I studied this topic briefly in undergrad--your experience is not unique, and you are not alone. You did nothing wrong. There is a high degree of bullying in Planetside 2, as it is one of the largest factors driving away new players. I am sorry you are experiencing this behavior, and it is affecting you. Report toxic players through toxic@planetside2.com First, if you are in crisis, reach out for professional help: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA): 1-800-273-8255 Crisis Text Line (USA): Text 988, or HOME to 741741 Samaritans (UK and Ireland): 116 123 Lifeline (Australia): 13 11 14 Kids Help Phone (Canada): 1-800-668-6868 Now, please, understand: Bullies in video games often arise from a variety of factors, including anonymity, competitive nature, and a lack of consequences. Anonymity can make players feel emboldened to act aggressively without fear of real-world repercussions. The competitive nature of many games can amplify this, with players using bullying as a tactic to intimidate and dominate others. A prominent personality type among elite players who may bully others often includes traits like high competitiveness, ego, and a desire for control. These players may see bullying as a way to assert their superiority and maintain their status within the game. However, not all elite players bully; many use their skills to help and guide newer players, fostering a more positive community. The driving factors behind bullying behavior in virtual environments often stem from real-life influences and personality traits. Here are a few key factors: Lack of Consequences: In real life, actions have immediate consequences, but in virtual environments, the anonymity often reduces accountability. This can encourage people to act out in ways they wouldn’t in face-to-face interactions. (Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 321-326) Stress and Frustration: Real-life stressors such as work, school, or personal relationships can lead to frustration, which some players might take out on others in the game. The virtual world becomes a venting space. (Review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1073-1137) Self-Esteem Issues: Players with low self-esteem may bully others to feel a sense of power and control that they lack in their real lives. It’s a way to boost their self-worth. (Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 255-260) Social Learning: If someone is exposed to bullying in their real life, they might replicate this behavior in virtual environments. It’s a learned behavior from their surroundings. (Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall) Social Hierarchies: Within gaming communities, social hierarchies often emerge. Elite players may use these phrases to establish and reinforce their position at the top of the hierarchy. Bullying newer or less skilled players can be a way to assert dominance and control within the community. Projection of Past Experiences: Many elite players were once beginners themselves and may have faced similar taunts and challenges. Some might feel that enduring such treatment is a rite of passage and project their experiences onto newer players, perpetuating a cycle of hazing. Gatekeeping: Some elite players may feel protective of their community and perceive new or less skilled players as diluting the quality of gameplay. By telling them to "get good," they set a standard they believe must be met to belong. Competitiveness and Ego: Highly competitive individuals may tie their self-worth to their gaming success. Bullying becomes a way to eliminate perceived threats to their status and maintain their ego. New players often face bullying from more experienced players due to a mix of competitiveness, ego, impatience with perceived inexperience, and the desire to maintain social hierarchies within the game. Experienced players may use phrases like "get good" to assert their superiority and project their frustrations. This behavior can stem from their own past experiences and a protective attitude toward their community. Recognizing these dynamics is key to fostering a more supportive and inclusive gaming environment. Reach out to outfit members or seek out mentor platoons for advice and support on best game practices to increase your gaming experience, but if you ever get overwhelmed, just take a break from this game. Please be well.
If you're not harming your faction on purpose, then you're fine. Bullying happens sometimes and it is also normal among people. Just ignore it. Learning to ignore these things is an important life skill for all people. There are a lot of good people in gaming.
because the devs made the environment where if your not an adadad ctrl kill try hard machine your gonna have the most boring/ frustrated and misserable experience. you need to understand, its a sandbox open world shooter game, which mean that nothing matters, no bases color no stories no logic, everyone can go wherever they want and do whatever they want. the moment you leave the spawn room you are a fish in a bowl and there are people who spent their life waiting for people like you, who look at this beautiful world and think to make a change, do beneficial thing or be the hero, and hunt you down because its make them feel good in the weewee. me also lol. that why i dont leave my trusty sundy
It's not a sandbox open world shooter. It's a battlefield simulation. Sandbox is just a lazy excuse I heard some last members of the PS2 dev team sing about. You can call anything a sandbox. Chess based on this lazy logic is also a sandbox game. Planetside 2 was really ahead of its time, and it is a simulation, with a backstory to add in sense or logic into the game like respawn system, fearless behavior in battle, freedom of choice. (Technological breakthrough backstory, Nanites, assembly and disassembly of matter) Nanites - PlanetSide 2 Wiki (planetside-universe.com) Speaking of backstory, many interesting topics. Like NS, appears to be a TR company. And the reason why all factions have NS equipment is because they were part of TR. VS and NC are separatists. So, NS once again is not a faction, it is a company that originated in TR. Nanite Systems - PlanetSide 2 Wiki (planetside-universe.com) Here is an interesting backstory as well of the VS Vanu Sovereignty - PlanetSide 2 Wiki (planetside-universe.com) It's all very interesting, but sadly all neglected by last developers rather placing forward their strange delusions.
Yup it's actually a sad thing, I believe they even hired a famous writer to write the storyline yet nothing really has been done with it. There's a goldmine of lore that would've been enough to make a movie or tv series yet few of the players actually know it exists. I guess you could say they tried a bit with the campaigns, and although I don't fully agree with how it was implemented it was actually a step in the right direction. Even some of the things like salvaging derelict vehicles from other factions was fun and added spice to the game, shame they removed them. Even the new tutorial has a bit more lore to it if I recall correctly. But still it's been massively underutilized, when I think the game could've benefited from it.
There is bullying everywhere. You'd think once you were out of school, people would grow up and it would stop - but it doesn't. I'm going through it at work now. One thing I can tell you - the whole "stand up to bullies and they'll back down or respect you" thing is nonsense. More often than not they'll double down and make it worse, or you'll get singled out as a trouble maker as bullies tend to be clever or subtle in the way they go about it - so you end up just looking like you are whining for no reason. I have stood up to bullies on numerous occasions - and have never once come out on top. The best thing you can do is remove yourself from the situation and move on.
