Comments on: The dangers of perception http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/ MMO design and industry commentary with a high end twist. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:36:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: BloggersBase Gaming http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/comment-page-1/#comment-1478 BloggersBase Gaming Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:53:40 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=1249#comment-1478 <strong>The dangers of perception...</strong> One of the most interesting things that I’ve found I can do as a guild leader is go back and read my own guild science posts and forum threads. Nothing else quite brings my focus back to what I...... The dangers of perception…

One of the most interesting things that I’ve found I can do as a guild leader is go back and read my own guild science posts and forum threads. Nothing else quite brings my focus back to what I……

]]> By: Ferrel http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/comment-page-1/#comment-1380 Ferrel Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:37:40 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=1249#comment-1380 That is a really interesting point to make Tesh. As always you're the exception to the rule here! Your perception on an over active guild leader intrigues me. One of the reasons I am not on as much as I used to be is because I have balanced my <strong>MMO</strong> life with my real life. I also enjoy having a main game and casual game. When I was overly active (60+ hours a week) my life was horribly unbalanced. The guild came before everything. I'm just not willing to do that anymore. Great insight! That is a really interesting point to make Tesh. As always you’re the exception to the rule here! Your perception on an over active guild leader intrigues me. One of the reasons I am not on as much as I used to be is because I have balanced my MMO life with my real life. I also enjoy having a main game and casual game.

When I was overly active (60+ hours a week) my life was horribly unbalanced. The guild came before everything. I’m just not willing to do that anymore. Great insight!

]]> By: Tesh http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/comment-page-1/#comment-1378 Tesh Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:23:23 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=1249#comment-1378 It's unfortunate that there is a perception that a guild leader needs to be on often. I'd much prefer a guild leader who is competent and helpful, which doesn't necessarily track with time online. If anything, I respect a GL who has enough life experience and real people skills to handle leadership, and more often than not, that tracks better with those who *have* a real life and to whom the game isn't a priority. ...which suggests something to me. If I see a guild leader who *is* online a lot, I will probably assume that their life is imbalanced such that they either are unhealthily obsessed with the game, or are a youngster with too much free time (or both). That's not really who I want leading me. It’s unfortunate that there is a perception that a guild leader needs to be on often. I’d much prefer a guild leader who is competent and helpful, which doesn’t necessarily track with time online. If anything, I respect a GL who has enough life experience and real people skills to handle leadership, and more often than not, that tracks better with those who *have* a real life and to whom the game isn’t a priority.

…which suggests something to me. If I see a guild leader who *is* online a lot, I will probably assume that their life is imbalanced such that they either are unhealthily obsessed with the game, or are a youngster with too much free time (or both). That’s not really who I want leading me.

]]> By: Ferrel http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/comment-page-1/#comment-1376 Ferrel Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:09:38 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=1249#comment-1376 Awesome point and example here! This is the other side of perception that I didn't touch on. Individuals who know how to manipulate how others perceive them can really achieve a lot even if there is nothing real behind it. Awesome point and example here! This is the other side of perception that I didn’t touch on. Individuals who know how to manipulate how others perceive them can really achieve a lot even if there is nothing real behind it.

]]> By: evizaer http://www.epicslant.com/2009/09/the-dangers-of-perception/comment-page-1/#comment-1375 evizaer Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:40:59 +0000 http://www.epicslant.com/?p=1249#comment-1375 There's a gap between managing others' perception of you and what you actually think or believe. You don't have to actually do what others perceive you as doing. You can give people signals that you are doing things in a mutually beneficial way, even if you really have no intention of doing so. People will believe that you like them and they'll want to develop a relationship with you. A quick example of the perception-reality gap: It's much easier to seem like you are knowledgeable and smart if you only speak when you know what you're talking about. Even if you don't know much or aren't particularly smart, if you limit your communications to topics where you have the upper-hand, people have no choice but to perceive you as a smart and knowledgeable person. As soon as you start talking about what you don't know about, you'll make a fool of yourself and ruin that perception. People are constantly signaling to one another through their actions to reinforce their social status--and most people are completely unaware of this! Even if you don't intellectually believe in certain social norms, you signal that you do because it allows you to participate in society and reap the rewards. Life is an intricate game of signaling status to get people to do what you want. This is managing perception. It may be entirely independent of what you are thinking you're doing, but the people who are good at this game have a degree of conscious control over their abilities. There’s a gap between managing others’ perception of you and what you actually think or believe. You don’t have to actually do what others perceive you as doing. You can give people signals that you are doing things in a mutually beneficial way, even if you really have no intention of doing so. People will believe that you like them and they’ll want to develop a relationship with you.

A quick example of the perception-reality gap: It’s much easier to seem like you are knowledgeable and smart if you only speak when you know what you’re talking about. Even if you don’t know much or aren’t particularly smart, if you limit your communications to topics where you have the upper-hand, people have no choice but to perceive you as a smart and knowledgeable person. As soon as you start talking about what you don’t know about, you’ll make a fool of yourself and ruin that perception.

People are constantly signaling to one another through their actions to reinforce their social status–and most people are completely unaware of this! Even if you don’t intellectually believe in certain social norms, you signal that you do because it allows you to participate in society and reap the rewards. Life is an intricate game of signaling status to get people to do what you want. This is managing perception. It may be entirely independent of what you are thinking you’re doing, but the people who are good at this game have a degree of conscious control over their abilities.

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