I used to play Americas Army and after most match we would say good game. It was not about who won but if the game was exciting.

If someone is a sore loser then they are going to find real life hard. There is always someone better than you.

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Holy cr*p! Is good manners that much *passé*?

"Good game" means just that - you played well.
You may have lost because of skill, or because of gear, but you still showed you full worth, and deserve praise for that.

Thinking "GG" hides gloating before proof to the contrary most often means:

1° you use "GG" to gloat yourself.
2° plain old paranoia, light-flavored.

So "GG" to anyone who beat me, and "GG" to anyone I defeat - you were worthy of the fight.

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"good game" "good game" "good game"

Don't forget the part where some players on both sides used to spit in their hands before going through those lines... I think that's what is happening here - some people will always be sore losers, and some others will always be braggarts about winning, albeit for a short time, and when the two mix, look out!

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The thing is, in the real world we have have parents, refs and coaches telling us to be good sports, and doing otherwise has repercussions. In WOW there is no socially mandated or enforced way of interacting with the opposing team, and so ones true colors shine through. Online we are free to be ourselves, which is both a blessing and the curse.

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The trouble is, I think, most "sports" are considered fair while the arena is - by design - usually unbalanced.

I consider myself an "ok" PvPer, although I arena very casually. If I beat or get beaten by a team in similar gear in a long drawn-out fight full of chances to show what I'm capable of, have fun, and maybe learn something, then I'd smile when the opponent whispers me "gg".

If I get steamrolled by a full s3 team in a game where I didn't have much chance to do anything, and my opponent didn't display any skill beating us* then while I'd still appreciate a "gg", I can understand how some people might not.

* I'm not claiming they *don't* have skill, but because of their gear they often don't have to use much of it to beat us.

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I play on an RP PvE server, so world PvP is optional. Even still, my guild focus's on it quite a bit, usually keeping World Defense channel on and jumping to the first place we see really getting mauled. The fights almost always explode into something huge, with reinforcements from other PvP guilds coming to our aid while the opposing faction gets their own back up.

The end result is usually positive...most of the time I'll jump on my Horde translator character and talk to a couple of the people we were fighting. The name's of my Alli and Horde characters are nearly the same so they know it's me from the get go...and I'll always start with a pretty optomistic greeting like, "Hey, that was an awesome match man!" or "Dude, that was alot of fun...where did you learn to hit so freakin' hard though?"

Responses like that will let the other side know you're not taking it too seriously, and complimenting them eases that inability to hear a tone in the other person's voice. Especially since remarks like "good game" or "GG" more often than not come off as being extremely sarcastic. I try to avoid the hostility by typing more than just 1-2 words.

Also it's a great way to get some constructive criticism on your gear, play style, and play ability. Being a Shockadin, my biggest weaknesses are warlocks and priests...so hearing tips from them have really helped how I play against others of that class when I'm pit against them.

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and here i thought my opponents were legitimately offering congratulations on a well-played match!

i guess i'm too much of a rose-colored glasses kind of person. plus, my arena team never outgears ANYONE, so if we give a team a good fight or even win, congrats are usually in order.

the only people i'm a "sore loser" about losing to are people who play in S3 gear and the 1300s. we losers in the 1300-1400 bracket don't like it when S3 players beat up on us. *we're* there because we're not great at pvp, and don't have great pvp gear. *they're* there because they can farm *us.*

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You say "TY, you've got a great team!"

You know, like an adult with an ounce of breeding and education.

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P. S. TY for the Wings/Flames pic. That was a fantastic series.

Go Wings!

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Ah good old Hydraxis. Thanks for showing the true colors of my server bud.

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What really riles me up is when not only are you outplayed and outgeared, but when you lose, the victor deems it necessary to /spit on you. Especially when I'm ganked, and put up enough of a fight that their friends have to come and finish it.

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when i used to play dota, i'd typically say "glhf" to start a match, and "gg" after any game. however, maybe it is possible in WoW, but the language barrier between horde and alliance makes this a little harder...

in some ways, bliz made it impossible to be a good sport about it...

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@4

In BG's it easier to handle if you got a team that will cooperate. If I hear "X is a spitter" I go after X with a vengeance. Camp that dude at the GY if possible. If someone spits on me in BG's I call out "X is a spitter" sometimes I get support other times not.

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I used to play on a PVP server and I ran into a number of folks who had /spit and /lol on macros specifically for being poor sports while ganking. I recall one rather pathetic ganker who was spamming his macro'd string of "insults" at me while I whittled away his health and killed him. Somehow it must have made him feel a little better about killing folks 20 levels lower than him to /spit and /lol.

Alternatively, I've ran into folks who put up a good fight, and afterwards either they or I will /salute (depending on who won and who is dead).

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