Why is the North American community so much worse than the Japanese one?

[Sekkei]

I dealt with that behavior in FFXI as well, but I'm definitely not putting anyone on a pedestal. My thoughts were toward Asian countries, not just Japan. Technically I look at all cultures, but this thread just called out three in particular so I replied accordingly.

[AnimaAnimus]

idk, I played ffxi with a mix of JP players for years and they were by far in general the most horrific group of people to play with. Rude, condescending, massive superiority complex and completely shady. 'JP only' became a meme for a reason and if you decided it was ok to enter any content with a purely jp pt, you could almost count on getting a d2 before loot could drop. It was the main reason I was ecstatic that they separated servers by region this time.

I don't know where people get this "jp playerbase is so much better/nicer" idea from because if you take off your weaboo goggles, they are not at all any better than anyone else. People are jerks no matter where they are from.

[MirielleLavandre]

Hehe - this reminds me of something that happened back on FFXI during the NA launch. An American friend had told me she was kicked from a party because she was not Japanese (the whole 'JPN Only' meme). I sent a /tell to the party leader to find out why, and it ended up just a matter of courtesy and embarrassment. While it is true that many Japanese don't want to party or play with non-Japanese, it almost 99% of the time is actually because they don't want to 1) embarrass themselves due to poor English skills which leads to 2) lower performing parties due to lack of communication.

Not many Japanese are fluent in English - so again, the 'losing face' thing. Then again, I've talked with my fair share of terrible Japanese myself who only stopped being that way once they knew I knew what they are saying and that I'm Japanese [to be clear, though, these people were rude while among friends, never in a public party or pick up group as that would be kinda out of the norm].

[RiyahArp]

They aren't better, people are romanticizing them. If anything, they are worse in their own way; if we were as communal as the JP, we wouldn't even be playing this game in the same way Japanese players tend to ignore just about any non-japanese mmo created. If they did show up, we'd be making "NO JP" parties and talking JP down because we don't think they understand english at all despite somehow managing to get a NA account up in the first place. We'd all do things one way, the community's way, and if you don't shut up and toe the line, you'll get informally bullied or blacklisted and probably quit. The JP have their darksides too, and people tend to focus more on the public face than the inside. The trains running perfectly on time hide a lot of flaws, to say.

Not many Japanese are fluent in English - so again, the 'losing face' thing. Then again, I've talked with my fair share of terrible Japanese myself who only stopped being that way once they knew I knew what they are saying and that I'm Japanese [to be clear, though, these people were rude while among friends, never in a public party or pick up group as that would be kinda out of the norm].

I am not sure Id'd trust them. JP tend to communicate to establish or preserve harmony, and that often means being evasive or not clear. I don't mean lying; JP do worry about their english. But we have an example with "ps2 limitations"-they tend to put forth a non-definite or facesaving answer rather than just saying no, it's too hard to do it at this time.

[Usho]

jp players who didn't like the fact I was camping and NM and it lasted almost a month before a GM took action on them.

This.

I've personally experienced toxicity with Jap players in FFXI. Wither it be "jap only" ptyies, they steal the NM you've been camping for hours (and you can't tell them to ***k off cause they won't understand you due to language barrier bs) or the rare ones that used auto translate revealed themselves to be rude ***holes. Japanese people, SOME, not all, are very toxic and they don't necessarily have to be in your face about it either, same is true for the NA community.

As far as Novice Network, yes, it is toxic at times. As a mentor myself, I see mentors talk trash to newbies and it makes me cringe. Blacklist is back now so thank altena /blist add ?????? is now what I'll be doing to cut down the toxicity I see.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I'm Japanese/Chinese, and I think the reason you'll see or perceive the American servers to be more toxic is twofold. One, the US is far more individualistic than Japan, which is mostly taught from childhood to be more collectivist and focused on the good of the community rather than the individual (the whole 'nail that sticks out gets beaten down thing). Therefore, team play and making things comfortable and not embarrassing for anyone is a cultural norm and expectation. In a way it makes the harasser look very terrible since they are only losing face themselves and making the entirety of the community look bad at the same time.

The second is that while you might think the JPN servers are less toxic, they are still toxic in a different way. While we don't usually come out and say 'no', there are lots of ways to get the point across when someone wants to say something negatively or 'look down on' others, without outright saying it directly. This 'indirect toxicity' is something that may be hard for some to pick up, but it is definitely there (in the word choice people use, sometimes dropping honorifics or outright using insulting ones, etc.).

Soo - these are just a few of the reasons I can see why people may see JPN servers as less toxic, but remember that no matter what region you are on, people will be toxic regardless of area, since some people are just that way by nature. In the end, it is the individual who decides whether or not to be a terrible person - whether or not some countries allow it more than others is something to consider, though.

Essentially this, though I thought I'd provide a relatable example: housing.

- NA/EU players showed their discontent through taking to the forums and verbally criticising the implementation, how it was handled and the system as a whole. Make it abundantly clear why they're upset and how the system failed them.
- JP players said nothing. Their lack of thankfulness and appreciation evokes a sense of shame and embarrassment. Although indirect, JP was no less angry over Shirogane. This is also why when their criticisms did become more public, it showed just how upset their playerbase was. It's incredibly rare for JP to be vocally critical.

They aren't better, people are romanticizing them

For once, we agree on something.

JP often appears better because their indirect approach to conflict makes them outwardly seem polite and respectful, especially when Western culture generally lacks subtlety.

[Chasely]

Not many Japanese are fluent in English - so again, the 'losing face' thing. Then again, I've talked with my fair share of terrible Japanese myself who only stopped being that way once they knew I knew what they are saying and that I'm Japanese [to be clear, though, these people were rude while among friends, never in a public party or pick up group as that would be kinda out of the norm].

English is taught in Japanese schools from primary school on. Japanese players are just the same as NA players. Some are awful. Some are not. I often partied with people on both sides in FFXI and can tell you there are just as many kind, polite players on the JP side as condescending jerks who are nice in English while ridiculing you in Japanese.

[Avatre]

You will find toxic people in all walks of life, all ethnicities, regions, games, work places, and basically anywhere you will find people(Mars is still free of toxic people...for the next 50 or so years I wager).

Sure, the NA servers may be more vocal about it in open chats, but if you had the chance to dig into private chats/voice chats, then you would see it is fairly evident all across every region there is a human being.

[Dualgunner]

Maybe because people are polarized in their perception of NA: you either love it or you despise it, and in either case you glorify the extremes you perceive it capable of. In this case, acting as though its uniquely toxic compared to JP. As other posters have pointed out however, JP can be just as toxic, even if in different ways.

[Texa]

The Japanese community is less confrontational and prefers to chat privately but weirdos, creeps, ignorance, and the desire to troll others for a quick laugh are qualities found throughout the entire community regardless of nationality.