GG's Articles for a GG

[GalacticGeek]

Hi, for those of you who don’t know me, my (user)name on here is GalacticGeek, or as some like to call me, GG or Geek for short (I go by Galactic Geek on Xbox Live). As a long-time professional teacher, Xbox Live Community Ambassador, and United Enforcer, I do what I can to teach people about how to become better players online, and not just in how to effectively play a game better. No, I go a step further than that. If you’re the kind of player who often gets upset, sad, angry, or even vindictive while losing at video games, or whom likes to “rub it in” when you do win, then this topic is for you!

The following is a pair of articles that I wrote some time ago. Saved on my PC, I recently re-discovered them, and felt that it was worth sharing them with the Killer Instinct fighting-game community. I must warn you, though - it is a long read, but entirely worth it, in my opinion. I also encourage you to share these two articles with your friends or with anyone that you think might need the additional insight. Feel free to discuss them, at length, below. Otherwise, enjoy (and may your gaming future become a more positive one as a result of them)!

Trash Talking and Good Sportsmanship in Competitive Video Games
written by Galactic Geek

Video games are largely played by people of all ages for two reasons: (1) for fun and (2) to compete; sometimes both. Unfortunately, for many people, they lose the ability to have fun because others can take competing too far. When gamers get competitive, they often forget about having fun and will often try to do anything and everything they can to win, including trash talking. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to win (after all, there is not a person in the world who would actively enjoy losing for the sake of losing), it pays dividends to be careful in how it is done, because if done right, the competition can ramp up to unparalleled heights that can never be achieved from talking trash.

Talking trash, in essence, is a negative interaction. Even if a player meant it in good jest, it can still have unintentional negative ramifications towards others. Despite its negative connotation, millions of gamers world-wide make use of it. But why would they do this? The answer is simple: it is an effective strategy. Long before video games were invented, talking trash was used the world over in sports, war, and other similar activities (and still is even now) to get inside of the opponent’s head and cause doubt in their abilities. This in turn, would give the taunting player an inherent advantage. It was used as a way to shake their confidence.

An unfortunate, and potential, side-effect of this strategy, however, is the long-lasting effects and implications it can have on its victim. Even though the trash talking occurred in the limited virtual world of the video game, many gamers may be adversely affected beyond the game session long after it’s over and can, in worst case scenarios, lead to serious stress and depression as a result. It is for this reason that talking trash is considered negative and inherently dangerous.

Instead of talking trash directly to another player, a good idea might be to make a joke about the game itself. Take note of what is in the game and make a pun, for example. If you can get your opponent to laugh, you can still have the same affect that trash talking has by way of distraction, but without the negative ramifications of ruining their fun. In fact, because they will be having fun, they may want to continue playing, even if they lose. This in turn helps solve another problem: rage-quitting – and that is a whole other can of worms.

Showing good sportsmanship is the key to ensuring everyone has fun and is at their best. If you take the time to be polite and show respect towards your fellow players, you may find that the positive benefits far outweigh the negative benefits you may get from trash talking.

The idea behind competition is to see who is the best at something – a test of skill. When trash talking is introduced however, it does not involve skill at all – it involves under-handed manipulation. Rather than resorting to that kind of behavior, however, rely on your own merit instead. If you are truly better than the other player, than let your actions speak for you, not the other way around. If you let your words speak for you and then lose, you will only come off as pompous, arrogant, and/or a jerk. However, if you show good sportsmanship and win through skill alone, not only will you have gained the respect of your opponent, but you just might make a friendly rival out of them. After all, many gamers will agree that a close game is the best way to play. If you win by a landslide, it can be fun and feel great, but if it continues, it will only last for so long before boredom sets in. However, if you win by a large margin, then it will not necessarily feel fair to the losing player(s) and can result in
diminished morale, and of course, result in further losses for them, and less of a challenge for you.

A good way of showing good sportsmanship after a game is to discuss the matchup with your opponent - share tips and advice with your opponent after you beat them. For example, you can tell them how you were able to beat them in the 1st place by (politely) pointing out what they did wrong and how to fix it. This gives you 2 benefits: (1) it helps the other player improve and get better and (2) it forces you to change your strategy and make you a better player in turn. In doing this, your opponent will appreciate the advice and have even greater respect for you as a player and as a person. It is a win-win for everyone involved.

