Gaming and Anger

[SYSTEM-J]

I am not the calmest person who has ever walked the Earth. I'm pretty irritable, actually. However, the vast majority of my rage is directed towards videogames. In fact, I'd say there have been few occasions in my life where I've been angrier than when playing Pro Evolution Soccer. I've noticed amongst friends too, even very calm ones, that videogames inspire a disproportionate amount of rage, and there are endless online stories of game-inspired fury.

Why is this? Games are meaningless (although while I was working as a playtester there were occasions where I had to leave the room out of sheer rage - you can't hurl your pad at work), they are trivial, they are supposed to be pastimes, a source of entertainment, fun amongst friends. I've never become enraged by a film or an album or a book. Of all the problems in life - jobs, money, relationships, family - what brings us to get so worked up about something we're supposedly doing to relax?

 

[Irridium]

I'm not sure. But it gets really annoying.

I personally don't do that, but the whole thing is rather interesting.

 

[Generator]

Why is this? Games are meaningless (although while I was working as a playtester there were occasions where I had to leave the room out of sheer rage - you can't hurl your pad at work), they are trivial, they are supposed to be pastimes, a source of entertainment, fun amongst friends. I've never become enraged by a film or an album or a book. Of all the problems in life - jobs, money, relationships, family - what brings us to get so worked up about something we're supposedly doing to relax?

The frustration is not present in movies or books because a failure of interactivity. As for the frustration itself, it is a natural occurrence due to the challenge games generally provide; without this challenge, they wouldn't hold one's attention for very long.

 

[technoted]

The only time I ever get angry over a game is Warcraft 3 online, I swear to god I can die 100 times in a row on a game and have to spend another 10 minutes getting to the point where I died last just to die again and remain calm, but Warcraft 3 just sends me into mental rage.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Its the Same reason people get emotional with movies, books, TV shows, Anime/Manga, and many other types of entertainment mediums.

We get into them.
I know people who are an Iron Wall during a sad movie and yet bawl when a character the feel for dies in a game.
And Vice versa.

I get angry when playing games from time to time, sometimes because of the story and sometimes because of the gameplay.
Though iv found i rage mostly when im playing Fire Emblem.

If the Damn unit has a HIT of 93% HE SHOULD HIT.
And if my opponent has a hit of 11-23% HE SHOULDN'T F'ING HIT ME!

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

I'm not irritable unless my parents are involved. Games specifically don't make me angry. They are rather good for stress relief. Extreme depictions of blatant injustice/unfairness/asshole-ness do piss me off though (fictional or otherwise). Did I mention my parents make me irritable?

 

[Purplefood1]

Some games annoy me more than others.
but it's mainly what mood i'm in so i generally don't play to win but mainly to get the most deaths and hopefully that way i'll have a decent amount of kills behind it.

 

[manythings]

It is your input, something goes wrong it was your fault. If it was something out of you control you will feel screwed over by the universe. When we fail we get annoyed at ourselves. At least that is how I see it, I often find myself shouting with rage, e.g. Kill HIM! EZIO! Son of a WHORE!

 

[Tharwen]

N. Just N. It's so incredibly hard at some points, and it's so ruthlessly fair about how it makes you lose, that you have no choice but to ragequit, and then you lose the last four levels!

 

[replingham153]

Maybe because unlike books, films or music we have a physical connection with it and when things don't turn out right we get angry, knowing we wish we could do things that films or books might say we could, like blow up a doom fortress or something.

Plus, a main problem with angry gamers are they are killed by cheap moves, campers, snipers, noob tubers. Also, understand some people are just generally angry or have very little patience for something. So, yeah. lol.

 

[IxionIndustries]

I only really get mad at them when they give me the fucking run-around. Like, say you have to do some bullshit mission to obtain some artifact so you can summon some fucking demon or some shit. You go through, get the artifact. Then it tells you you have to charge it, so you travel to the highest fucking mountain to get it struck by lightning to charge the damn thing.
But then, it turns out, you need the other half of the artifact, and IT needs to be charged as well! So you have to go into the pits of Hell itself to get the artifact, then travel to the asscrack of humanity just to dip it in some magical sewage, and then you have to go to the deepest ocean to summon the fucking demon who wants you to sell the skin of an orphaned fetus to him to make him work for you!!!!!!!!!


.......I fucking hate that shit.
[small]Here's looking at you, Viking, you piece of shit.[/small]

 

[ItsJustTrivia]

The frustration is not present in movies or books because a failure of interactivity. As for the frustration itself, it is a natural occurrence due to the challenge games generally provide; without this challenge, they wouldn't hold one's attention for very long.

I would have to agree. The interactivity adds an element of competition and challenge to the game that can easily raise the frustration level. I think the fact that games are fairly meaningless actually makes it easier to get upset. There's nothing on the line, so you feel no need to show restraint or consider your actions. You can get as pissed as you want to with no consequences.

I'm in this same boat. I'm an incredibly calm, considerate and mild-mannered person most of the time. But video games set me off. Especially playing online. My roommate can testify I turn into a totally different person. Things come out of my mouth that never would normally. I tense up like crazy and flail around in anger. I'm surprised my controllers are still functioning from all the angry torque I've put on them. I think it's the competitive aspect of it.

