Why is griefing fun?

[Watto44]

Interestingly, I've been griefed like this about twice on a PvP server. (Ganked many times, but that doesn't count.) Does it result from small minded people rolling on the wrong server types? To my mind you can engage in these types of activities on a PvE server with far little expectation of reprisals. Where as on a PvP server you know that eventually you're going to get CC'ed out of the zone by an unhappy (and probably torch weilding) mob. Not having to worry about the repurcussions of one's actions, whether it's because you're hidden behind your computer or are on a PvE server, probably leads to 99% of this sort of behavior. (I'm figuring that there's probably 1% of people who do this and would do it in RL as well.)

I've long wondered if we see so much of that crap online because it's very difficult to strike back, thus folks who have had it done to them, feel the need to do it to someone else, knowing that there is pretty much zero that can be done back to them.

Though in my many travels, I'm finding that more and more people are just outright mean, and very "me" centered. ~I~ am enjoying myself. ~I~ am having fun. ~I~ want to do this, and ~I~ can, so nyah nyah to you. They don't stop to consider, or more likely don't even CARE that their fun is coming at the expense of someone else. They had their moment of pleasure, so that's all they care about.

It's pretty sad, really.

I think that's pretty much spot on, but the question I'm interested in is does WoW encourage that sort of self-centered attitude? Sure, it's very much a social game with strong elements of team building et al, but it also encourages a certain amount of ruthlessness if you want to be "the best". Guild/arena team jumping are common symptoms of this, but you can see it in a small way in many aspects of the game: tapping that mob before the other player, stealing the quest spawn before the poor bugger who's cleared the area, etc. (Remember when you weren't automatically grouped in a BG? Selfish play was absolutely rampant.) Is WoW a game that nurtures a more social, fuzzy bunny ethos or are players rewarded too well for ruthlessness?