While gamer rage doesn’t have the dire consequences that road rage does, you will find that frequently engaging it has harmful side-effects. It makes people block you, it gets you less invites to groups and guilds, and in the end, you’ve wasted a lot of energy on doing nothing productive at all. No one responds well to abuse, and all you’re doing is making yourself look bad. The next time you start to feel the creeping effects of gamer rage, consider these tips to calm yourself down.
Shut Off Communication
If you are playing a game that does not require communication, shut it down. There’s no need for you to know what people are saying in the general channel or in the trade channel, and if that is where your rage is coming from, you’ll find that it is best to just close them.
Don’t Break Things
We all get upset about things, but the last thing that you want to do is to take it out on your gaming equipment. If you find that your hands are shaking because you are so mad, go punch a pillow. It beats dealing with shattered equipment.
Drop Your Voice
When you raise your voice, you are putting more adrenaline and more stress into your system. This is the last thing that you want, so take a deep breath and drop your voice. Speak in a level fashion, and do so calmly.
Take a Break
If this is not an important game, if you are not actually in a tournament, it is time for you to step back. If your group keeps wiping, or if you cannot deal with what is going on, you need to step back to get some fresh perspective. Put down the controller or your mouse and go.
Reevaluate Your Group
If you have been grouped with people you cannot work with, that’s that. Don’t bother about trying to convince them that you have the best idea of what should be done. Do not think that you can change people’s mind; just accept that you can only change your actions.
Warm Up
If you have reached something frustrating in a game and you keep going back to it over and over again, stop. Head back a level or do something else that is challenging but that you have handled before. The truth of the matter is that you cannot always jump in cold and be at your best. A little bit of practice can do you a lot of good. It improves your game, and it lets you ease into the flow of things. Remember that previous save points can make a huge difference. You do not always need to use the most recent save point at all.
Save Early, Save Often
Save early, save often has been a gaming mantra since the first rpg’s of the ninties, and the truth is that it is still true today. Everyone has been in that place where they are rushing forward in the game, and then something happens and they lose hours of progress. If you can save, do so regularly. If you look back at something and realize that you may not want to play it through again, save the game.
Take a moment to think about how you can keep your temper when you are playing your favorite games; its easier than you think!
Arthur Sandlin has worked as a video game developer for the past 12 years. He recommends finding information on professional gamers by checking out madcatz.com.