Thank you Blog Azeroth for this shared topic, as suggested by Six-Inch Heals. I've been turning this over in my mind for a while now trying to figure out how to tackle it, and somehow ended up a day late. My bad. But here goes.
First and Foremost, I've Learned a Lot About People
First, the good:
- I've seen how people can come together and really make things happen, due to a shared passion (the game)
- I've seen people come up with creative solutions to a variety of in-game and meta-game issues
- I've seen people put aside their RL political and socioeconomic differences and get things done together
- I've met people from across the country (and this continent) whom I would have had almost no chance of meeting through any other means
- I've forged casual acquaintances with some amazing people that I spoke to almost daily for years, talking not just about what I was up to in game, but also about the things that mattered to me IRL
But there has also been the bad:
- I've had to listen to boorish political arguments set forth by those who are unaffected by the issue and thus have no stakes in them (see especially gender politics)
- I've had what I thought were friendships that extended outside of the game crumble like sugar eggs the week after Easter
- I've seen hard work for naught, when poor leadership has allowed bad apples to ruin the guild cart
- I have seen some of the absolutely worst, nasty, back-stabbing behavior I've ever seen outside of daytime dramas, over pixels and in-game power
I've Learned How to Better Deal with People IRL
- I've learned how to motivate performance long-distance
- I've learned how to detect all manner of non-visual cues as to something being up with persons I work on projects with virtually
- I've learned how to work towards a common goal, even when paired with people I don't personally like
- I've learned more about what motivates achievement for a variety of folks whose situation and motivation are outside of my personal frame of reference.
- I've gotten much experience in teamwork -- both in assembling and managing teams
I've Also Learned a Lot About Myself
- I've learned what my deal breakers are for friendships and for collaborations
- I'm better able to articulate my concerns with people/situations
- I've built upon my teamwork and collaboration skills, without burning any social currency at work to do so
- I've learned that I truly thrive and am happiest when I am in a functional, thriving collaborative team of some sort, regardless of if I am leading it, or just one of the team
