someone else's opinion on the internet, especially taking confirmation bias into account.
- Stay Curious
- If someone says something that you don't understand or agree with, try to dig deeper into understanding it, rather than rebutting it.
- Private and Throwaway accounts are fine.
- Some folks will not be comfortable sharing their opinions publicly on their main handle, just as many people in real life are not comfortable to openly acknowledge their politics.
- An individual's play- or comment history should not disqualify them from sharing their opinion, so long as it is well made, thoughtful and adheres to the ground-rules above.
The above notes are for this discussion today, the usual subreddit rules still apply as moderated by the volunteer team.
PROMPTS TO CONSIDER
- What Perceptions do you have about RuneScape, its (in-game and social media) Community, Reignited, The Treasure Hunter MTX era, its sister and sub-communities or its very identity in gaming?
- What Stigma do you feel you face from other individuals? How does it make you feel and do those feelings influence how you in turn engage back into this or other communities?
If you're feeling up for bonus prompts:
- How do the above perceptions or stigmas influence the worries you may have? What are you concerned about that the perceptions/stigmas may mean or insinuate about yourself as a player, the community or the game?
- What are you most hopeful about if we could address the above perceptions and stigmas?
Everyone is welcome to weigh in.
No matter whether you've been with us for 20 years, have just started new this week or have never played but are thinking about joining us in the months ahead, I'd love to hear from you.
Equally, I would also love to hear from you if you tend to spend a lot of time observing this community but are not actively playing RuneScape (perhaps you play another Jagex game or MMO). Or maybe you've wanted to join but have never felt entirely welcome? Please speak up today.
Please use Your Reddit Votes for Clarity, not for Point-Scoring
- Please upvote posts that progress the discussion, even if you may have a differing opinion.
- Please avoid downvoting posts just on the basis that you disagree with the points that the author raises, especially when it is a well-thought through post. If possible, consider avoiding downvoting altogether within this thread.
- Give kindness and respect your upvotes and support - We don't need much more than that to start making a difference in each others lives.
The point of today is that we will all encounter opinions that we do not agree with. The aim is that we understand and respectfully engage with these opinions out of curiosity, not that we attempt to stamp them out.
A couple extra requests to help make your contributions more helpful:
- Try to avoid generalizations.
- Rather than saying "The X Community is Y", go for something along the lines of "when individuals in X Community Say Y, It makes me feel Z".
- Be Kind
- There are many ways of expressing an opinion - try to default to kindness rather than coldness.
What will any of this achieve?
Some of you may be wondering - what's the point?
Fundamental to moving forward in any direction in life is the ability to understand.
Firstly, understanding that others may not share the same opinion as yourself even if you share the same echo chamber.
Secondly, understanding why others feel the way they do.
Very often, our opinions of situations or people are coloured by our perception of them, and perceptions can be quite misleading. Learning more about the "why" can help us understand and speak to the real underlying cause, rather than the top-level response.
Sorry for the wall of text above, but this might be one of the most important discussions we have as a community, and I want to make sure we get it right.
With that said, thank you so much for reading this far - let's talk!
