How to be a Good Citizen of Isya

Yeah, maybe this is a bit of a funny topic as many of you kinda find this to be common sense, but to some, it really isn't.  Maybe it's cultural, maybe it has to do with age, upbringing, state of mind, or even just attitude, but there's a lot of just plain ol' rudeness going on don't you think?

I've always been known as someone who is level headed, respectful, helpful, and humble, and believe me, it's not easy sometimes, but I've been keeping it up for over 3 years now and I don't really see a situation where I would change.


So what does it mean to be a "Good Citizen"?  Simple.  Respect.

Everyone's heard the saying, "He has to earn my respect."  That's complete BS.  Who are you to think that someone is below your station that he has to earn anything from you?  It has always been my belief growing up that respect is always given first.  It is then up to both parties to keep and nurture that respect with each other.  If that respect is violated or tarnished in some fashion, it can become incredibly difficult for some people to work through.  That brings me to my next point, Benefit of the Doubt.

Inadvertent KS'ing can occur when multiple parties are in the same area.

 You can really save yourself a lot of stress in game if you simply gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.  Think of how many times you, or maybe someone you know or a situation you witnessed, completely blew up at someone for a simple mistake?  Kill stealing is a prime example of this.  Oftentimes there are situations where two players arrive to a mob at nearly the same time but there is dispute over who controlled the mob, and just as often, an argument ensues.  Why?  Sometimes pride gets in the way, sometimes even just knowing you were in the right and being crass about it lights fire to the situation.  But really, just step back and let it go.  It was probably coincidental anyway.  Blowing up at the person only ramps up the aggression on both of your parts.  If he unintentionally KSed you and you nerd raged on him, then chances are pretty good that he's gonna say, "You know what, screw it, he thinks I KSed him?  Now I'll really show him how it's done!"  And then things escalate from there, friends get called, guilds get involved, all for nothing.

People also say things without thinking of the repercussions as well, it's as much a fact of real life as it is in Isya.  They spread rumors, insult (even jokingly), or even just make up stories about people to possibly cast themselves in a better light to whoever they may be telling.  Even here, I would suggest giving your fellow player the benefit of the doubt.  Talk it through with them, maybe they misunderstood a situation, maybe they were given bad or false information, or maybe they're just having a bad day and lashing out.  But really, take 5-10mins to get to the root of the problem and work it out.  It's much easier to spend 10 minutes solving the problem then spending a lifetime trying to avoid this person or having the situation escalate further.

Another way to respect your fellow Isyans is to be respectful of their time.  Whether that is real-life time that they spend away from the game with family, earning an income, going to school, etc, or their time in-game.  Time truly is precious and nobody likes to be kept waiting.  Try as best you can to be punctual and this will go along way.  Being respectful of people's time also means being cognizant of how long it takes to accomplish things in this game.  Whether that might be spending weeks farming dungeons, months doing raids, or even minutes and hours doing productions, be mindful of it.

Being respectful also means doing the little things like saying "please" and "thank you".  While it's all fine and good if you're around friends to use shortcuts or even jokingly demand things, but when you're out and about, just take the extra half second to type out (or in some cases USE) words that are polite.  People do notice and people do remember.

Be self-reliant.  Another way to show respect for your fellow citizens it to be able to do things yourself if need be.  Learn the game, learn how to make money, try not to take shortcuts.  Are those poor souls you see begging for silver and power levels in Elderine at all respected?  Probably not right?  Don't be one of em.


Now I'm not saying that following the above is a catchall for every situation you will encounter, because face it, there are people out there that really do just want to aggravate you, but chances are if you follow the above, you'll spend much more time enjoying Isya stress-free.  And if you do run into those types that are trying to ruffle your feathers, just shake em off.  Ignore them, go do something else, or just step away for a minute and go get yourself a drink.  Getting zero reaction out of you is no fun for them and more than likely, they'll leave you alone.

So please, go out there, be respectful of each other and mindful of each other's feelings.