Dude, WHAT are you talking about?

Oh, my child, you have much to learn about the world of MMOs and their communities. A troll is a person who acts stupid in an attempt to get a rise out of you. They get a thrill out of it. In World of Warcraft, many players have... um... a "thing" for the Warlock's succubus. A simple way to troll these players is to say in the chat (usually trade for World of Warcraft), "omg wats with the sucubus? shes so ugly!" Always expect 1 player to take the bait. You'll get plenty of whispers and replies along the lines of "wtf is wrong with you," "ur gay," "go die," etc. As a troll, you have just succeeded in making people mad and you can laugh and pretend you just did something that matters. Another popular technique in MMOs is to trick the lonely guys playing it into thinking you are a woman. You flirt a little, lead them on, and when they tell you that they wanna date you, trolls simply go, "im a guy lol." This really messes with them and makes that lonely boy very angry and upset.

Griefing is another type of harassment. In this method, you pick a weak or susceptable target, and cosntantly PK (player kill), harass, insult, etc. You stop them from doing quests or grinding by killing all the monsters he goes after, etc. This tactic, while it doesn't cause widespread rage, frustrates and upsets the target so badly they will quit for about a day, or even completely quit.

Why are there trolls/griefers in MY MMO?

My friend, what you must learn is that ever since the beginning of mankind, there were people who enjoyed making other people angry. The caveman stole the dead carcass of another's kill for food. The Romans the Persians. England had the King. Schools had the bullies. And since the dawn of online gaming, there were trolls and griefers. This will not change, and will not stop. Atlantica Online? Trolls. Eve Online? Griefers. Hello Kitty Online? Ped- I mean more trolls. Yeah. That's right. Fact is, they are EVERYWHERE.

I'm scared! What do I do???

Whatever you do, don't cry. Because if you cry over the thought of trolls, you're a pansy and they are going to troll you so hard you'll be soaked in tears and your own urine. The first thing you need to do is know how to identify a troll or griefer. Second, prevention. Third, stopping a griefing/trolling that's in process.

Ok, I'm done crying and have emptied my bladder. So how do I identify a troll or griefer?

Although I didn't know that trolls and griefers scared you enough for you to nearly fill your pants, I will help you out anyway. A griefer is simple to identify. If you are being harassed for no real reason by a player that is usually more powerful than you, it's a griefer. Easy, right? Trolls, on the other hand, are harder to identify. A troll can be identified by publically stating the opposite of the majority of the communities attackingly. Usually, they have poor spelling and grammar skills. Lets say that the majority of World of Warcraft players think Death Knights are OP (or over powered), and it is being talked about by players who think it is OP, a troll will chime in, "lol dks arnt op, l2play." Or, a less obvious troll will go, "You guys are idiots. DKs are just as balanced as the other classes. Cry more and l2play." Rule of thumb is if they are opposing an opinion the majority has attackingly, it's probably a troll.

Ok... I'm feeling a little better. How do I not get trolled or griefed?

Alright. Prevention is key to avoid a trolling. If you spot a troll, whatever you do, DO NOT FEED THE TROLL. In other words, don't reply. He's just insulted your favorite class with no evidence to back up his claims why it's so terrible? DO NOT FEED THE TROLL. You just got a very rare item and someone says that you're an idiot, and that they already got 3 of them? DO NOT FEED THE TROLL.

So, you are now asking yourself as you read this, "Mr. Warden sir, I feel very strongly about [blank], and a troll has just insulted [blank]. How do I stop myself from replying??" Simple; you step back, take a deep breath, and realize it's a GAME that you're playing. If a troll gets you mad just from insulting something you LOVE about the game, you're taking this too seriously and need to stop feeling so strongly about a video game. I'm not saying to be completely indifferent about everything though. You can care about things, but there's no need to take it so seriously. That is one sure-fire way to avoid trolls.

Now griefers are an entirely different beast. You cannot avoid being griefed, seeing as these come on usually without provoking the griefer. There is a simple way to get rid of them though, I'll cover that in this next section.

Mr. Warden, I've accidentally reponded to a troll/I'm getting griefed! HEEEEEEEEEEELP!

Alright, to get rid of a troll, simply ignore them. Just stop talking. RIGHT AT THAT POINT. No matter what they say back. Add them to your ignore list. If you're mad and you just realized you're being trolled, they can continue to heckle you to get you to repsond. THIS IS BAD.

Griefing, on the other hand, is simple. Just get to a safe location and wait for a few minutes. Do not reply to the griefer's horrendous remarks about your mother, your sexuality, your financial status, or your genitals. Set them to ignore, and just wait. Griefers are usually impatient, and will leave after a few minutes of inactivity.

Is That All?

Yes indeedy. Just remember, no matter how many trolls and griefers, HAVE FUN. That's what MMOs are for, having fun.