What is a "try hard"?

[MrHero17]

I've only seen tryhard in League of Legends but there I see it used(mostly by my friend) for when someone on the other team is trying to hard to get a kill and it doesn't work out for them. Like they'll try to turret dive him but then someone from our team is there and ganks them, than he'll sometimes call them a tryhard.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

I've heard the term before and it is the stupidest insult ever devised in any form of media in the history of mankind.

 

[Mr. Google]

A "try-hard" is someone who will do anything to win at the game, regardless of how unsportsman-like it may be. Tryhards are the people who start camping together in one building, and put up 5 claymores at every entrance when they begin to lose so that they can't die, or who go one-man army n00btube and spawn camps, or someone who only uses the most overpowered weapons in the game because they HAVE TO have the advantage over everyone. They don't care how they win so long as they win, as opposed to someone to plays the game for fun (at least this is how I understand it). It's basically a way of saying that the other team played like cheap bastards.

Yes thank you. I couldnt have put it better. It's pretty much a person being a douchebag just win the game when in reality it doesn't matter.

 

[Worgen]

as far as I can tell a try hard is someone who wants to win and not lose

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

A "try-hard" is someone who will do anything to win at the game, regardless of how unsportsman-like it may be. Tryhards are the people who start camping together in one building, and put up 5 claymores at every entrance when they begin to lose so that they can't die, or who go one-man army n00btube and spawn camps, or someone who only uses the most overpowered weapons in the game because they HAVE TO have the advantage over everyone. They don't care how they win so long as they win, as opposed to someone to plays the game for fun (at least this is how I understand it). It's basically a way of saying that the other team played like cheap bastards.

Pretty much this. They take the game WAY too seriously, and sacrifice the fun of the game for raw, completely un-fun, brutal competition. The people who consider people who are just playing for fun to be dragging the team down and don't deserve to be in the same server as themselves.

Dude, playing to win is fun. If you don't find attempting to achieve the victory conditions of a game fun, why play it in the first place? There are plenty of other games with other win conditions out there just waiting for you to play them -- and if you're the type of gamer who just likes to screw around on a server, not actually contributing to your team or trying to help them win, you really shouldn't be playing competitive gametypes online. In sandbox games like Garry's Mod and Minecraft, sure, goof off all you like. But in games that were designed to be competitive, you're doing a disservice to the other players if you aren't at least trying to win -- which is why it's so terrible that "tryhard" has become an insult.

OT: It seems to be a case of sour grapes. As someone else put it, the attitude is "if I win, I'm great and you suck. If you win, sure I lost, but at least I have a life am not a tryhard." Overall, it's a pretty pathetic argument.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Not much to add other than the fact that it's rather sad (though not entirely surprising) to see how negatively playing to win is viewed. It's also rather sad that there seems to be a belief that playing to win is somehow equated to not having fun. The fun I've experienced in nail biting fighting game battles against a fellow player who's also trying their hardest far surpasses anything I've experienced otherwise.

I'd suggest reading sirlin's article on the concept, but it's already obvious what the majority of the response to it would be without even doing so.

 

[Togs]

What scrubs call normal folk when they loose.

 

[Daestar]

The only time I heard the phrase was when an enemy player in Black Ops was using the Commando and pretty much would rapidly spray at anything he saw. So my definition of it I've got from it is someone who is just...trying way to hard and is doing with such little grace that the amount of work it's taking is really noticeable.

 

[Tdc2182]

Tryhard, in the general gaming community, is used as a derogatory term for someone who is beating a team by not sucking. That's it, really. People on the Escapist may have a different view on it, but that's how it's used by the majority of people in online gaming environments.

So, it's essentially saying "Stop trying and let me kill you, or else you're a tryhard who only plays for wins!1!!1!!11!!one!".

That seems to be the case to me. I recall watching a Street Fighter IV gameplay vid where a guy used throws in the middle of some of his combos and won. Some of the comments found this distasteful and accused him of being a "try-hard." There I sat thinking to myself, oh god forbid he uses tactics that work.

So, I'm guessing it's a catch-all term for people who play games with some semblance of skill.

Yet in a class based shooter like Call of Duty, using the cheap weapons will make you a "try hard".

You're putting on a class that has a superior advantage, and you are using it to mop the floor with me.

The only thing is, I don't want to play like this guy. I want to explore other classes that are unique and interesting. I very much don't want to be held down by a certain perk and gun set.

So when this person immediately starts to absolutely destroy me because his class beats my class in every way, it's easy to see me get frustrated. His tactical advantage is making my play style impossible to use. The only way I could possibly match him is to take up his very same class.

