Linden Lab versus the griefers
by Tateru Nino 
Jun 5th 2009 at 4:00PM
Filed under: Business models, Culture, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds
Looking back over the rather long, rich and tumultuous history of Second Life, it seems that Linden Lab finally has their griefer problems more or less eliminated. That doesn't mean that they're gone, by any means. Griefing still happens every day, but it's now a problem for individual users and communities. The problems that Linden Lab itself had with griefers are, pretty much, over.
Back in the day (before free accounts) griefers were a big-time problem for the Lab. A small group of griefers could take down or impede significant quantities of the Second Life architecture, eliminating any semblance of service for thousands or tens of thousands of users. Those days are long past.
These days, the world-busting, super-powered griefers are gone, replaced only by a digital scattering of bullies who target the passionate and the concerned. A handful of gormless anti-everythings who lack the ability and the numbers for large-scale mischief.
You've probably seen the sort slouching around the local off-licence.
While those remain are no more and no less a problem for people either in Second Life or out of it, they're no longer a significant friction-point for Linden Lab from a service perspective.
However much trouble they might cause individuals, small groups and occasional communities, their maximum havoc isn't even a blip on the Lab's service radar anymore. They're simply too ineffectual and too small in number. For every vocal individual or community being actively griefed, there are hundreds or thousands of others that are – at that time – operating without incident. Even minor service-level issues cause more significant trouble across a larger population than that.
Linden Lab have hardened their architecture significantly over the years, and while the overall user-population of Second Life has continued to burgeon, the population of griefers has shown negligible growth over the years. In short, they're increasingly outnumbered – a dwindling percentage of the active user-base, only able to field small-scale disruption and insults.
If you're a regular target of such disruptions, by virtue of holding a strong opinion on, well more-or-less anything or spending time with new users, then that might seem like little comfort. For Linden Lab, however, it's a once-huge burden and resource-drain that has, at long last, been laid to rest.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bettina Tizzy said on 2:50PM 6-05-2009
True! And I'm glad that you are saying as much because I think we need to address the unfortunate perception that SL is nothing more than griefing episodes.
However - and I say this with much sadness and regret - I was deeply shocked today when, for reasons that are not relevant to this comment I dropped in on Help Island looking for a Linden and discovered, to my horror and amazement that there were a number of shady characters there parading as "helpful residents," talking a blue streak, arguing loudly and hurling profanities at each other via voice and pretty much ignoring the poor newbies who were passing through.
If this had been my experience during my first login to Second Life, I can tell you without hesitation that it would have been my last login - EVER - and that I wouldn't have lasted in SL more than a NY minute.
Something drastic and permanent needs to be done to make this stop. Absolutely ghastly experiences await poor newbies. How is it possible that this is allowed to continue??
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Moose said on 4:19PM 6-05-2009
I agree that the new user experience must be rectified, but so long as Linden Lab holds monopoly over the first-time user experience, new players will continually be at the mercy of the rampant asshattery that seems to plague the new-player areas. Sadly it seems that Linden Lab seems to be incapable or unwilling to project any really control to the new player areas, and I'm unaware of any resident group with the sustained willpower to act in their stead.
Jane Primrose said on 7:14AM 6-06-2009
This is a really good point. Maybe if LL developed partnerships with resident groups, who could each maintain and police a themed welcome area, the situation would improve. They could set it up so that new users could go to a welcome area tailored to their interests.
I was very fortunate - on my first day I more or less got picked up from my welcome area by a nice lady who hooked me up with some decent-looking freebies, answered my questions about how to customise my avatar's look, and made me feel, well, welcome! I wish more people could have that experience.
Snickers Snook said on 4:22PM 6-05-2009
@Bettina Agreed. The problems with Help Islands and initial user experience are one of the biggest issues for SL and LL seems to have little or no interest in addressing them.
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Mr. Digital said on 4:53PM 6-05-2009
I don't play Second Life, but based on what I've read about it and its users, it could just be that the game attracts griefers because it seems to be filled with the sort of overly sensitive, politically correct people that suckle at the teat of liberalism that griefers love to play with because they whine so much when they do.
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Graill said on 5:04PM 6-05-2009
"overly sensitive, politcally correct people that suckle at the teat of liberalism?"
Is it just me or did Mr Digital screw that statement up? I thought the point of being a liberal is to not be sensitive and not be politically correct.
Now conservatives, those are some nice genteel folks to screw around with.
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Tcgjarhead said on 5:55PM 6-05-2009
Mr. Digital is right, unless you arent American or know nothing of politics I dunno how you could think that liberalism would be the opposite of PC : /
Neo Citizen said on 5:17PM 6-05-2009
I think the previous poster, claiming that SL attracts griefers because it's full of bleeding hearts, is probably one of these very trolls the article purports to be about. The reader is cautioned that any claims made by individuals about themselves can just as easily be false as true.
