Described my many as a "troll", Dtox is undeniably one of the most well known players on Bootleggers. When I created the thread asking for the community opinions on him earlier this week, it was met with a fair bit of resistance as players claimed he did nothing to contribute to the game and instead was simply rude and offensive. The very fact that every single person knew who I was referring to and had an opinion on him proved (to me at least) that Dtox was worthy of an article.
It is, perhaps, impossible not to notice Dtox if you take part in the forums. Highly critical of others, and very sure of himself, Dtox launches himself into debates and arguments on the Game and Off Topic Forums. Sometimes it is to berate users on the Off Topic Forum, and other times he gets into serious debates from topics like how the game is run, to crew politics. It is too simple to merely attach the label "troll" to him, as he does not log in with the sole intent of causing trouble. It is the belief of this Buzz writer that the label has been applied because of his upfront nature. Others, too, back this view up. PrincessLuna described him as "an intelligent troll that is somewhat of a snob at times, but a great guy overall", and _TIGERQUEEN_ said that Dtox has "his good points and his bad points" and went on to explain that those who get to know him personally will find he is a "nice guy", but those who only converse with him on the forum would describe him as an "arse". He has his fair share of enemies, however. Twit said that besides Dtox's Tinychat group (an external chat room which is often hosted by Dtox), he is the "most useless player on the game".
It seems that no matter what your personal opinion of Dtox is, he is still a very well known name on this game. That doesn't necessarily mean he is beloved by all, but he is a player that it is worth knowing about before venturing on to the forums anyway. I managed to get an interview with him and asked him why he believed he was regarded as 'famous' on Bootleggers. Always quick to joke, he said "because I'm the best around. Nothing's gonna ever keep me down". It may also come as a surprise to learn that Dtox has and would be interested in playing the game again and even cited an example of a time when he used to be a member of The Syndicate, but "quit when he found out about all the cheating". We went on to discuss what advice he would give to a new player on the forum, who didn't want to be flamed by those who tend to dominate the threads and make them feel unwelcome. He said, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, that spells don’t be stupid. Don’t be an idiot and show some respect. You wouldn’t mingle into a normal conversation spraying your retard everywhere. You shouldn’t on BL". It seems like a reasonable respond from someone who is merely written off as a useless troll.
We even went in to some of his views on the game as a whole. He said that the staff is "lazy, incompetent, and unprofessional" and also went on to say that plays have been pitted against others who were "knowingly and willingly allowed to keep illegit funds". Dtox, despite popular belief, does seem to have some insight into the goings-on of the game and holds serious views which have been heard by many due to the vocal nature of the 'forum whore'. He explained his motivation for being so vocal about the cheating in the game, when he said that he takes great pride and joy in taking the sense of achievement that is felt by the cheaters away from them. He said that "there is no effort, honor, or respect to be gained from basing any strategy on cheating".
Dtox then, a controversial figure at best. But one that it would be unfair to simply call a troll and walk away. He clearly lives by some sort of code and is known by many. Love him or hate him he has been here for a long time now, commenting from the sidelines on the game and, as a result, has gained a great amount of connections and knowledge into how the game works.
In the next instalment, I will try to discuss a player who is directly involved in the goings on of the game and uses the game mechanics (i.e. shooting and/or banking) to exert power and influence over others, rather than reputation and the forums.
