"Try hard..." why is that an insult again?

[Wing Dairu]

I know exactly what you mean. The term "tryhard" just needs to go away.

 

[hazabaza1]

From what I understood it's when someone tries really hard to be good but still sucks dick at whatever.

 

[Harlemura]

The only time I feel "try hard" applies is when someone's going out of their way to show off how good they are rather than just playing the game, and end up ruining other people's experience in the process.

Most common example I can think of comes from playing TF2. I generally spend a lot of time on 2Fort servers, and being as boring as it is, sometimes things like little truces break out. So when you have about 5 Heavies from both teams sitting in the sewers just eating sandwiches and messing around, you don't really want a Sniper coming along and proving his leet skills by sniping a bunch of people who aren't even attempting to fight back.
I guess it's not really an insult, but that's what I think a try hard is.

 

[Zombie Sodomy]

I use try hard differently from most. I use it to refer to people to whom losing is physically painful. Where winning is literally their everything and it isnt enough that they win. Everyone needs to know they won. And every mistake or loss needs to be blamed, or deflected or excused on someone else. Every victory MUST be gloated about and every mistake a team mate makes MUST be mocked to the enemy team. These people validate themselves on others "Knowing" they are the best and its never their fault they lose and they are perfect. I hate these people a lot. THESE are try hards to me. Whiny attention seekers who demand fealty for the victories and sympathy for their "plight" should they lose and its OBVIOUSLY something/someone elses fault.

Wouldn't it make things a lot simpler just to call them needy pricks? I have to agree with the op that it makes no sense to attach a negative connotation to trying hard at something. It makes us seem really lazy. Not that we aren't, but do we really want to advertise it that much?

 

[IronMit]

Hard is the new Normal most of the time... since the 360 and PS3 came out

So 'try Hard' Can mean..play the game how it is supposed to be played and not like a casual gamer (FPS not included).
So I guess it can be an insult.

But more recently Normal is the priority so Hard is often unbalanced anyway.

Then some idiot tells me to play Absolution on 'Purist' which is completely unbalanced and is for metagaming.

 

[Ranorak]

It can range from a poor excuse from a losing party to a "Stop Having Fun" Guys [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StopHavingFunGuys]

 

[lRookiel]

Because those try hard scrubs in my LoL games are awful. :3

what was that about the LOL community being mean to newcomers again?

I'm actually fairly tame and have never uttered the word "Try hard" to anyone in particular. :3

I'll usually rage in skype instead about the "awful randomers" rather than getting myself banned.

 

[Beat14]

I just assumed it was for calling out people who are more invested in a game than the others they are playing with.

Off topic a little, I respond to most abuse when I play games in the same way, "Yeah, sure."
That seems to neutralise any sour puss.

 

[DasDestroyer]

The way I see it used and use it in Dota 2 is to insult people who do every little thing to win, rather than just playing for fun. Don't get me wrong, everyone wants to win, but when you pick the easiest character, use the easiest build on that character and then use the easiest pub strategy you're crossing a line.

And who would be the easiest hero with the easiest build that is actually worth anything against semi-experienced players?

OT: Only time I've heard it in DOTA 2 is when my team buys invis detection items against invis heros. Hilarious.

Drow Ranger with Shdow Blade. Even if you get dust, it's not like she ever needs to run away after raping your face, and good luck getting a random Normal-level pub to work together to shut her down when half the people don't speak english despite being on the US server and the other half just not giving a shit.
Or if more than 1 player - PL and KOTL. Enjoy getting harassed out of your lane while PL freefarms and see if your team cares.

 

[Lawnmooer]

"Try Hard" as an insult is usually referring to the fact that people whom it's directed at go out of their way to get any slight advantage they can via exploiting mechanics/item builds/talents and what not instead of actually having fun and learning how to play what they find fun to the extent of people whom they are trying to get the advantage over.

I rarely use this term due to the fact that I don't normally insult people, but there have been a few occasions when I have come across people whom "Try Hard" would be an accurate description of them:

TF2 - I mained Sniper, I had 200+ hours of Sniper alone (Also 80-150 hours of all other classes) I had gotten very good at the game, whenever I killed one of these "Try Hards" they'd opt for 1 of 2 options; Using the same class as me (They think the class is overpowered rather than me actually knowing how to use it) or they pick the counter class for me and use items specifically designed to kill me rather than to help their team. This has had some game-ending results of the entire enemy team picking Sniper to try (Often failing) to kill me while my team wins the game.

