.::.MMORPGs.::.

I play a few MMORPGs, Massive Multi-player Online Role-playing Games, I quite enjoy them though perhaps for reasons beyond what one might expect. Rather, I enjoy them in the greatest degree because I get to observe people interacting over a non-standard medium. It amazes me how people will act when hidden behind the assumed anonymity of a screen name. Most don't think about the fact that you use an email to sign up, and an email can often be identified with you and with your other accounts across the internet. Let alone most forums, which are used as a means or medium of communication in MMORPGs, track your IP address giving moderators and administrators access to the general vicinity of where you live. I know this, because I am an administrator and moderator of a few of these forums.

There are individuals that we have a watch on, who seem to bring rukkus to the community, who disrupt social activities and just generally cause problems. I dealt with one such person tonight, and asking why he posted what he did (it was a very vulgar explicit posting that I couldn't even finish reading) he simply said:

"Because you don't know who I am, and therefore cannot do anything to hurt me."

Something that really isn't true, in fact, his post broke certain standards which not only got him banned forever from the community, but we'll be reporting him to his local authorities because of the nature of his post. You are not anonymous online, the ways you use media are not hidden from the rest of the world. And there are consequences for your actions online.