How far does being nice really get you?

[Kuruza]

From seeing all these "be nice to others" and "don't BM" posts and the fact that I've getting a bit too BM in other people's eyes (in-game people who know me) for some time now, what benefits does being nice really get you?

An in-game friend of mine recently told me that if you wanted to talk to people, make sure that you try and be as friendly as possible, and not start conversations with statements and actions that would imply that you're just as condescending and/or BM as any other player.

The one thing that I've never seemed to understand is does being a better player all of a sudden make you seem like a better person in other people's eyes, aswell? Or better yet : does being a better player give you the right to shit on other players, especially if said players are doing worse? Now the thing is : it's not just actual shit talk and BM here, there's also the fact that some people are trying to help. The problem here is that quite a few of said worse players aren't having any of it, and are usually BM themselves, and also quite hypocritical in the sense of they think that they're the shit, when in fact they're just shit. How much would being nice really help those players, if they're being ignorant most of the time?

Now I myself am pretty guilty of trying to "help" other players, when in all honestly I really should not be, because what does a high silver/low gold such as myself really know? But at the same time, I can't help but feel if being nice is going to really help otherwise, because more often than not, trying to be friendly has only gotten me the exact opposite result whilst playing the game. Maybe it's just the fact that most randos I see in game aren't usually friendly to me either, so much so, that they'd freak out over 1 missed basic attack, out of all the things (really?) , and usually go on their own BMing parade, with basically 0 repercussions for it (I can't remember the last time I've gotten the "An action has been taken against a player you've reported." message) .

The one solution for this problem I see is to just become a better player, I suppose, but after playing for so long, and only getting as far as high silver/low gold, I really have no idea what I'm doing wrong anymore, but I would really like to. But also, at least if you're better, people usually will "respect" you more, right? Or at least they'll know not to shit on you anymore? However, does being nice and being a better player have anything in common?

For as long as I've played, the only thing I seem to have realized is that toxicity, BM and hypocrisy only breeds even more of that, because I myself seemed to have become just that, as of late. Being nice, on the other hand? Even though there are quite a few stories of how being nice can only get you good things, sadly, I'm not that guy. Maybe I just don't know how to put things in a nice way or I'm just too blunt at times, but I guess that's a communication issue on my part.

I would really like to know whether or not there really is any point to being nice in Smite, but also in general, because I can't seem to understand it, at all.

TL,DR : Is being nice really worth it? Or do people only care about other's performance, and behavior is a non-factor, regardless of how a certain player might be/not be BM?

[SeventhArchon]

The less reward you expect from it, the further.

[Trisitella]

Let me answer your question with another question- How is being mean/rude/BM worth it?

It typically does nothing but encourages more fighting and people spending more time typing then actually fighting which is the last thing you need in a team game.

[amelixo]

Because there's something called human decency. You shouldn't talk to someone online any different than you would to them in person. Intentionally being a dick online gets you nowhere and is just a sad reflection of your character, nothing more.

[GogetaAR]

Let me answer your question with another question- How is being mean/rude/BM worth it?

It typically does nothing but encourages more fighting and people spending more time typing then actually fighting which is the last thing you need in a team game.

I was going to say that. :S

[Goobis]

Being nice and flexible is always something to have and excel at.

However, as with everything in the world, sometimes that can go dry.

[Kuruza]

The less reward you expect from it, the further.

What is that even supposed to mean? So the less I'm expecting to get anything from being nice, the more I'll get? I wish that was true for my case...

[Kuruza]

Let me answer your question with another question- How is being mean/rude/BM worth it?

It typically does nothing but encourages more fighting and people spending more time typing then actually fighting which is the last thing you need in a team game.

OK, don't get me wrong here, I usually try and be as nice as I possibly can be, but when most people I talk to still regard mostly everything I say as BM, but aren't helping about it in any way other than having the whole "stop crying/flaming" argument, it's like either I don't know how to properly communicate at all, or people just don't know how to respond to that, or even do anything when just being asked a simple thing, really. It's not that I want to be rude or BM or anything, it's just that, being nice has gotten me NOTHING so far, and considering that people usually don't pay any attention to an "average Joe" type of player who is just trying to help em, you need something to get people's attention, don't you?

[ZodiacZer0]

It really is better to just be nice, especially in smite which is a video game, something that is supposed to be fun. I get that trying to help people can sometimes piss them off whether it be wording or just generally telling them what they're doing isn't good, but honesty and decency is best policy. If somebody starts running their fingers across their keyboard in an angry fashion, let them know you're not here to fight, or just go straight to mute and move on. There really is no point in trying to fight ignorant people who won't listen to you or anybody.

[GogetaAR]

OK, don't get me wrong here, I usually try and be as nice as I possibly can be, but when most people I talk to still regard mostly everything I say as BM, but aren't helping about it in any way other than having the whole "stop crying/flaming" argument, it's like either I don't know how to properly communicate at all, or people just don't know how to respond to that, or even do anything when just being asked a simple thing, really. It's not that I want to be rude or BM or anything, it's just that, being nice has gotten me NOTHING so far, and considering that people usually don't pay any attention to an "average Joe" type of player who is just trying to help em, you need something to get people's attention, don't you?

Well, at least for me, when someone flames me, I don't do what they say, I even start to play worse because I want to have fun and because they flame I get frustrated. Like I said, that's my situation, but I think many, if not most, people feel this way.