Bad vs. Unskilled: A Distinction

[SykoTavo 0]

For years I've seen the WoW community label anyone who isn't "up to par" as a "bad". However, I believe this term does not truly fit everyone who is labeled as such.

 

As far as I can tell, there are mainly two types of people that are labeled as "bad". One is deserving, the other is not.

 

The distinction between them is quite simple:

 

A truly bad player, the one that actually deserves to be labeled "bad", is that player who is unskilled but severely underestimates his/her lack of skill to such an extent that he/she makes no effort to improve. These people are perfectly content with having things handed to them regardless of the effort put in to earn it. People who, regardless of their effort to improve, knowingly participate in content above their current skill, may also be labeled as "bad", but for different reasons.

 

An "unskilled" player is that player who has not had the time to develop his/her skills but recognizes the need to gain skill and actively pursues it, albeit at their own pace. Players who fall into this category do not deserve to be labeled as "bad" and include new players and most casual players. These people understand and accept that they will not be rewarded for lack of effort and are perfectly happy to put in that extra effort when needed. In other words, they are merely inexperienced.

 

So please, for the love of the WoW community, before you label someone as "bad", make sure you first discard the possibility that the player might just be "learning the ropes". It might make the difference between adding a new valuable member to our community or not.

Edited February 20, 2016 by SykoTavo