No one likes a toxic gamer, but how do you know when you’re turning into one? Be on the lookout for these nine behaviors.
1. Cheating in Multiplayer Games
Toxic gamers love to cheat because it allows them to beat players who are playing by the rules easily. They don’t care about getting good because they want to win at all costs. And if their cheating ways ruin the experience for everyone else, so be it.
For example, they can use an aimbot in a game like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) to have perfect aim. That way, they can easily gun down opponents.
2. Telling Someone They Aren’t a “Real” Gamer
There’s diversity in gaming, and that is a good thing. While some people love putting hundreds of hours into “Soulslikes” like Bloodborne, others pour the same amount into more casual experiences like Candy Crush. However, there’s no need for the former to tell the latter that they aren’t “real” gamers.
But toxic gamers do it nonetheless, and it’s known as gatekeeping in video games. The goal is to make other players feel bad for not liking the same genres as them simply because they believe their preferences define gaming. And since everyone has their own criteria for what counts as a “real” gamer, the concept is ultimately meaningless.
3. Being Liberal With the Insults
When playing online, not everything is going to go your way. However, toxic gamers will insult their opponents or teammates during, or after, they’ve had a poor game. And they will carry on with this terrible behavior even when they’re the ones in the wrong.
Cursing out others like a sailor online is simply cyberbullying. And many gamers will not hesitate to report toxic gamers, so they’re kicked out of the game or even the community.
4. Intentionally Provoking Other Players (Griefing)
Griefing is the act of joining an online game for the explicit purpose of provoking others to the point they become annoyed or angry. A griefer doesn’t engage in this behavior to win, but torment other players, even their teammates, to ruin their fun. They usually do this by understanding the rules and systems of the game and then using them in unintended ways.
Griefing happens in almost any multiplayer game and is a huge problem in gaming since it is another form of cyberbullying. And although some game developers have implemented systems for reporting griefers, the most prolific offenders will have multiple accounts. This has made the act extremely hard to stop.
5. Rage-Quitting in Competitive Online Games
Rage-quitting is when you quit a game because of frustration, and almost every gamer has done it before. A rage-quit usually isn’t a big deal if the outcome only affects you like in a single-player game. One can even argue that it’s not a big problem when playing a 1v1 match where your opponent wins when you rage-quit.
Rage-quitting becomes toxic when a player leaves an online match and causes an imbalance. An example would be a player leaving a team-based battle royale game prematurely because an opponent downed them. People do this to quickly jump into another match without caring if their teammates can revive them or are at a disadvantage.
6. Camping
When someone is camping in video games, it means they’ve found an advantageous position on a map that they can easily defend while picking off other players. Campers usually find spots where their opponents usually pass by or respawn, making them easy targets.
Camping is the bane of online shooters because it’s lazy gaming. Less-skilled gamers can rely on it to score quick and easy points, instead of using their skills and utilizing the entire map to engage their opponents in battle. Anyone who is camping is basically cheating and ruining the fun for everyone.
7. Boosting
Boosting is when two friends join a match as opponents and then beat on or shoot each other to score easy points. Another way players engage in this behavior is by letting a highly skilled player take over their account. That way, they can quickly rise through ranks and appear as though they’re a rookie who’s a force to be reckoned with.
Boosting is toxic because it attempts to manipulate a game’s ranking system and earn in-game rewards through cheating. It is unfair to other players who have earned their standings and rewards through hard work, making it toxic.
8. Smurfing
Smurfing in video games is when a highly ranked player creates an alternate account to play low-ranked players. The other players in the game will think they’re up against someone on their level, but in reality, they’re no match for the smurf.
There’s nothing wrong with creating another account if, for example, one wants to escape friends they no longer want to play with. But when they do this to dominate others below their rank, it creates a lot of frustration. And this is not fun for anyone other than the smurf.
9. Harassing Game Developers
More often than not, the people developing a game aren’t in charge of the decisions that affect the final release’s design, launch, or post-launch support. But this doesn’t stop toxic gamers from harassing them when they had no choice but to follow the mandates of upper management. These gamers are looking for someone to blame for a ruined experience, and they don’t care who it is.
Don’t get us wrong; it is okay to express displeasure and offer constructive criticism. However, when people verbally abuse developers or even issue death threats, they become toxic gamers.
Don’t Be a Toxic Gamer
While toxic gamers are rampant in gaming culture, it doesn’t mean that you have to be one of them. If you’ve ever done the things mentioned above, then you’ve engaged in toxic gaming. And even if you haven’t exhibited these behaviors, you know what to look out for so you never become one.
The next time you’re feeling tempted to cheat, insult someone, camp or smurf, take a deep breath and say, “I will not be a toxic gamer.” Keep gaming positive and fun, not negative and frustrating with toxicity.
