The Human Element

Ghost's picture
What separates us from other animals? Is it speech? Is it the understanding of life and death? Or is it the strive to conquer and control that which is around us? I believe there is much more to the separation of the human from the rest of the animal world.
Take a simple idea--a game where one is the avatar of a stag--and toss in the human element. At first, the novelty of it is grand, and to some it remains a grand design in the simplest of forms. However, this human element needs to socialize on a more human level.
Enter speech. With a game void of human speech, the players seek an outlet, the community forum. It is another simple idea to a simple game. On the other hand, there are some who will never tread on these forums, seeing the novelty of a human-free area as their haven. But there are those who need this human interaction, myself included.
Now enter the human element.
The innocent forum, the community and refuge for those yearning to communicate on this human level, became the perfect outlet. It wasn’t needed to fully experience the Forest, but it was a welcomed addition for a different experience.
Friends were made and characters were forged. It was, in a way, a brand new level to the Forest. Regardless of good intentions, the popularity and growth soon became its downfall.
Age also plays a part. As teenagers, the strive for individuality is great, so great that unwanted behavior may spring forth. But it is a need for attention, positive or negative, which sets in motion the reactions of others. Not one person in our human world, Earth, will have the exact opinions as the next. There will always be some particle of conflict, some existence of the human element. It is in our nature to communicate, to express our ideas and beliefs, to find our kindred spirits and coexist. But to those who have ideas which are completely opposite of your own, the conflict will begin.
But there is another word within the human element, a word all pray for on some level: Peace. We strive for a conflict free world, but why is this even unattainable on a small, internet community, a place meant for peace, fun, and an escape from life’s troubles? Maybe by nature humans are bored as well, and this need for conflict makes the days exciting.
I wish I could say we won this war, to go against the grain of the human element, but the battles are far from over. We have to stop this. It matters not if one person disagrees with another, or if this person is receiving more attention than their neighbor, or if this person can’t stand someone else. It does not matter. As a community, we gain our strength from each other. Weaken even one link and the rest is doomed to falter.
As for the future of the community, that responsibility will be placed on our shoulders and not the administrators or moderators. We need to exercise what it means to be responsible, considerate, and mature. Do not let the human element win. Prove me wrong. Prove this article wrong.

Thank you for reading.

-Ghost

Ghost everything you said

Ghost everything you said there is true...... not all of us are like that but some ARE
and you said it in a respectful way and thank you
people this is why the forums were closed, the human element pushing the deer to the side, and leaving it there.
when i play my human side almost goes out the window, i try to think "deer".
i hope we can prove your article wrong i so hope that we can,
thankyou ghost,

~Trish~ & ~Ammy~
Ghost's picture

Thank you for taking the

Thank you for taking the time to read it. You're right, not all of us are like that. But it is those few who gather the most attention, and as a result, can ruin the experience for others.

EDIT: Should I post this on the forum? I've been debating ever since I typed it.
Kogy's picture

i'm not sure what kind of

i'm not sure what kind of response it would get in the forums, i've been a little hesitant to post anything, and i'm not even sure where to post it. when they first got taken down, i didn't notice that everyone's posting in a different part of the forum and i made a whole new forum.

http://endlessforum.darkbb.com/

it's actually got some pretty cool features, but i only made it last night and no one's registered yet.
Redkora's picture

Well said, Ghost. I wish

Well said, Ghost.

I wish there was some way I could offer kudos on this website other than offering it in my reply.
[pixel deer by Aldebaran]
Kumiko's picture

Interaction with people on

Interaction with people on the forums or community site has had its pros and its cons for me. When I first started playing TEF, I didn't post on either one. I just simply got on my little fawn every couple of days when I got bored and might have recognized a picto or a deer but they never really meant anything beyond, "Oh there's that person from the other day". Part of me actually almost stopped playing TEF before I found the community site mainly because I felt out of place among everyone else. I'd get on to see the same couple of deer together; I might have joined them for a bit but I never felt like I belonged until the community site allowed me to actually me to find friends and get to know people a bit more.

Though I also see where people interacting with people can become a problem for a game like this. It has a very peaceful and tranquil feeling to it and is presented in such a way. Yet, people drag in issues like being angry at someone for stealing their mate or being sad because a friend went away into it thus shaking the peace.

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Fan art done by Fledermaus.

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Redkora's picture

Thanks for bringing up this

Thanks for bringing up this wonderful article again. It says everything that needs to be said.

http://endlessforestfun.blogspot.com/
[pixel deer by Aldebaran]
Fenqua's picture

I totally agree with this

I totally agree with this article. But somewhere I think that human element will always be there, even the conflict seeking. It's hard to stop, there will always be people who don't agree with this or don't care about it. But we could try have some more respect for each other and each other's opinion.

To be honest, I'm actually more on the community site than in the forest. It's mainly because my game is so slow that I don't always have the patience to play it ^^;

But, like I said, I agree with this. And I'm willing to try as much as possible and I hope everyone as will too.

To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul


To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul