Sindome is like an abusive partner. Sometimes, some days, you just want to forget how badly they've treated you and be cuddled. That's what has kept me connected to Sindome for the past two years: this idea that they could get better. That they knew what they were doing wrong, and were making changes to remedy it.

Unfortunately, as much as I wish I could say that was true, it isn't. Sindome has some of the best cyberpunk RP and gameplay that I've ever seen in a MU*, but it's wrapped up in a toxic community and toxic staff. If you can play this game with blinders on, and talk OOCly as little as humanely possible, and never, ever (God forbid if you do) ask any sort of question that might be considered 'stupid', you might get along wonderfully in Sindome. However, for those of you who like to have your questions answered, this probably isn't the game for you, because depending on the day and how cranky old Cerberus (one of the staff members) is feeling, because instead of actually answering your questions he's prone to throw hissy fits and state how a question is so stupid he 'won't even answer it'. The playerbase not only feeds into this behavior - that actually model it. The more of an asshole you are OOCly, it seems the better your character will do ICly. It's an odd paradigm that I've yet to see anywhere else, and it hasn't improved in the past two years.

Contrary to that, there are some really fabulous staff there. It's easy for me to say that some of the best deaths I've had on Sindome, and their uber-strict policy about thematic additions to the game is actually one of my favorite things. However, because of the toxicity I've experienced, I won't be playing there.

I'm very friendly when I talk to people, and especially over the internet where the tone of your text is so important. I bend over backwards to be nice to the staff on games, because I know they are volunteers, and I know they often times just want to enjoy their time in the game too. However, when I'm nice, I expect politeness to at least be reciprocated. I do not log onto MUDs because I like being treated like shit OOCly by the people who run it. I log in because I want to play in the world that we're all helping to create.

In short, Sindome is a great game plagued by OOC toxicity, elitism, and narcissism that makes my experience absolutely shit.