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Anarchy Online Gamer Responds
An anonymous reader writes "Thought some people might be interested in seeing a follow up on the NYT article about the Anarchy Online player. His reaction to it was less then supportive. You can read about what he had to say and what other players had to say." See the original story for background.
I didn't even know that Anarchy Online was that popular. I thought Everquest dominated everything. Oh well, Star Wars Galaxies looks really good and it has a good chance of swallowing up both of them.
After reading the article, I felt somewhat depressed about Rick's life _because that is how the article portrayed him_. I think anyone reading that article would feel the same way: "This guy is kind of weird, down-and-out to some degree, without much hope for the future", which then led to the thought, "This is the kind of person who plays these MMORPG'S."
Then I just read (again, because /. posted a story), Rick's reply to this article, as well as his fellow Anarchy Online gamers in that game's forum. After reading his reply and defense of himself, I feel sincere sympathy for him. Basically, Rick says this article's writer at best misrepresented him, and at worst, outright lied about things that he said. I believe Rick when he says these things.
And I was taken aback when I saw the top-modded posts on /. slamming this man without any kindness at all. Many of the posts said, in effect, "Rick could be lying as easily as the NYT article writer, and it's his fault anyway, even if the srticle writer did lie." I disagree with this rationale, and here's why: Do you think someone would submit to an interview like Rick did if he knew that he would be portrayed as a hopeless, pathetic loser with weird and even offensive behavior? I don't think so. Especially since Rick is now upset about this story. So I give Rick the benefit of the doubt when it comes to believing him or the writer of the article.
I am a Christian, whereas I think many (if not most) people who read /. are not. If you want to challenge this, just read people's sig lines or posts and be aware of the amount of anti-Christian and anti-religious content. That being said, I used to be an atheist, and I put up with the anti-Christian junk here because _I used to feel the exact same way_. I've changed now though, and so there you go. I have always been interested in technology (games, programming, gadgets, etc.) so I enjoy /. I give that disclaimer because I am going to say something sincerely religious (yes you read it right!) intended especially for Rick:
I believe in Jesus Christ, a man who was also falsely accused of many things, whose words were twisted around to condemn him, and who was killed on the basis of these lies. I also believe that he is God, and so God himself, knowing that he would be betrayed by someone who called himself his friend, much as you were by the article writer, willingly gave himself over to his betrayer so that the salvation of human beings could be made possible. Because of this, I believe that Jesus Christ himself is, in a special way, right beside all people who are wrongly condemned, who are misrepresented, and who are lied about. People called him the devil, they called him a demon, they tried to murder him, and eventually they did. He bore all of these insults and lies with love, for he knew that the people who did these things were doing wrong, and that doing wrong hurts the person who does it far worse than the person they hurt because they separate themselves from God by doing it.
Rick, I do not know if you are a Christian or not, and whether you are or not, I just want you to know that I have prayed for you and your family, that Christ will be with you, to comfort and console you, to help you through this difficult time where you feel defamed, and to restore you to peace of heart and mind. Ultimately, I pray he will give you the grace to forgive this man who did this to you, and all the people at the NYT who allowed it to happen. When Judas came to betray Jesus, Jesus looked into his eyes and said, "Friend, do what you came to do." He forgave his worst enemy, and in doing so followed his Father's desire, for in forgiving, we will be forgiven.
Peace be with you,
Devin