Therumancer said:
To be honest I think your saying it from someone who has never been in a position of having to deal with the kind of obnoxious personality and grandstanding that can get the attention of an entire server population. I think your wrong and they have very good idea of who they are dealing with, having been dealing with them for quite a while before this point.
Show me what proof you have that the guy is just an obnoxious asshole and not serious. Because if you got that from the article then you're full of it.
No offense but if you start taking every obnoxious emo who talks about suicide seriously and showering them with endless attention you create a destructive cycle. I do not believe anyone really thought his player was suicidal, and by this point, with it reaching that level, I'm sure they had plenty of data.
I never suggested showering someone saying they're thinking about suicide with attention. I suggested not harassing them to try and get them to do it. Big difference. Don't put words in my mouth please.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, but the point is that a lot of it comes down to how something happens, not just what happens. Overreacting and treating every claim of "suicidal thoughts" like something special is why people do it, and it's exactly how the whole "an hero" thing got started to both point out the stupidity of suicide, and to clearly label and point out the behavior of those who do this kind of thing to seek attention.
Point is, they can't know for sure. Maybe they are saying it to get attention. Maybe they're also serious. To treat it as a joke is idiotic. They could easily just ignore the person if they choose. Listen to them if they want to, or point them towards resources for dealing with suicidal thoughts and depression. You seem to be completely missing the point that there are innumerable ways to deal with this that don't involve trying to get someone to kill themselves, and I am utterly flabbergasted by the fact that you are actually sitting there defending such behaviour.
Besides which, people who are genuinely suicidal, rarely go around announcing it to people through an MMO. That's more of a plea for attention. Those who are seriously considering suicide fall under other patterns of behavior and rarely tell people they want to kill themselves straight out.
The article specifically mentions it was private communication. Perhaps they considered the person they talked to a friend. Maybe they're more comfortable talking about such a sensitive issue in the anonymity of the internet rather than with friends in the real world that they feel may judge them or treat them like they're crazy. Again, even if it was simply a plea for attention, nothing in the article indicates that, and some layperson in an online game is not qualified to diagnose someone. To treat it as a joke is horrendous, when they're are at least other ways to deal with it that don't actively encourage someone to do it.
As for people who considering suicide not telling people flat out, bullshit. Some will never talk to someone for whatever reason, but many do. But what do I know? I've only considered suicide in the past, know others who have, and presently volunteer for a suicide helpline. I guess I imagined every instance I've ever encountered of someone reaching out to help, even to perfect strangers.
Again, I fail to see how you can sit there and defend behaviour which is utterly indefensible.
