In Maple Story, one of these most said internet acronyms is the game-specific term CC. CC stands for Change Channels and taking the words in isolated events, it is asking someone to remove their avatar from the current channel space and relocate to another. Basically, it is asking people to get the heck out. Or is it? The former, detailed definition prompts a very subtle, but blunt way of stating someone’s intent. The latter provides a very harsh terminology that offends everybody who hears it. The latter definition is the most taken connotation of the term and is where the loathing of the acronym comes from, which is along the lines of general internet gaming words such as n00b (typically representing a new player to the game, but often used as an insulting name along the lines of dumbass) or pwn (which is used as an action word revolving around success, but is also a harsh and blunt way of saying “I just kicked your butt, buddy&quot. Since the term CC is a very isolated phenomenon, researching the usage is limited to knowledge only for the players of Maple Story. However, the data could have ramifications to internet speak in terms of what words become positively connotative and negatively connotative.

One of the first aspects to the term CC is the giver and the receiver, who is giving the order to CC and who is taking the order to CC. Defining who gives the order can be segmented into high level players, mid level players, and low level players along with things like veterans and newcomers. For this study, we are using newcomers and veterans in differing values. This is possibly the best option because it involves aspects such as knowing the term CC to empathic feelings (or lack of) and such. Thus, defining newcomer indicates a person, not character, who is new to the game without any prior experiences with the game and the veteran is a tried and true player who understands multiple aspects of the game, Maple Story.

The encounter with the least amount of conflict involved is when the receiver is a newcomer and the giver ranges from a veteran to a newcomer who understands the term CC. The encounter is similar and becomes the basis to the phenomenon. A newcomer Warrior-Class at around Level 16 attempts to kill pigs within Pig Island. However, a veteran Mage-Class with 27 levels under their belt immediately asks them to “CC.” Although different factors are given, sans these areas the encounter is very basic. The mage feels encroached by an apparently newer player of the warrior class and wishes them to leave in order to better facilitate their gaming experience. Basically, they want to be able to play the way they were without others around. Analyzing this experience, we must detach things to keep the analysis purely basic. The list below is not comprehensive, but gives an idea of what we need to distinguish as factors and what add to the basic experience of a newcomer hearing the term CC:

– The fact that an MMO involves hundreds, thousands, and millions of people playing simultaneously. This comes into play later as well because with this fact in play, ultimately asking someone to CC is a futile effort because there will be more people coming across the same training grounds.
– Levels play a key role in communicating certain feelings. In this example, the mage being level 27 is close to the second job advancement, and may wish to level in the most efficient and least time consuming way – even if it means hoarding all the monster kills for themselves.
– Differing opinions in classes can also come into play. Warriors and mages are essentially on the opposite spectrums of gaming. Warriors and their method of play are fundamentally different from mages. Swords and staves go hand in hand as well as on opposing sides.
– Along with hoarding kills, hoarding drops is another reason to have someone CC

To keep this short for now, the basic encounter is when a relatively more experienced character is telling a less experienced character to CC. With this initiation, the resulting consequences can become asking what the term CC means, misunderstanding the usage of the term CC, or completely ignoring the requests of the other player. With an understanding of the term it branches off again into either fulfilling the request or ignoring the request. Misunderstanding, although can lead to numerous things, boils down to the options within understanding the term (because the mage will essentially beat their superior drum and “school” the warrior on what the hell changing channels means, but not necessarily why). Complete ignorance of the request leads to very harsh conflicts with consequences such as kill stealing (or the act of taking away other player’s intended monster kills).

Sources and observations to follow along with the other encounters, I just wanted to write something while I was in a boring Sociology class with too many outspoken classmates. <_< I hope this wasn’t too boring and sort of interesting?

Comments: Thanks for your comments readers! Very true, a blog is not meant for the bumpage rule. I see now you can easily justify one liner post in the forums, such as keeping a post up to the front page because of its informative nature (until it gets stickied, if possible).

UPDATE: Fixed the blog looking like a huge wall of text. And took out the swear words, for the kiddies. No seriously, no joke.