New players are not children. Even though unfamiliar tasks in potentially hostile environments can be daunting, most adults are surely equipped to approach the game without needing the kind of coddling offered by some commentators.
When it comes to alleged negativity and toxicity in exchanges between new and more established players, it’s even more likely that life experience will have equipped most of them with the means to dismiss, call out or ignore remarks which are unhelpful.
There will always be people whose first action on meeting with the unfamiliar is to ask someone what they should do. Perfectly natural. If the respondent is rude or negative they should ask somebody else. If, however, the information given to them is wrong (deliberately or otherwise), they have no way of knowing. What should they do then?
They should ask a bunch of folks the same question and pick any of the responses they wish. It won’t make much difference because they don’t know which person is in possession of the facts.
When it comes to things I deem to be important, I could go ask someone for help. But that isn’t my way. With EVE I’ll certainly do a Google search, ignoring results from Reddit. Usually I end up with EVE Uni Wiki - which is fine. Sometimes there are grabs from the Forum (archived, a lot of them). I’ve rarely failed to find relevant information using these methods.
If I’m asked for advice, I usually decline to give it, and point the enquirer in the direction of reliable sources (Aiko, for ganking, for example, EVE Uni for tech stuff). I am, thus, more helpful than someone who thinks he knows the answer or believes that new players are a hindrance or, worse, there to be exploited.
I suppose it’s because I have always been a ‘RTFM’ man, at heart. Can’t help it.