So the next time you play a competitive video game with someone, make a change for the better – do this and you will be surprised at how much better you will become, how many more friends you will make, how much more you will be appreciated, how much more you will win, and most important of all – how much fun you will have. After all, that is why video games were invented! To have fun!

Rage Quitting and How to Lose Advantageously
written by Galactic Geek

When it comes to competitive video games, you will lose – it is a simple fact. As they say, there is always somebody better than you. Despite this fact, it is important to remember that even if you lose, you can lose with an advantage.

Many gamers today are by and large emotional beings and will lash out in some way or even try and avoid losing altogether. This unfortunately has the side effect of players often quitting early and/or rage quitting. Quitting early, as the name implies, is simply quitting the game before it is over. Rage quitting, on the other hand, is a bit more serious and complicated because it is the act of not only quitting early, but doing so in a fit of anger.

Both quitting early and rage-quitting are frowned upon by most gamers. Doing either interrupts the flow of the game for all players involved. It might be a quick, simple, and easy solution for the person who decides to leave the game, but the ramifications are significant. If the video game in question is a team game, it leaves 1 team short-handed and at a disadvantage, which in turn affects the fun the other players on that team may be having.

Another form of quitting early is literally walking away from the game (but not leaving the virtual game itself). This has the unfortunate circumstance of not only leaving the team short-handed as above, but depending on the type of game, may even prevent other players from joining the game and otherwise taking the vacant player’s spot. While the opponents may appreciate the gesture, most players will not.

Rage quitting is very serious. Although it is a quick solution, it is only a temporary one, and will never permanently fix the problem. When it happens, it can create a domino effect. If you rage quit, it becomes a habit, and not a good one. If you lose constantly, you will start to rage quit more often and start to become angry every time you start to lose, even before the game is over. This will affect your concentration and become a self-fulfilling prophecy and turn losing into a constant reality. If you let this happen, you may find yourself never having fun with playing video games and eventually giving up the hobby altogether.

As mentioned before, everyone loses. There is no avoiding it – it will happen. So how can you go about making the experience better for yourself? Thankfully, there are two solutions: (1) stay calm and (2) use the loss as a learning experience.

Video games are designed to be fun! However, if it starts to affect your emotions negatively, then it will cease to be fun. For this reason it is important to remember to keep your emotions in check. It is incredibly important to remember that, in the end, it is just a game – not the end of the world as we know it. If you lose and are not happy with the outcome, do not lash out at other players or quit early – doing so will only ruin the other players’ fun. If you have to, become a Vulcan and shut down your emotions entirely. Of course, taking a deep breath will also probably help.

Once you have kept your emotions in check, you can think rationally (like a Vulcan!). This is where you can take the negativity of a loss and turn it into a benefit. Rather than ruminating on how bad the game was, or how much you dislike the other player(s), think instead about why you lost. Think back on the events that took place and start asking yourself questions by analyzing the situation: What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently or better? Even if you honestly think you did your best, you can still ask yourself questions: What did my opponent do that worked for them? How can I use that to my advantage? In taking the time to ask and eventually answer these questions, you will start a domino effect, like with rage quitting, but this domino effect is all positive. If you take the time to rationalize and work your way around the problems that are presented from losing, you will become a better player. If you become a better player, you lose less. If you lose less, you have more fun.

So the next time you lose, take a deep breath and instead of saying, “ah man! I can’t believe I lost!” say, “well, I suppose that could’ve gone better - but how?” If you can remember to do that, you are likely to find that your whole (virtual gaming) world will change for the better.

@TheKeits, @xSkeletalx, @FinchoMatic, and @Infilament - I particularly value your opinion(s) on the subject matter at hand.

[Sasuke99I]

It wasn’t that long lol. I liked the pun part. However,on ranked,things might apply differently.

[GalacticGeek]

@Sasuke99I

However,on ranked,things might apply differently.

Maybe so, but should they? Personally, I don’t think so. I f they must die by my hand, then I would prefer to kill them with kindness.

[Sasuke99I]

Yeah but helping with match ups and stuff might not be possible in ranked.