The Tyranny of Levels

A surprise drama bombshell landed today in ATITD. The news that Pameow, one of the powergaming Elders of the colossal public works guild Camel Sands, was fed up and planning to quit at the end of the month's subscription in two weeks' time.

Of course, there's still two weeks for her to change her mind and have the allure of the desert sing in one's veins, but the driving out factor seems to be a tantrum issue with levels and the exclusionary process that prevents lower-leveled folk from even picking up the Test, or the skill, etc.

I find it odd.

Perhaps my experience with the game has always been that of exclusionary levels, so I have no other basis of comparison.

The crux of it seems to be that there are about 3 people who are higher level than everyone else, and so they unlocked Tests that only they can participate in, thus setting up a completely uneven playing field where they get to do it first and win easiliy.

I'm still trying to figure out why this would be so galling when the whole game is set up for this sort of potential conflict. Some Tests are way easier when you do it first before anyone else can. It's not a new thing. Some skills are only unlocked when you hit certain levels. Some rare buildings and metals can be monopolized, leaving you to schmooze and trade if you want a whisper of a chance at getting it.

In this case, the levels issue is all about patience, time and unrelated hard work. If others have achieved the levels, it must be possible to. Probably from passing Tests that give them an extra level. If you wanted that, then you should have worked at passing all the Tests they passed. Possibly giving up time for other things.

If not, then just wait, and as more tests and principles unlock, you'll get to that level eventually. What's the big deal?

It's the obsession with coming in first without wanting to go through the effort that others are willing to go through, imo.

Sadly, as times change, one will discover that there are folks out there willing to put in a heckuva lot more effort to "win" than an old vet remembers doing... and that's the point the vet rolls up his socks to compete once more, or kicks a hissy fit that either ends in "this is a flawed game/system" and/or "I didn't really want it anyway."

Here's the other irony. Both of those statements could be the absolute truth, especially after a major epiphany. But folks will still think that you're either a sore loser or well-meaningly try to re-entice you into what they still enjoy (but you don't, not anymore).

I guess it is human nature.