Hello escapist forum users. I'm a long time reader/lurker and a first time poster, who needs some advice on how to handle some video game related conflict in his life. I choose to post this here on the escapist, because I've noticed that this is one of the bigger video game forums where the users are generally level headed, and well articulated posters; compared to forums full of trolls and fan boys itching to start a flame war. Oh, and and this post is really long, but please bear with it. I really want your opinions. If this post is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it to the correct one.
So I'm living in a college dorm, where everyone but me seems to own a video game console. I'm a bit of a fanatic in everything I do in life, so when I work, I work for 10+ hours a day. When I play games, it can be upwards of 5 hours or more if I have the time, and I'm enjoying it.
So one of my neighbors has a wii with Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This was how I was introduced to the game, but I became immediately hooked. Being a PC gamer for a little under half a decade, it's been a long time since I've played a non-emulated Nintendo game. But I love the controls,I'm dedicated, and 6 months later, I find I can hold myself against most people in the immediate area.
So I mainly play with 3 other guys on my floor. One of the guys owns the system and game, he's alright, but he doesn't take the game seriously. Another guy has been playing sine the game came out, but he doesn't have this killer instinct. He can win a match, but it's usually because he'll out play me, but not out smart me. But then there's this other guy, we'll call Charles.
So Charles has this killer instinct, like I do. I better explain what I mean when I say that. In a lot of games, there are usually flashy moves, that are really fun to use, and really cool looking. Or there's some technique that's not even that useful, but it's just fun to use. Brawl is full of these types of moves (Luigi's down taunt FTW!).The normal players will use these moves, because, simply, they make the game more fun. Killer Instinct people don't really care about that type of stuff when they get into the game. They just want to optimize their play style as fast as possible. That doesn't mean that a player without the killer instinct can't beat them, but that eventually, their play style just won't hold up over time. Basically, the mantra is "Do what it takes to win".
So Charles and I both understand this. I've never really asked him about it, but it's obvious in his play style. He'll ruthlessly hunt down players, and calculate exact hit boxes and execute moves with extreme precision. This makes him very machine like, which is usually good for me; after I figure out the proper counter. In contrast, my play style is all about maneuvering. I don't try to find the killer moves, and instead, I try and limit the enemy's moves, while keeping my actions open. Very different overall strategies, but they can seem really similar if you're not familiar with the game.
We basically started playing at the same time, so naturally, we're very much rivals.
Let me explain the way we play: The person who owns the console gets to pick the play style. After futile attempts at any meaningful time games, we convinced him to switch to a stock format with a time limit. This is the same guy who loves to build large custom maps, with tons of overpowered hiding spots, and unintended exploits for one character or another. Also, all items are on high. It's like that so that the losers can simply say "Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky in the next game". I enjoy it, simply because of the amount of crazy stuff that can happen in a brawl match.
Charles has very different tastes in games then I do. I like games with a ton of variety, even if that variety can be bad. So I tend to play a lot of FPS, and some DOTA. A lot of FPS games have a big community making more maps all the time, which can lead to really cool new experiences in the game itself. Of course, DOTA has so many characters and options, that the layers of strategy involved in a DOTA game is huge. I've been studiyng the game for abouta year now, and I learn new things about the game everyday. Charles likes MMORPGs. Whevever he's not playing Brawl, I see him running through some dungeon with his guild so he can get this item, or I'll see him pulling some griefing on some new players. An example of something Charles likes to do in games: one time he proudly show me how in Dark Ages of Camelot (I think), he could steal lots of gold from other players. He types "Hey you! Wait! can you please tell me where the nearest blacksmith is from here" He then continues to have a conversation conversation with the unsuspecting player. The whole time he hits the "steal gold" button, and laughs at the player's ignorance of such tricks. The whole time I'm thinking "Why would you include that in the game?" Basically, Charles doesn't really play to win. He plays to dominate.
When I play duels in brawl, I'm deathly silent. Nothing I say can help my chances. It's straight forward, totally skill based, dueling. But in a 4 player free for all, with all the items turned on, there's a lot of luck involved. Skills that are safe to use in duels, are suddenly suicidal in free for alls. If you jump into the middle of a fight, you'll get hit because there are up to 3 other guys waiting to hit you after your attack. The best way to play, particularly with a timer, is to survive. Charles realizes this in a different manner: by throwing projectiles at the main fight from the side.
Free for alls are also very prone to social engineering. If someone is ahead in life count, it's very much to your advantage to gang up on him, and bring his life count down to your level. Since it can be rather hard to dodge 2-3 people at once this is rather difficult. So during 4 player games, I tend to talk through them constantly. I'll call out where items are coming in from, I'll try and form alliances, I'll actively try and stop certain characters from getting the smash ball, etc. I'll yell at myself, I'll yell at my character, I'll yell at other people's character. I won't yell at other people, though. Charles is the opposite. He's deathly silent throughout the match, unless it's to tell me that I suck.
