I mean, I've bee on a lot of forums and most of them are extremely rude or immature, but perhaps I've just been to the wrong forums :P
Anyway, I just thought I would point this out :D
We have are moments... in both directions.
But I think the general good behavior can be attributed to a few things:
• The style of the game itself: It's cute. It attracts cute. It is humorous in a slightly edgy but very good natured way. It attracts people who are like minded.
• The non-competitive nature of the game: You really have to stretch to make it competitive. It makes it hard to get upset at other players and the game itself.
• People feel grateful and owner ship of alpha/beta: Alpha folks felt particular strong ownership (I only game in at the last moments of alpha). That carried over to beta. The game has always felt... special. Not particularly groundbreaking, really. But the right elements in the right mixture... It just has that "feel." Folk want to see it succeed... and they know that part of what will make Glitch work is a carefully balanced and supportive community.
• And, most importantly, Tiny Specks attitude: They are here. They are at the ground floor. They get involved in scuffles only when it is completely needed. On the other hand they are accessible. You see them running around the streets. You see them chat. (stoot has stepped in and "greeted".) Heck, a big mini-moment for me was that to get the "mail something to someone" achievement, I sent something to kt... and he replied with a simple thank you... But as a gaming nerd, that was a bit of a thrill for me.
I got a bit off topic (Sunday glasses of wine). TS has a light but direct touch with the community. They treat it with humor and joy. They're joy in the game filters down to us... and I like to think our joy in the game filters back up.
I guess it comes down to: Why be rude if you like where you are?
LOL. The staff helps, and there are a couple of members who work to keep things smoothed as they can. It's a community effort. A cornerstone of how this game is put together.
I'm also of the rather positive outlook that says the community and general cheer of the place will ride out the coming wave of players once Glitch goes live.
Oftentimes there is a, "But this is m-m-m-mine!" attitude when it comes to niche games and closed community tests. I experienced this with my beloved LotRO when she opened up as a F2P game. We had our subscribing clowns but this would open things up to the general griefers and there was very much an isolationist attitude in some corners of Middle-earth. But all in all the F2P "experiment" came with a great number of amiable, fun folks, not just meddling pre-teens whining that they don't get eagle mounts.
That's not to say that Glitch will usher in a poor community come launch (as was already wisely stated, the style and "flavor" of the game attracts a certain crowd), it's just to say that my hope is for Glitch to stay as welcoming and kind as it has been already.
I agree that the other members provide a nice pleasant atmosphere. I also think this is partially due to the majority of people being over the age of 18. It seems like most people here have families and work and lives in general apart from this game and the maturity shows. I personally am a loner in the game but I'll help people if they ask and am always willing to bestow kindness on random people (Random Kindness is probably one of my favorite items now). I like the community as a whole and even if we do occasionally have hiccups, it's not nearly at the level of most other games.