That aside, Linden Lab has been taking a very architecture-centric approach to solving the griefer problem. It does make its service more stable, but that's only one half of the problem The other half is the customer dissatisfaction with the overall experience, and Linden Lab has yet to address any of this.
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Garn said on 5:34PM 6-05-2009
I dont miss the attacks on NCI @ all, but man those were the days i could ban someone every few days and file 2-3 or more ar's a week! lol
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Jay said on 5:52PM 6-05-2009
Have you considered that the griefers just got bored and moved on?
Maybe claiming this happened, or that happened or that the number of users is "burgeoning and swamping them" is just over-analysis. Maybe after 4-6 years they actually just got bored.
Heck, even on the SL Herald you can see the drop so clearly. Where once the comments were filled with griefers... now so few.
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Ari Blackthorne said on 6:14PM 6-05-2009
Two words: Grey Goo.
LOL
Wowzers. Yes, the lab has indeed turned the grid rock-solid. I've commented on it before on my own blog.
New user experience is pitifully sad as described above. But also pitifully sad is that the Lindens also are often at the short-end of the stick perceptually speaking.
They work hard, like we all do in our "day jobs" - the difference being the grid (and support of it) *is* their 'day job'.
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TigroSpottystripes Katsu said on 6:40PM 6-05-2009
I kinda miss the times where the griefers still thought they were significant but mostly they weren't, it was fun to survive a near-crash of the grid and study the remains of the attack and such
nowadays many people would say LL causes more grief with their policy and code changes than griefers do with just about anything they can try, and in some cases, the intensity of the hurt caused by LL to many people is actually bigger than what the grid griefers used to do
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Adric Antfarm said on 6:42PM 6-05-2009
Mr Digital,
You seem to know an awful lot for someone who admittedly does not play the game...
I've met all kinds from all sides (liberal to conservative, etc) on Second Life. It's very diverse.
How about you log on and have a look around? I will gladly take you from the NRA area to an Obama shrine in minutes.
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Adric Antfarm said on 6:43PM 6-05-2009
I wasted my first on Mr Digital, so I get a second for the topic.
These idiots who peddle grief are such a bit player now it isn't even funny. When they do strike it's minor and gone quickly.
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Riven Homewood said on 12:16PM 6-06-2009
I brought a group of newcomers into SL today at Caledon Oxbridge. As I expected, it was a totally pleasant experience. This is possible because the Oxbridge staff of resident volunteers work very hard to keep it that way. Griefing is dealt with immediately and not tolerated. This applies not only to obvious disruptions but also to con avatars who try and target newbies. When you have 49 sims full of creative, caring people, anything is possible. :-)
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Prokofy said on 3:18PM 6-06-2009
The question to ask here is why this topic, now, from Tateru? What is driving her? Did the Lindens put a bug in her ear, or is it a slow news day?
The idea that you get to be griefed because you are outspoken -- which is essentially what Tateru is saying -- means that she is objectively inciting griefers to do just that, and is heedless of the consequences. That's disgraceful.
I'm with Bettina on looking at this as not just some individual sim and its attacks, but what happens at infohubs and welcome areas. They are atrocious. The Lindens are absolutely disgraceful for not getting a handle on them. Their inaction for years now, letting them go from bad to worse to criminal is an outrage. I've written enormous wads of stuff on this. I don't know what stands in the way of progress.
But...one of the things that stands in the way are newbie helper cadres, like Tateru was once herself, who don't really help newbies, who are part of the problem, and who block more systemic reforms so they can keep their privileged positions.
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Melissa Yeuxdoux said on 12:55PM 6-07-2009
That's the most blatant and silliest non sequitur I've seen in quite a while.
Con artists often target the elderly.
Saying that does not imply that I am cheering on con artists who target the elderly, nor that I am urging them to do so.
If anything is disgraceful, it's your sophistry.
Prokofy Neva said on 4:22AM 6-08-2009
No, not a non-sequitur, which is merely your literalist thinking at work once again, but a double red parallel line running right from the notion that "griefing only bothers people who are outspoken" through "therefore griefing isn't that much of a problem anymore" straight on through to "therefore those people who are outspoken are causing their own problems."
Very classic innuendo, seen it a million times, and from Tateru particularly.
Suze said on 8:28AM 6-08-2009
But she didn't say any of those three things. Maybe you've seen it a million times but Im not seeing it once
Eebahgum said on 6:39AM 6-06-2009
I must admit in my five years or so in SL, I've only been griefed the once. I don't think it's that much of a problem as people make out to be honest.
I've witnessed more reactions and comments than actual grief.
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