The the openness of Parallel Kindom's game environment facilitates multitudes of playstyles. This is probably somewhere in my top 5 reasons I think PK is an awesome game. Since there is no predefined end-game, players are free to set their own goals and determine for themselves what winning entails. Soloing, pvp, group conquest, and achievement hunting are all among the many viable options, and each can be approached in different ways.
Perhaps unfortunately (some may find it fortunate), such openness allows for deviant playstyles including scamming. I find that scammers are generally looked down upon as the scum of the PK social structure. Our kingdom even has a message thread naming scammers as we encounter them (and it's rather long). Given the apparent frequency of scammers, it must be a lucrative position, albeit an unfriendly one. The social structure being integral to the game (I believe), I must wonder if there exists some scammer society; maybe I'll check through some known scammers friends lists for similarities.
As destructive as scamming can be to the game and to individuals, I still feel it adds something that only such deviant behavior can add to a social game. I am certainly no promoter of scamming; I would hate to be scammed, but simply knowing the potential is there adds to the excitement of interaction. Suppose there does exist a scammer society: imagine the impact of it crossing paths with a sizeable kingdom with a no-tolerance-we-will-hunt-you-down policy on scamming. I'd love to write that story, especially if the resulting war ended in upset.
I have equal respect for each playstyle, though I obviously like some better than others. I believe accordingly in the importance of respecting the difference between a character and a player. By this I mean that the choices made for an in game personality do not necessarily reflect the real life personality behind it. Such is the nature of a role-playing game: players can choose to establish their game presence contrary to their personal beliefs. When someone says "it's just a game," it is that separation of player and character being referenced.
Of course, there are those whose true attitude is indeed reflected in their game choices. The choices, however, are more important than the attitude on its own, as attitude has no bearing until choices are affected. The choices are what determine the relationships between characters, and in such a social game, the relationships can be more influential than the gameplay. To the individual, a good relationship can make a great game amazing, and a bad relationship can make an inactive.
A younger me might have quit on the spot if scammed. Today, I would embrace it as another chance to learn (though I would rage as much as the next guy). My friends and kingdom would know my scammer's name, and I would fight along side them to bring his comeuppance. However, I would laugh with him in chat and wish him good luck. I would remember the human behind the screen who I could watch football with, or whose kids could play with mine. I would stay civil in game because I believe players should not create in-game animosity that could carry over into real life.
It's not easy. I've known it and I've seen it. Generation gaps, cultural divides, simple personality clashes, and other barriers, though not explicitly visible in the game, would blatantly challenge the success of a real life relationship that started unsuccessfully in-game. However, I've found the solution to be the head-on preemptive one: talk to each other with understanding. When I see players exchanging unrepeatables in chat rooms, I know at least one of them is no longer having fun, and their active status is at risk. I know the situation was approached reactively, not proactively as it should have. I know one of them forgot: it's just a game.
Much of what I'm describing here is equally prevalent in similarly open mmo games across the board. The primary difference is that PK (mobile) is designed as an extension of communication and the grander technological social dynamic. We aren't restricted to the living room console or office pc. We text our address book friends, message our facebook friends, and chat with our PK friends (and every combination thereof), all from our phones. PK is a social experience with a game to run it. My hope is that more people will therefore respect it and each other. You never know who you'll bump into off the map.
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