I was reading Renaissance man, Cory Doctorow’s new (free!) short story the other day, Anda’s Game. And very good it is too. As well as being about the world of online gaming, there’s also a nice parable for any young couch potato in your life. I enjoyed it as much as my 12 year old, who has mysteriously started going for jogs in the morning:-)

This put me in mind of this article on the Microsoft site (via Mobitopia), about Griefers, who errr…cause grief to legitimate players. They’re also known as snerts (my favourite term), cheese players, twinks, or just plain cyberbullies.

Typical griefer behavior includes: taunting others, especially beginners (also known as newbies); thwarting fellow teammates in the game; using inappropriate language; cheating; forming roving gangs with other griefers; blocking entryways; luring monsters toward unsuspecting players; or otherwise using the game merely to annoy a convenient target or to harass a particular player who has reacted to their ill will.

What can seem pretty harmless (if very strange) behaviour in an offline and adult context, can be disproportionately worrying for kids playing these games. So, Microsoft has some good tips on how to react to these sicko snerts. The best being, “ignore them” - though how that’s possible if they beat the living bejesus out of you every time you play, it isn’t clear.