I don't really mind it though. Even the calmest person has to put anger somewhere and I'd rather curse some anonymous asshole across the country than blow up on a friend or co-worker.

 

[Lazarus Long]

Games make you mad where other forms of media don't because a book or a movie may do something you don't like, but it's doing it to one of its own characters. Not you. It becomes personal, like if you were playing one-on-one basketball with... someone really good at it. Jordan? Is he still the go-to example of a good player?
If you were playing against Jordan, and he wasn't holding back in the least, and he wasn't trying to give you pointers, just shutting you out constantly. Yeah, it's only a game. But you'd start to take that personally pretty fast.

 

[Marik2]

I've never gotten mad at a game before, but I think its cuz Im a very calm person. The only time I wanted to throw my controller on the floor was doing this mission on veteran. But I kept saying to myself "Its all worth it"

 

[Gigaguy64]

Its the Same reason people get emotional with movies, books, TV shows, Anime/Manga, and many other types of entertainment mediums.

We get into them.
I know people who are an Iron Wall during a sad movie and yet bawl when a character the feel for dies in a game.
And Vice versa.

I get angry when playing games from time to time, sometimes because of the story and sometimes because of the gameplay.
Though iv found i rage mostly when im playing Fire Emblem.

If the Damn unit has a HIT of 93% HE SHOULD HIT.
And if my opponent has a hit of 11-23% HE SHOULDN'T F'ING HIT ME!

I hate that shit regarding hit rates. "FUCK YOU, YOU HAVE AN ACCURACY OF TWO HUNDRED YOU DOUCHE, YOU SHOULDN'T MISS TEN TIMES IN A ROW" followed by a string of unintelligible curses as the boss kills my characters because the stupid dicks can't fucking hit.

Dont get me started on the Critical Hit Rate.

"I GAVE YOU A DAMN KILLING EDGE AND YOUR CRT IS NOW 56, DO A DAMN CRITICAL HIT!"
If a opponent with a CRT of 7 can do a Critical hit every time why cant my unit with a CRT of 56 land them!?

 

[Harn]

I only get angry at games when they force me to do Escort Missions where the person you're escorting is roughly as durable as a piece of wet paper.

 

[Stilt-Man]

I think everyone gets angry at games to varying degrees. Whether it's a casual grunt or "D'oh!", or a blind, destructive rage. I've never experienced the latter for myself, but I gotta say, it's a blast to watch!

I remember a few friends playing something (I've no clue what) on Xbox a few years ago, and the one guy kept getting frustrated at losing/dying/failing. It started off with grunting, which led to red-faced screaming, which lead to dropping/throwing the controller, which finally culminated into biting the controller. BITING it. In the end, he chomped down on it, and broke a tooth. Over a game! I feel bad laughing at my friend, but honestly, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I love gamer rage!

As to "Why?"... I think Generator and manythings more or less nailed it... I've got nothing to add beyond my anecdote.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Its the Same reason people get emotional with movies, books, TV shows, Anime/Manga, and many other types of entertainment mediums.

We get into them.
I know people who are an Iron Wall during a sad movie and yet bawl when a character the feel for dies in a game.
And Vice versa.

I get angry when playing games from time to time, sometimes because of the story and sometimes because of the gameplay.
Though iv found i rage mostly when im playing Fire Emblem.

If the Damn unit has a HIT of 93% HE SHOULD HIT.
And if my opponent has a hit of 11-23% HE SHOULDN'T F'ING HIT ME!

I hate that shit regarding hit rates. "FUCK YOU, YOU HAVE AN ACCURACY OF TWO HUNDRED YOU DOUCHE, YOU SHOULDN'T MISS TEN TIMES IN A ROW" followed by a string of unintelligible curses as the boss kills my characters because the stupid dicks can't fucking hit.

Dont get me started on the Critical Hit Rate.

"I GAVE YOU A DAMN KILLING EDGE AND YOUR CRT IS NOW 56, DO A DAMN CRITICAL HIT!"
If a opponent with a CRT of 7 can do a Critical hit every time why cant my unit with a CRT of 56 land them!?

Or the everpresent "WOO I GOT A CRIT" feeling, but the second an enemy gets a rare critical "THAT'S BULLSHIT" because it is always bullshit when the enemy gets a critical and kills your men in one shot.

EVERY.
TIME.
Im playing Radian Dawn right now.
I love it but, its my worst nightmare when it comes to the HIT and CRT.

My opponents are pulling off stuff should NEVER happen.
And looking at their stats even their LUK is bad.

How about the Reinforcements that show up once you start to move your units away from each other, and they have Steel and Silver weapons, or high ranked Tomes.

Im barricaded in a small area for 15 turns, i finally defeat most of the units and start to move to the boss.
And here they come, Paladins and Heroes galore.

 

[Generator]

-snip

That's a very good point: Everyone needs to vent somewhere, so it might be at something as trite and meaningless as simple entertainment, which can't get mad at you back or get its feeling hurt. You know, this makes me see video games in a whole new way; not only are they incredibly fun, they also make great punching bags! [small](figuratively speaking, obviously)[/small]