SC:M Article

"Starcraft Ethics"
by: Nomad

Starcraft has always had an unspoken "etiquette" which players and bnet
users are expected to play by. The breaking of the SC etiquette is the
cause for most every conflict of wills in SC. When people brake this code
it usually resolves in flaming and people generally getting pissed off at
one another, which is exactly what starcraft should -not- be about. I think
I speak for most every player when I say we play starcraft to have -fun-,
and to get away from some of the harsh realities of our lives.
Some of these ethical codes seem natural, and only to obvious. For
example, I dont know of any person who doesn’t speak out against hackers,
and hacks. Using these "cheats" is probably the most low thing you can do
in SC/BW when it comes to the unspoken code. Unfortunately, many of the
same people who speak out against hacks are the ones using them...the same
type of hypocrisy that plagues the world showing itself in our gaming
community. False accusations of hacking are therefor generally received
none to well by the accused. This creates confrontation, flaming, and in
many instances, a disconnect by the accusing player. The next step up from
using hacks would have to be either double-disconnecting, or backstabbing.
When any player gets backstabbed by their partner, they naturally feel
betrayed, duped, and as if something had been taken from them, or forced
upon them--namely, a loss. An extreme comparison would be to say it is like
the player is being 'raped'. In the same category as backstabbing, is the
hated FFA teamers, whether it be ladder ffa, or melee. In the case of the
ladder, these people generally trade ffa wins by teaming with a friend in
the game to kill all other people and then let their friend kill them. This
is another instance where false accusations can come into play, and create
heated arguments, cussing and the traditional internet all caps YELLING.
There is probably more accusations and false accusations of this than any
other, since it is difficult to be sure, and many true played ffa games can
appear to be so.
On the subject of ladder, another of the most hated things a player can
do is ladder abuse by way of trading wins, and despite so many people
calling out against the subject, it runs abundant more than any other form
of cheating and any other "low" tricks. Blizzard resets so many of these
people that one must wonder why they haven’t learned yet.
So far I have covered the nastiest, most obvious deeds deemed beneath the
SC code, but what about the other, more controversial acts? I know many
players that consider 6pooling and toss cannoning early in someone’s base to
be 'cheap' or 'cheesy' but I also no many players that say its part of the
game, and as fair as anything else. Would it be deemed low to lie in games?
for example: your playing a 2v2 and everyone who has played a 2v2 and hasn’t
just broken open the package on SC knows that you ally chat within the first
few seconds of the game. Even thus, many people forget to do so, and
continue to rattle on about their plans for the game unbeknownst that
his/her two opponents can hear every word. Meanwhile, the opponents are
snickering and what a newbie/idiot this person is. Now lets say that you
"know" your not AC'ed and you proceed to talk about false plans, like saying
that your going to 6pool when in reality your going triple hatch, etc.
Would this type of conduct be seen as fair, or ethical to the standards of
SC? What about trash talking/bragging? There are many people who have no
desire to hear someone carryon about how much better they are than some
other person, or how crappy so and so is. But there is another idealism
that trash talking is a part of the game, and something one earns.
What is right, and what is wrong? It shouldn’t be surprising that this
question is reflected in SC from the real world, where that same question is
asked all the time. Some things seem blindingly obvious, other are more
hazy, but their will always be people choosing sides, and people hiding
behind the hypocrisy of their words. In retrospect, one is tempted to say
"it's just a game, it doesn’t mean anything, why get so bent up about it" in
reaction to some of the flaming as a result of incidents. But who hasn’t
found themselves a little pissed off when backstabbed, or a lot pissed off
when double-disced? I believe anyone who says they haven’t is either lying,
or not human; getting mad is a part of human nature, and something everyone
deals with. I dont think there is an answer to the problem of hacking,
cheating, flaming, etc. There will always be people looking for the
shortcut, or the edge...but who knows, maybe there will be a second
installment of this article.