Redeem your 
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
I played QWERTY recently and knew my opponent would win the match; no issue there – he/she was far enough ahead that I wouldn’t readily catch up.
What really hurt though was the last word he/she played for the win. He/she had the letters DUM and a blank – when he/she played the word “DUMB”, I was floored – why not play “DUMP”?
Just venting, because when I am ahead I try very hard not to play a word that can have a negative connotation to/insult my opponent’s ability.
Thanks for listening!
Choose a Better Word!
| Dear Choose a Better Word!,
I can understand why you might feel a little put off by that choice of words. It’s easy to take these things a little personally when you’re way behind in a game – especially a cerebral game like QWERTY. However, I will bet dollars to donuts that your opponent didn’t even think of the word “dump” and I highly doubt that he or she intended for the final word to be any sort of statement about your brainpower. So, don’t take it personally. Your letter does serve as a reminder to those of us who are word-buffs that if we have a blank and the option of spelling a few different words, we should choose one that wouldn’t be taken the wrong way. |
Dear Ms Netiquette,
I dearly love playing Spades and very seldom partner with the same person in games. I have been playing spades for 35 years and I love playing on Pogo and to me it is a pastime, not a competition. However, there are people out there that accuse others of cheating if you beat them or you lag for a second longer than they think you should.
I have very limited use of my hands due to a stroke and sometimes it takes me a moment to get my mouse on the correct card. Players need to be a little more respectful and not automatically accuse someone of cheating because they are slower. Besides this is suppose to be fun and arguing and saying rude comments takes the fun away.
What should I say when people make comments and accusations? Should I tell them I am sorry that I am being a little slow but I have limited hand dexterity or should I just ignore them since it really shouldn’t be an issue to begin with?
What to Do?
| Dear What to Do?,
Unfortunately, as I’ve said before – Spades can be a tough game. Unfortunately, Spades players have earned a bit of a reputation of being impatient, and sometimes downright cruel. My suggestion would be to not mention anything unless it comes up. There are plenty of friendly and patient people out there, and it’s better to give those folks the benefit of the doubt than to assume they’re going to be rude and head them off. So, if you are confronted with an accusation again, I’d simply say “Due to a medical condition, I’m a bit slow sometimes.” and leave it at that. If they continue to give you a hard time, you might decide to simply leave the game. |
Dear Ms. Netiquette:
I have not seen this addressed, so I thought I would pose this suggestion. I play Jungle Gin and other games that allow you to play against others.
However, whenever I play, I choose to play against robots for one reason only. Whenever I have played with real people, I frequently have players leave the game, but stay on the table, which pretty much stalls the game. Sometimes they are gone for a long time, and there I sit, waiting for them to come back to finish the game.
If someone has to leave to take care of personal business, or whatever, it is rude to leave the other person waiting. Several times I have had to close a game in Jungle Gin, when we had completed most of the game, and start over, because the person I was playing against stayed in the room, and just stopped playing, so there I sat, waiting for them to return… so now I just choose to play against the robot so that I do not encounter this problem.
Please encourage members to not leave opponents stranded in a game.
Thank you,
Don’t Leave Me Hangin’
| Dear Don’t Leave Me Hangin’,
I think you just did for me. It’s the unfortunate reality of many Internet games – “stuff happens” and you don’t always get paired with a considerate opponent. While in many cases, it’s no doubt an inconsiderate opponent, there are times when good people get distracted for good reasons, and that does account for some of the folks you’ve encountered. Still, those who log on to Pogo and either forget that they’re logged into a game, or just left the game in that state, should stop. It’s not fair to those of us who log on and are here to play. Alas, all you can do is politely communicate in the chat something like “Hello, I waited for you, but I guess you’re not around” as a reminder to that person that they should pay better attention. |
