Peeves
And I'm not referring to the poltergeist in the Harry Potter novels here. No, this is a peeve on the order of pets. This pet peeve is when a player leaves a game without telling you they are leaving. The player just stops showing up with no warning or notice. Mind you, this is not directed at anyone in particular, just getting this off my chest as it has been gnawing at me for a couple of months now and this is something that happens all the time. Hell, it's happened since I started running long term LARP's back in the day.
I suppose the reason this bothers me is that it feels selfish on the part of the player. Perhaps I am the one being selfish here, but I don't think so. Why do I think it's selfish? First, there is the personal perspective for me. I put a lot of work into my games and it feels like I have been dismissed or that my work and effort on the game is not valued. Secondly, if there is a problem with the game or their perception of the game and the player just ups and leaves, the player is not imparting their views with the staff and the staff does not have the opportunity to attempt a course correction. For example, a player leaves because she is not having fun then there is a possibility that other players maybe experiencing something similar. During any given game, there are a lot of events, actions, and interactions that it is easy for things to slip by the way side and go unnoticed so almost any feedback we get from players about how a games goes, or isn't going, is always welcomed and almost always helpful in some fashion. It is that keeping of information to oneself about how the player perceives the situation that is what I think is selfish.
People leave games for any number of reasons, all of which, at some level, are valid. Sometimes life simply gets in the way and the time for the game evaporates. I understand that and I may even tease the player about having their priorities out of whack, but the ribbing is meant in jest and a testament to being missed. However, I understand that things change and that you cannot always plan for it. But is it really too much to ask of the player to let the staff know that he or she will not be back? It is rather frustrating to spend time devising and writing content for a player who does not show.
Another wrinkle for is that the person may seem less reliable than before, maybe even flaky, after pulling something like that. Granted, even I have my flaky moments. Goddess knows I try to avoid them and appreciate it when people call me on it, even if I don't seem initially appreciative. Let's be honest, I would hate for someone to compare me to a French pastry.
I suppose the reason this bothers me is that it feels selfish on the part of the player. Perhaps I am the one being selfish here, but I don't think so. Why do I think it's selfish? First, there is the personal perspective for me. I put a lot of work into my games and it feels like I have been dismissed or that my work and effort on the game is not valued. Secondly, if there is a problem with the game or their perception of the game and the player just ups and leaves, the player is not imparting their views with the staff and the staff does not have the opportunity to attempt a course correction. For example, a player leaves because she is not having fun then there is a possibility that other players maybe experiencing something similar. During any given game, there are a lot of events, actions, and interactions that it is easy for things to slip by the way side and go unnoticed so almost any feedback we get from players about how a games goes, or isn't going, is always welcomed and almost always helpful in some fashion. It is that keeping of information to oneself about how the player perceives the situation that is what I think is selfish.
People leave games for any number of reasons, all of which, at some level, are valid. Sometimes life simply gets in the way and the time for the game evaporates. I understand that and I may even tease the player about having their priorities out of whack, but the ribbing is meant in jest and a testament to being missed. However, I understand that things change and that you cannot always plan for it. But is it really too much to ask of the player to let the staff know that he or she will not be back? It is rather frustrating to spend time devising and writing content for a player who does not show.
Another wrinkle for is that the person may seem less reliable than before, maybe even flaky, after pulling something like that. Granted, even I have my flaky moments. Goddess knows I try to avoid them and appreciate it when people call me on it, even if I don't seem initially appreciative. Let's be honest, I would hate for someone to compare me to a French pastry.