I could write a small threadnaught on the topic, or possibly a large one given time and motivation and sufficient boredom at work.
The perpetual flame wars and more directed attacks are symptoms of several things that almost led me to run screaming from EVE RP when I was first introduced.
The first and foremost is people constantly trying to “win” rp. So we get a lot of attempts at “gotcha!” moments during debate, rather than actual attempts to prove a point on way or another. The goal is to look good and sound smart and hope that people will assume you’re right if you just score more points than the other guy. RP just for fun seems to be largely absent, and when it does appear it attracts minimal attention.
Next up is the IC/OOC divide and the fact that in many cases, we only get to know someone IC and start to dislike them OOC based on IC behavior. So we end up with OOC dislike between IC enemies which them further motivates us to make out enemies look like idiots – or at least call them idiots and hope that we sound smart enough when we do it that people will think we’re right.
This is probably the greatest contrast between EVE RP and RL RP – I was in a larp where people were actively trying to kill my character, and then afterwards we all went out for dinner and had a great time. In eve, the intensity of IC conflict is the same, but without the OOC relationships to temper it, resulting in genuine OOC dislike and ill-wishes based on IC actions. As I already said, OOC dislike then leads to IC attacks.
Not that it’s impossible to justifiably dislike someone OOC – based on OOC actions, etc. I can think of people that I actually like a great deal more IC than OOC. But again, the problem is in allowing that OOC dislike to influence IC actions, leading to flaming in various forms.
I coulda sworn I had a third point, wtf was it…
I’m sure it’ll come to me. I found it amusing that the first three responses to this thread were essentially exactly what the OP was complaining about, it’s not limited to IGS - this is the internet. Ah well, I enjoy irony greatly.