Overview of the Philippine gaming culture

I want to make this topic because the Philippine online gaming culture is very unique in different levels, and I would like to focus on popular MMOs.

Ever since Ragnarok Online cam out in 2002, MMOs, mostly Asians, have been everywhere.
Unlike Western countries (where ppl subscribe to companies), we Filipinos usually either purchase game cards on nearby mini-stores, or just hop-in a rowdy computer shop. The advantage of game cards is that you'll be spending it only during playtime; this means (unlike subscriptions) time is efficient conserved. About computer shops, most are quite cheap but still depends on the locations (malls tend to be more expensive; while local communities are very cheap). I only played in a computer shop once earlier this year, and I hated it so badly that I won't return to any other Pinoy computer shop again. This is where we stretch the point.

We all know Brazilians right? Yes, their known for ruining games and "inventing" the private server. Judging by this video alone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PjrTOjxjxk&feature=related and more explanation here http://en.alaplaya.net/forum/offtopic-f1519/where-the-br-hate-began-t432358.html, I think we can assume the sheer negative energy put up by BR gamers. Their socialist government and poor lifestyles are legit reasons, but anyhow... this is the same case for us Filipinos.

Here's a general scenario of an urban computer shop: teenage boys from ages 10-18 (heck, from all social classes) tend to hang-out with groups of friends, playing DOTA and other shitcake Korean MMO's, shouting their asses off, calling losers "WEAK", pissing ppl off by saying "PUTA"; basically it's a warzone. Getting to the more disappointing part, these kids usually check on internet porn, getting misinfluenced by older gamers, and try to focus more on games over studies. These are some of the reasons why the horrid behavior of pinoy players.
Now we're ready for the gist of this thread, the assumptions:

1) Crab-mentality. I would like to focus on this because this is overlooked by most ppl. Ever wonder why BR's, pinoys and other 3rd world gamers don't know how to RP (roleplay)? We simply focus on game mechanics and are very hypercompetetive to the point that we're missing alot of aspects in the game; while Westerners (mostly Americans) have that sense of interconnection to the game at large (ever heard of obsession cases?). We simply treat out game as simply a game. RP contains alot of artistics crap (trust me, it's even too complicated for me to handle) that the Westerners love. Damn, it's like we're just so poor that it extends to the gaming itself. That's a pretty nice find actually.

2. Assholes (ninjas/beggars/hackers). This saddens me, but this is pretty much true. Other ethnicity/race known to do this are the Brazilians (mostly then) and the Persians (now). Just like crab mentality, we simply don't care because we view the game as simply a game. I have to admit I'm not like that, but I get it. Let's look at it this way, if you ninja an item, what will happen to you in real life? If you beg, do you even feel shame? Moreover, who cares if you say "thanks"? It's pretty ironic that Pinoys are know for religiosity and high moral standards, our youth in the technological age behave like shit. It's gross, it's insulting, now that I'm one of the few to get the big picture.

3. Lack of networking competency. Again, this does not look like an obvious factor. Take a look at the Molten forums for example, http://forum.molten-wow.com/showthread.php?t=104469 shows a diversity poll. Shocked to see more than 70% are Westerns considering pinoys OUTNUMBER brits in most cases. Well, it doesn't seem to be a comprehensive proof, but I rarely see pinoys getting vocal/liberal in the forums. I assume most are what we call "sheeps" or ppl tend to follow large crowds. Take pinoyexchange forums for example which is probably the ONE and ONLY multi-topic forum in the country. I really don't care where we pinoys wanna socialize, I'm just encouraging them to interact more on the general social gaming communities, because ppl will surely understand in time and even make a good impression with other gamer ethnicities. Trolling is another story though...
... come to think of it, it's (only) the Americans who troll alot, so I'm glad we pinoys usually keep our mouths shut and do our own business, except the excessive cavemen yelling in computer shops of course.

Wow, just two?! Yes, but two big ones that we should avoid. Surprisingly, I would also like to stress out the negative points of Western MMO culture. Ok ok, I may sound bias in this one, but this truly reflects my observation over the past couple of months.

1) Drama-queens/ill-willies. Thank god there's not much pinoys having this mentality. Ok maybe some, but they rarely go serious about stuff. Really, most Westerners may have that purrrrfect English, but they really suck on comprehending even little things. I once kicked out an annoying players refusing to tell his gs, then he cried all over the place while the rest of the realm defend his pussy ass, no kidding. Not to mention the absurd cases of fights, pride, prejudice in the forums (yep, Westerners love to use general forums). Don't take the game too seriously folks. Just like the real world, you gotta have fun and stay strong. We Filipinos actually practice that.

You see this is why I got deterred from my local gaming culture, until I discovered WoW private servers in late 2009. Since then, I'm trying to develop this interpretative notion in MMOs.

Mind you, this is the only article in the web I've found that tackles the same issue and where the idea of this topic came from: http://sheetstormstudios.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/how-filipino-gamers-ruin-the-rp-in-mmorpgs/.

Really appreciate of some honest insights and more info, post it in the comment section, thanks.

Play well, play safe, play wisely, have fun and Mabuhay!