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The Newbie vs. the N00b

Starlight Sprite

Resident Moon Fairy
213
Posts
10
Years
This is a common talk among online games of all sorts. In essence this does extend from gaming and has existed long before video games, but I'll just stick with that as that is where it pops up the most.

No matter what MMO game you're playing, it's likely you've encountered a new player with some questions about how to play and is seeking to improve. You've also likely encountered a player who uses cheap tactics to annoy other players, steal loot and/or experience, or beg for gifts. Do you respond to these situations? Do you offer advice if they are willing to accept it?

For reference he's a breakdown of the two terms:

N00b, noob - A player who relies on cheap tricks to play. Their actions may be to troll other players intentionally, but the annoyance is just as likely to be a by-product of what they do for their own personal gain. If criticized about their activity, the n00b will often respond with hostility rather than understanding of their mistakes. Common n00b moves involve stealing the loot and/or experience that another player should have earned, repeatedly using the same tactic to little or no avail, and constantly begging other players for items/ money. In general, the n00b has no intention of self improvement.

Newb, newbie - A player who is new to the game, or possibly has returned after a long period of inactivity and much has changed. They are learning how to play and may often ask more experienced players for advice. The newbie may make mistakes, or unknowingly commit an action that results in the annoyance of other players, but unlike the n00b will generally apologize and stop when spoken to about it. The newbie seeks to learn the game and get better at it. Interactions with newbies are mostly polite as opposed to a n00b's insulting demeanor.

I don't put up with noobs when I encounter them. Whether seeking attention (in which case arguing will surely make the situation worse) or looking out for selfish gains, I don't like to waste my time with these players. I will usually ask them politely to stop what they're doing, but if that doesn't get anywhere I will ignore them and play elsewhere.

As for newbies, I'm much more welcoming. I'll admit I can get annoying having to answer the same questions multiple times to multiple people, but it can't always be helped. Newbies are just that, new and have a lot to learn about the game. Many games' tutorials can be confusing, and some games start new players off with next to nothing in equipment/money. There are also some lessons that are better learned through experience than text. Experienced players are often the best source of information for newbies, as they are actual people who themselves were at one point new to the game. I will sometimes even give a new player a gift or two after they've shown that they're learning.

More often than not, the newbie won't even ask for items. Where the n00b tends to beg for things, the newbie asks how to obtain those items themselves or their price on the in-game economy. I see no problem in helping newbs learn the game. Many times interactions with them end in friend requests, and I would hope that one day they will return the favor to another new player as they grow and develop.
 

KidCarter93

PokéTech Guy
132
Posts
10
Years
As I've never really been into playing MMOs, I didn't hear about the terms noob and newbie until I joined an Android development forum back in '07.

In essence the same applies to that forum because the noobs will create thread after thread of uselessness and effectively asking to be spoonfed the answers to simple questions (even if it's answered in either a sticky or a quick search would find the answer) and won't give any useful information for others to be able to solve their problems easier whereas the newbies will perform thorough searches (with proof of the search) and then provide all the relevant information so their issue can be diagnosed.

As of late though I've actually started playing Shadowgun Deadzone and much the same will happen on there aswell. There will be those who will genuinely want to improve their game and will therefore ask for some tips or will follow your play to learn from that and then there's those who will just keep pestering you until they get what they want or you tell them to go away (not as politely, of course).

In both situations, I treat them the same as you. I won't tend to help the noobs because they'll never learn from their mistakes anyway but I will often find myself helping the newbies because, after all, we were all in their position at one point or another.
 

starseed galaxy auticorn

[font=Finger Paint][COLOR=#DCA6F3][i]PC's Resident
6,647
Posts
19
Years
I'm a little of both. :/ I used to play a lot of MMO's before my previous laptop broke down. My current laptop can't handle MMO's because of the lack of GB it has. However, I do tend to feel bad about my actions if I make mistakes and what not. I know I do try to apologize. There are actually times when I keep to myself. I like to figure something out on my own before I ask for help. If not, then that's when I ask someone. I tend to feel the struggle of just plain annoying someone with constant questions of how to do this or that.

With that said, I think n00bs and newbs are found anywhere you go. Like the poster above said, you can find them on forums, especially here on PC even. I personally don't mingle with them and stay away from such users as much as I can. I have experienced some people who were total idiots in the MMO's I've played. However, when you play private servers, it's rare to actually find n00bs running around.
 

Jet Pilot

I killed Spiderman.
150
Posts
10
Years
There's nothing wrong with being a newbie, as compared to being a noob. I hate noobs, especially when they gang up with each other. I don't mind helping a newbie at all, as long as they're polite etc.. I will not help a noob though, if they're too lazy to actually work for themselves, they shouldn't be playing the game in the first place.
 

Starlight Sprite

Resident Moon Fairy
213
Posts
10
Years
I'm a little of both. :/ I used to play a lot of MMO's before my previous laptop broke down. My current laptop can't handle MMO's because of the lack of GB it has. However, I do tend to feel bad about my actions if I make mistakes and what not. I know I do try to apologize. There are actually times when I keep to myself. I like to figure something out on my own before I ask for help. If not, then that's when I ask someone. I tend to feel the struggle of just plain annoying someone with constant questions of how to do this or that.

With that said, I think n00bs and newbs are found anywhere you go. Like the poster above said, you can find them on forums, especially here on PC even. I personally don't mingle with them and stay away from such users as much as I can. I have experienced some people who were total idiots in the MMO's I've played. However, when you play private servers, it's rare to actually find n00bs running around.

Spoken with honesty. I can get annoyed with being bombarded with questions to which I think the answers are simple. Especially with MMOs, like you I tended to keep to areas less frequented by new players (provided it could be helped), but when I was aaround them I willy try to be polite. I've had both good and bad experiences with private servers no matter the game. There's some great ones out there, on which I've had a good time. There's also those run by n00bs which are in turn populated by n00bs. Thankfully it's pretty easy to tell what kind of server it is before you join.
 
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