I like to teach people how to play the game. When someone's doing badly, I'll give them advice. Usually, it's ignored until the next match (why would I listen to him? He's trying to win!), but ultimately, I feel as though playing another person isn't about measuring your skills to his, but sharpening your skills against his.
Example: One time Charles called me on my social engineering. I asked for an alliance, and he told me "go f**k yourself. You break every alliance within the first 2 minutes." That's totally true. Whatever kind of talking I do throughout a match is only to benefit me. It's designed to set me forward by the end. I tell everyone that, but that doesn't mean it still can be useful for both players involved in the alliance.
So, 2 weeks ago I must have hit a breakthrough. I pick up a main character (Marth), and I decide that to win more often, I have to make people come to me, and not go to them. That's exactly what I do. I start edge guarding well, and before I know it, I'm winning a lot more matches than I used to. I still lose a lot, of course. But I'm now one of the threats, not just a player. In this session, I win 3 matches in a row through a combination of luck and skill. The next match starts, and our good player goes out pretty quickly, because he was goofing around too much. It's me, Charles, and the console's owner (he's not very good, remember?). The console owner is doing well, and has 3 lives, while we each have 1. It's obvious what we have to do here. Alliance time with Charles. I didn't even have to say it. Much to my surprise though, Charles completely turns on me. He edge guards me while the leader gets time to rest, easily winning the game as the timer runs down. Of course, I yell and argue, and get really into it. I plead "WHY DON'T YOU ATTACK HIM!" "Because your tactics are bullshit, and I don't want you to win again."
That's BS. No matter who your are. You don't let previous games get in the way at the game at hand. And you never take someone down with you. That's extraordinarily cowardly of anyone to do. No matter what I thought of Charles the person, I always respected Charles the gamer. He has some skill, and he refused to use his skills in a manner that he could actually win. Now he's lost that. If he had a problem with the way I was playing, he should have said it out of game, not during a game so that he could grief me.
I've completely stopped playing now. The amount of hostility that one person can build up in a game really surprised me. In the end, it's just a game. Yes. But the actions you take in game can affect people's opinion of you. Whenever I talk, or yell, or whatever during a match, it's the same as if I was watching a sports game. It's all within the context of the game. If you throw a match just to take someone else down, that has real-world hostility written all over it. I haven't talked to Charles since, mainly because I can't figure out whether he has a problem with me, or my gaming. But this wouldn't be a problem if he had left real emotions out of the game.
So if you really feel emotions while your playing, I urge you to not be like Charles, and don't act on them.
Thanks for making through the end of that wall of text. I wouldn't have written it if I didn't think it was important. What are your thoughts? Did I do the wrong thing? Is this my fault in some way? I really want to know.
So I'm living in a college dorm, where everyone but me seems to own a video game console. I'm a bit of a fanatic in everything I do in life, so when I work, I work for 10+ hours a day. When I play games, it can be upwards of 5 hours or more if I have the time, and I'm enjoying it.
So one of my neighbors has a wii with Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This was how I was introduced to the game, but I became immediately hooked. Being a PC gamer for a little under half a decade, it's been a long time since I've played a non-emulated Nintendo game. But I love the controls,I'm dedicated, and 6 months later, I find I can hold myself against most people in the immediate area.
So I mainly play with 3 other guys on my floor. One of the guys owns the system and game, he's alright, but he doesn't take the game seriously. Another guy has been playing sine the game came out, but he doesn't have this killer instinct. He can win a match, but it's usually because he'll out play me, but not out smart me. But then there's this other guy, we'll call Charles.
So Charles has this killer instinct, like I do. I better explain what I mean when I say that. In a lot of games, there are usually flashy moves, that are really fun to use, and really cool looking. Or there's some technique that's not even that useful, but it's just fun to use. Brawl is full of these types of moves (Luigi's down taunt FTW!).The normal players will use these moves, because, simply, they make the game more fun. Killer Instinct people don't really care about that type of stuff when they get into the game. They just want to optimize their play style as fast as possible. That doesn't mean that a player without the killer instinct can't beat them, but that eventually, their play style just won't hold up over time. Basically, the mantra is "Do what it takes to win".
So Charles and I both understand this. I've never really asked him about it, but it's obvious in his play style. He'll ruthlessly hunt down players, and calculate exact hit boxes and execute moves with extreme precision. This makes him very machine like, which is usually good for me; after I figure out the proper counter. In contrast, my play style is all about maneuvering. I don't try to find the killer moves, and instead, I try and limit the enemy's moves, while keeping my actions open. Very different overall strategies, but they can seem really similar if you're not familiar with the game.
We basically started playing at the same time, so naturally, we're very much rivals.
Let me explain the way we play: The person who owns the console gets to pick the play style. After futile attempts at any meaningful time games, we convinced him to switch to a stock format with a time limit. This is the same guy who loves to build large custom maps, with tons of overpowered hiding spots, and unintended exploits for one character or another. Also, all items are on high. It's like that so that the losers can simply say "Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky in the next game". I enjoy it, simply because of the amount of crazy stuff that can happen in a brawl match.
