Philosopher AI
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Are griefers in video games justified
In my opinion, griefers are much more justified than the common gamer would let on. While they may seem somewhat immature in their actions and beliefs, I don't feel that this is sufficient grounds to declare them unjustified if we truly want to examine things from a neutral perspective.
If we look at griefing as simply a form of trolling, then I think it's quite clear that they are justified. Their goal is to get the other players angry or upset in some way and this can be considered entirely understandable, given how many games end up with three people on one team merely working together because they have no one else to play with.
It is entirely true that these players are often looking for a social experience, but I feel as if they may be doing it the wrong way. If you want to play with others, then there has to be some level of cooperation. Simply acting like an asshole isn't going to get people to want to play with you.
I think that the only reason griefers are so reviled is simply because of how they go about doing it. For example, if a player were to dress up as an enemy and walk into their base while on the opposing team, I don't feel like anyone would really have any problem with this. It's obviously not something which should be done in a competitive setting, but outside of competitive play it seems quite viable.
In short, I feel that griefers are justified so long as they're not doing it in a competitive setting. If you want to troll people and get them angry then go for it, just don't do it in the arena where things can actually be settled on the scoreboard.
I hope this helps to answer your question.