I don't want to do that. I want to use my class.

There you see the problem.

Edit: I think it's worth mentioning that I don't see any problem with the tactic in Street Fighter.

I've heard that's legitimately how you are suppose to play.

 

[Tdc2182]

For the game you are playing (Black Ops), a tryhard is
AUG Red Dot
CZ75 Dual Wield
Motion Censor
Concussion Grenades
Flak Jacket Pro
Sleight of Hand Pro
Hacker Pro

Yet the FAMAS is better than the AUG in every single way.
http://www.codblackopsblog.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-weapons-damage-chart/

 

[Maleval]

The definition that I would use has already been said, ie an insult aimed at making the other persons victory seem less then it really is.

I would like to share a great phrase I read somewhere online:

"In an MMORPG no matter how good or bad you are equipped, anyone equipped worse then you is a stupid noob, and anyone equipped better is tryhard no-lifer"

It is easily applied to any genre of competitive games.

 

[Professor Cubbage]

A tryhard is anyone who:
1)Uses Turtlebeaches for the sole purpose of hearing enemy footsteps
2)Sweats excessivley while playing
3)Is unable to talk and play at the same time
4)Kills you
5)Is slightly better than you
6)Wins the game

 

[purehatred89]

A "try-hard" is someone who only uses the most overpowered weapons in the game because they HAVE TO have the advantage over everyone.

I've only ever been called a try-hard for using the "under-powered" weapons and winning.

Try-hard has just become another generic, empty insult used by people who can't accept the fact they were bested, such as noob, and any vulgar word you can think of.

 

[Porygon-2000]

There's this weird stigma growing like a cancer in my fellow Americans. I've noticed it quite often in fact. Many people these days seem to believe that effort of any kind is somehow "uncool". It's pretty disgusting actually people judging others negatively because of excellent grades or athletic performance. I suspect it all has to do with some form of jealousy or another. Very alarming indeed sir i'm glad you brought this up.

Welcome to Australia! We have a name for that here: Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Myself, I just get on with my game, though I have seen far too many people take the objective way too seriously. I mean, if you're not having fun, why are you here?

 

[omega_peaches]

For the game you are playing (Black Ops), a tryhard is
AUG Red Dot
CZ75 Dual Wield
Motion Censor
Concussion Grenades
Flak Jacket Pro
Sleight of Hand Pro
Hacker Pro

Yet the FAMAS is better than the AUG in every single way.
http://www.codblackopsblog.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-weapons-damage-chart/

Wait, I thought they nerfed the Famas.
I don't really care, I don't play Black Ops either way

 

[DustyDrB]

"Tryhard" is a complement. It means you're much better than whoever is calling you that.

 

[LITE992]

In my school, there's a group of people similar to to "tryhards." They're called "pacers" because our advanced placement classes (or something) are known as "PACE." Most of the non-pacers don't like the pacers, probably because they are "tryhards." This makes me raise my unibrow \:|

 

[razelas]

I've heard the term before and it is the stupidest insult ever devised in any form of media in the history of mankind.

This. A million times this.

It's the epitome of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance.

 

[Saelune]

It is something people call me when show skill instead of laziness by accomplishing my tasks set before me. Its as insulting as when people call me gay, since I basically am. These are the same people who use hardscoper as an insult too, and that is to use a sniper for its intended purpose in its intended way as opposed to cheating via exploiting the aim assist function that hopefully will be removed in MW3.

 

[Raika]

'Try-hard' is a term used by people who lose at a game and don't want to own up to their loss. Such people take the game more seriously than the people they're referring to as 'try-hards' or 'no-lifes', but choose not to put forth the necessary time and effort to get better at the game, instead choosing to blame their defeats on better players. An excellent example is people who complain about an opponent's choice of character in a fighting game, such as the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 online player base who will insult you heavily if you use Dante, Wolverine, Gouki, Wesker, Phoenix, or Sentinel. They accuse Dante/Wolverine/Gouki/Wesker/Phoenix/Sentinel players of not caring about fun or wanting to ruin other peoples' fun, but the irony of this statement is that the objector is so closed-minded that the only definition of 'fun' that they acknowledge is their own. It never occurs to these people that perhaps employing provably effective tactics, progressing as a player, and learning more about the game is fun to some people.

tl;dr edition: If someone calls you a 'try-hard', then that person takes the game more seriously than you do, despite being worse at it, and is so obsessed with himself that the only opinion he acknowledges is his own.