Hi everyone, I’ve been very inactive as regards Realms over the last 6 months or so, I’ve been locked away working on my Master’s thesis which is thankfully complete and accepted.  I still have the defense ahead but that’s like giving a presentation compared to writing an essay and so the end is near.

Sylphain approached me about trying to get activity going again, small runs for new players and it reminded me that there are actually new people around.  It’s easy to forget it when we focus in on “what’s wrong” instead of just enjoying what is right.  I am often guilty of exactly this, I see a problem and I want to fix it and my problem solving brain focuses on it.  Then I get very frustrated when I don’t feel supported, I start feeling like my efforts are not welcome and I check out, throw my hands up in the air and walk away.

This is how I felt when I left The Symposium some months ago.  Sunday night I asked to rejoin because I’m ready to try to contribute again, except this time I am going to try to come at it from the point of view that “maybe I don’t know what’s best, I only have ideas”.  You know … stop being intellectually arrogant and try to accept the input of the whole team.  I know.  Really obvious right?  Yet it is so easy to fall into patterns and doubly so online, at least for me.

Another thing I’m going to try to do is follow a little piece of advice I saw floating around that encapsulates some thinking I’ve been doing anyway:

 

 

I recognize that a lot of what I have been doing is criticizing without creating.  I do generate some ideas but it’s time to start DOING and stop THINKING.  So, if I think we need some items to help flesh out itemization, then I should try building an area.  If I think that we need some resource then go ahead and make it.  If  I think that there’s a code idea that will work, I guess I should feel free to work with the public code.

To avoid being disappointed maybe I should ask other people if these ideas have a bit of support … you know figure out if anyone else thinks it’s a good idea 🙂  Oh well, I keep trying.  Hope this helps others thinking about how to help this game.  Realms has the awesome thing that players actually can contribute positively to the game.  With the small player base everyone can make an impact, leading runs or being grumbly.