Charles has very different tastes in games then I do. I like games with a ton of variety, even if that variety can be bad. So I tend to play a lot of FPS, and some DOTA. A lot of FPS games have a big community making more maps all the time, which can lead to really cool new experiences in the game itself. Of course, DOTA has so many characters and options, that the layers of strategy involved in a DOTA game is huge. I've been studiyng the game for abouta year now, and I learn new things about the game everyday. Charles likes MMORPGs. Whevever he's not playing Brawl, I see him running through some dungeon with his guild so he can get this item, or I'll see him pulling some griefing on some new players. An example of something Charles likes to do in games: one time he proudly show me how in Dark Ages of Camelot (I think), he could steal lots of gold from other players. He types "Hey you! Wait! can you please tell me where the nearest blacksmith is from here" He then continues to have a conversation conversation with the unsuspecting player. The whole time he hits the "steal gold" button, and laughs at the player's ignorance of such tricks. The whole time I'm thinking "Why would you include that in the game?" Basically, Charles doesn't really play to win. He plays to dominate.
When I play duels in brawl, I'm deathly silent. Nothing I say can help my chances. It's straight forward, totally skill based, dueling. But in a 4 player free for all, with all the items turned on, there's a lot of luck involved. Skills that are safe to use in duels, are suddenly suicidal in free for alls. If you jump into the middle of a fight, you'll get hit because there are up to 3 other guys waiting to hit you after your attack. The best way to play, particularly with a timer, is to survive. Charles realizes this in a different manner: by throwing projectiles at the main fight from the side.
Free for alls are also very prone to social engineering. If someone is ahead in life count, it's very much to your advantage to gang up on him, and bring his life count down to your level. Since it can be rather hard to dodge 2-3 people at once this is rather difficult. So during 4 player games, I tend to talk through them constantly. I'll call out where items are coming in from, I'll try and form alliances, I'll actively try and stop certain characters from getting the smash ball, etc. I'll yell at myself, I'll yell at my character, I'll yell at other people's character. I won't yell at other people, though. Charles is the opposite. He's deathly silent throughout the match, unless it's to tell me that I suck.
I like to teach people how to play the game. When someone's doing badly, I'll give them advice. Usually, it's ignored until the next match (why would I listen to him? He's trying to win!), but ultimately, I feel as though playing another person isn't about measuring your skills to his, but sharpening your skills against his.
Example: One time Charles called me on my social engineering. I asked for an alliance, and he told me "go f**k yourself. You break every alliance within the first 2 minutes." That's totally true. Whatever kind of talking I do throughout a match is only to benefit me. It's designed to set me forward by the end. I tell everyone that, but that doesn't mean it still can be useful for both players involved in the alliance.
So, 2 weeks ago I must have hit a breakthrough. I pick up a main character (Marth), and I decide that to win more often, I have to make people come to me, and not go to them. That's exactly what I do. I start edge guarding well, and before I know it, I'm winning a lot more matches than I used to. I still lose a lot, of course. But I'm now one of the threats, not just a player. In this session, I win 3 matches in a row through a combination of luck and skill. The next match starts, and our good player goes out pretty quickly, because he was goofing around too much. It's me, Charles, and the console's owner (he's not very good, remember?). The console owner is doing well, and has 3 lives, while we each have 1. It's obvious what we have to do here. Alliance time with Charles. I didn't even have to say it. Much to my surprise though, Charles completely turns on me. He edge guards me while the leader gets time to rest, easily winning the game as the timer runs down. Of course, I yell and argue, and get really into it. I plead "WHY DON'T YOU ATTACK HIM!" "Because your tactics are bullshit, and I don't want you to win again."
That's BS. No matter who your are. You don't let previous games get in the way at the game at hand. And you never take someone down with you. That's extraordinarily cowardly of anyone to do. No matter what I thought of Charles the person, I always respected Charles the gamer. He has some skill, and he refused to use his skills in a manner that he could actually win. Now he's lost that. If he had a problem with the way I was playing, he should have said it out of game, not during a game so that he could grief me.
I've completely stopped playing now. The amount of hostility that one person can build up in a game really surprised me. In the end, it's just a game. Yes. But the actions you take in game can affect people's opinion of you. Whenever I talk, or yell, or whatever during a match, it's the same as if I was watching a sports game. It's all within the context of the game. If you throw a match just to take someone else down, that has real-world hostility written all over it. I haven't talked to Charles since, mainly because I can't figure out whether he has a problem with me, or my gaming. But this wouldn't be a problem if he had left real emotions out of the game.
So if you really feel emotions while your playing, I urge you to not be like Charles, and don't act on them.
Thanks for making through the end of that wall of text. I wouldn't have written it if I didn't think it was important. What are your thoughts? Did I do the wrong thing? Is this my fault in some way? I really want to know.
