GearScore and why it's ruining the World (of Warcraft)

No blogpost yesterday - I was ill. Sorry for that.
Today I will discuss one of the biggest sources of QQ to date: Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the bullshit that is GearScore!

Yes, I know the subject has been discussed to fucking death, but I want to discuss it while it is still relevant.

Whatever, asshole.

GearScore is great!
Yeah, I think GearScore is a great AddOn and a good idea that has been developed nicely. The AddOn and the system it provides gives a clear, objective score based on a player's gear and makes it easy to see if a certain player is geared enough for a specific place. But it ends here. A lot of people seems to regard this score as a score that rates the level of the player himself, contrary to what is said in the name of the AddOn. It does not rate the player but only rates - as the name of the AddOn suggests - the gear of the player. No achievements, damage meters, healing meter and overall experience and skill is taken into consideration. Only the gear. Not even the sources of gear are taken into consideration - for example the iLevel 245 headpiece from badges gives the same amount of score as a headpiece from ToC25, despite it being so much easier to get.

How many people regard this score as a picture of the skill and experience level of the player I do not understand. He may be geared for the instance but he may never have done it before and he may not have the best gear but he may have been through the place. Again, it does not include skill or achievements and therefore dumping a player based on what an AddOn says about his 'score' is stupid.

The other day, I was trying to find a PuG to do the Raid Weekly. I stumbled upon this paladin in general chat who wrote: "LFM Weekly Raid: Marrowgar, /w me gearscore". I wrote to him: "I can come, priest healer, but I have no idea what my gearscore is." He replied: "kk, np. You can come anyhow."

What the hell? You only want people with a certain gearscore to come, and when I tell you that I don't know what my gearscore is, then it fucking doesn't matter? Besides, you did not ask people to know tactics or show what they are able to perform. Some people just have skill and is able to pull way more DPS because they just play a certain way. Bring some of those, those people fucking rule!

My point is: GearScore is no proof for skill and no proof for experience. It can therefore not be used as a factor when picking raiders or people. And nor was it intended to do. It does not include the things that makes a good player good - achievements, experience, the sources of the gear etc. - but only takes into consideration the gear that the player is wearing. A factor that, by itself, cannot be used to determine whether or not people are good or not.

- Farinar over and out!
Be epic but stay legendary!