WoW - In Battlegrounds I hold my own, I do some capping, defending and the occasional bit of killing (If there's nothing else to be doing due to flags being held and waiting for a co-ordinated strike or something) often times I try and kill Rogues when I can since I know how much they can mess with key players on my team. This usually annoys them and on a few occasions I get the 2-3 Rogues on the enemy team going around as a group ONLY targeting me and all hitting at the same time. Again this tends to leave their team at a disadvantageous position (They're playing 2-3 down while my team only has me not participating) and the rest of my team normally wins.

These are the only times I've come across people whom I'd call "Try Hards", they try hard at getting revenge usually to the detriment of their team.

Edit:

The way I see it used and use it in Dota 2 is to insult people who do every little thing to win, rather than just playing for fun. Don't get me wrong, everyone wants to win, but when you pick the easiest character, use the easiest build on that character and then use the easiest pub strategy you're crossing a line.

And who would be the easiest hero with the easiest build that is actually worth anything against semi-experienced players?

OT: Only time I've heard it in DOTA 2 is when my team buys invis detection items against invis heros. Hilarious.

Ever heard any of the following:

GG then AM
Anti-Mage pickers!

I've heard it a few times in pubs and jokingly in some Competitive games, due to the fact he can farm up pretty fast and then just roll over most heroes.

 

[Woodsey]

growing up in the 80's it used to mean the person was a poser. they try hard to give the appearance but do none of the actual work, training, etc

Being born in the 90s, that's still what it means to me. If someone's being an unpleasant and overzealous twat trying to win a round of multiplayer, then they're just a twat.

 

[DSK-]

I've only ever heard the term in console gamer circles, truth be told. Almost always as an insult or as a badge of honour in regards to the seriousness they take in their respective game.

growing up in the 80's it used to mean the person was a poser. they try hard to give the appearance but do none of the actual work, training, etc

This too

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

To me, "try hard," like most gaming insults, speaks more of the accuser than the accused. There was a topic a few days ago asking people what they think are the worst aspects of gaming as a whole... I didn't have the time to read through it or post in it, but if I had (and I'm understanding the original question correctly), I probably would have said gamers themselves are the worst aspect. I can't stand the people who are so incredibly arrogant and/or insecure about a video game that they feel the need to trash talk. I rarely bother to dignify it with a response.

I don't play a whole lot of online multiplayer, but I see this a ton in pretty much all of the Call of Duty games. Especially lately in Modern Warfare 3. I was bored a few weeks ago and decided to pick up the game again for a distraction, and it's hilarious how much "try hard" gets thrown around. I was working on getting all the titles/emblems for each of the weapons, and man... that H&K MP-7 SMG was a massive target of their ire, as if the act of equipping it automatically puts your skill at the game into question. Nevermind that I used it exclusively to get the unlocks and then immediately ditched it, since I don't think it's as good as everyone seems to think it is.

But then a weird thing occurred where people started accusing me of being a "try hard" when I was getting the unlocks for the KSG-12 and SPAS-12. So apparently using guns that the community finds overpowered and doing well with them makes you a "try hard," and yet so does doing well with guns that the community finds underpowered. Just can't win, I guess.

 

[Vigormortis]

"Try-hard" isn't an insult for someone who is "trying hard" to win, or be skilled at, a game.

It's an insult to the fuck-wads who are "trying hard" AND belittling, talking down to, or demeaning anyone that isn't.

Those are the people I refer to as "try-hards". And that's when it's a derogatory term.

Or, in other words, the "Stop Having Fun" people.

 

[Darren716]

I think most people say it as a way of mocking people who are good at a game because they feel that the person who is good is putting all of their time and effort into being good at the game while the person saying the insult feels they are "too cool' to be good at a game because they are off doing other things that they feel the "try hard" doesn't do.

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

A try hard is someone who takes games way too seriously and often freaks out upon either victory or defeat. I guess its theoretical extreme would be some dude ranting how he's "MLG Mario Party" and re-enacts Hotel Rwanda after each lost minigame.

My apologies. That analogy was terrible. That's just how a regular game of Mario Party progresses.

EDIT: It's when somebody takes a game so seriously that fun and enjoyment have taken a backseat role to winning.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Because people insecure about their internet penises and make sure that even if someone cares more about the game than you you have to have ammunition to shoot at them at to prove to yourself that you're better than them.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

This is why I don't use the term, it's vague...