Why some gamers act like punks during online play

by Blake Snow { Mar 21st 2007 at 4:20AM }

According to one report, griefer complaints make up 25% of all game-related customer service calls. Said punks sabotage teammates, talk like dirty sailors, hail Hitler, and are in your screen, ruining your game. So what encourages such anti-social behavior? GamePro's aptly named Vicious Sid talks with a psychiatrist to get some answers.

The gist of griefer existence boils down to rogue leaders looking for attention. They are either a "defiant leader" not knowing where to align their objectives, or a black sheep (also called a "scapegoat leader") looking to disrupt a game's cadence or simply annoy. So what should you do next time you encounter one? Be nice or at least patient. That'll usually diffuse their desire contrary to reacting negatively. Read on for the full analysis.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

reppy @ Mar 21st 2007 4:49AM

*says something provocative that will cause a flame war*

Seriously though, "griefers" are annoying as hell. I just can't fathom what joy you could derive from making other people's ONLINE GAME experience suck.

Phil @ Mar 21st 2007 5:10AM

Or, some people are just assholes.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Mar 21st 2007 5:17AM

I *WORK* with these kinds of people. I'll never understand why people enjoy being assholes. If you don't want to work, fine... just don't.

But NOOOOOOOO!

Meowfaceman @ Mar 21st 2007 5:18AM

I always got the impression that a great deal of griefing was kind of like a hazing ritual. If you can wade through the shit, you're in the circle. Of course, there are also a great deal of griefers who are just out and out assholes.

kyou @ Mar 21st 2007 5:30AM

Everyone knows that Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19

It's basically that. It's a "normal" bully who's pretty much a coward in real life so he uses the safety of the internets to hide. In other words, teenage angsty cowards.

Fioter @ Mar 21st 2007 5:58AM

Its the same reason people act like assholes on blogs like joystiq and such. Im a very nice person in real life, but, sometimes i like being an asshole online simply because i can (as long as dont get banned of course).

RogueJedi86 @ Mar 21st 2007 5:58AM

It's because most people play games to relax, to vent the frustrations of life. Nothing vents it better than lowering your inhibitions, by cursing and being mean to others. Things we can't normally do in our daily lives. The fact that we don't actually see the faces of those victims of our venting, makes it that much easier to feel less guilty about it.

Miles @ Mar 21st 2007 8:11AM

If you could say the shit you people yell out online, in real life without reprecussions, every ten seconds i'd be called a nigger or fag. There's no penalty so people just like being dicks naturally.
Its kinda like when a fanboy blatanly lies about their system, because they no , nothing will really happen to them.

Blink @ Mar 21st 2007 8:17AM

@5

It's hardly restricted to teenagers.

felixlighter @ Mar 21st 2007 8:22AM

The idea that someone can be a nice person in real life but an asshole when anonymous, just doesn't make sense to me. If you're an asshole online, your an asshole in general. Some assholes are just afraid to show their true self in real life, where there are actual consequences to their actions.

Neal @ Mar 21st 2007 8:34AM

I think its basically when people are in groups, its funny to be stupid.

I've watched my friend join online games and turn around and kill his teammates, and, in all honesty, its sometimes pretty damn funny. Yeah, it screwes up a lot of people fun, but, shit happens sometimes, thats what you get when you require internet friends to entertain you.

Evan @ Mar 21st 2007 8:39AM

... And I thought it was just because they are picked on in school, and compensate by taking out their frustrations online.

rfom @ Mar 21st 2007 8:40AM

Just curious..would users on Live Gold be more or less likely to fall in this catgeory? What do you think, does a paid service result in more mature players OR would a greater proportion of punks likely go for paid multiplayer, what is more likely?

Myke @ Mar 21st 2007 8:51AM

I'd say from personal experience that most people who pay for thier online experience are SLIGHTLY more mature, but not by much at all. There are still those folks who take the fact that they have paid to play as some sort of a mandate to talk however they see fit, which is almost more annoying because now they're PAYING to be assholes.

Reapz @ Mar 21st 2007 8:52AM

Some of the best games of BF2 I've ever had is when someone TK's me and to get revenge I TK them back. Then everyone just goes TK nuts and this one time at band camp, it was actually fun.

Matt B @ Mar 21st 2007 8:59AM

This is almost a constant on Counter-Strike servers. I end up muting half the losers by the end of the map.

Jake @ Mar 21st 2007 9:04AM

The worst experiences I had were with the SOCOM series on PS2. On Live, it is usually pretty decent, depending on what game you play. It does seem like Gears is getting over-run by angst coward teens, as someone previously put it. That is why it is nice to have a big friends list.

I find that teenagers 18 and under are about 10 times more likely to be unbearable to play with. They're more likely to TK, chant annoying Spongebob sequences and crap, and just overall ruin the experience. If Live somehow could match you in games by the average amount of treble in your voice I would be one happy man.

But, young adults (18-22) are just as likely to trash talk and be assholes. That doesn't really annoy me though. I actually like getting into that between rounds. The only problem is that some people take it too seriously, especially when you criticize their ability to play the game.

Neal @ Mar 21st 2007 9:12AM

lol @ matching you up with other players by the treble in your voice.

lol @ all the girl players being matched up with 12 year old boys all the time.

Jon @ Mar 21st 2007 9:21AM

I know proper punks who act far more civilised than many online gamer kids. These idiots are known as CHAVs in the UK.

Muu @ Mar 21st 2007 9:28AM

13) You would think that, since they're having to pay for it, they'll be more careful about their actions so as to not waste that cash. However...

This assumes that things are properly regulated. If you can act and talk like shit and cheat all you want without getting caught, there are a great many people that will do so. I mean, how often do you find relatively normal people on paid MMOs?

RYAN @ Mar 21st 2007 9:38AM

i avoid all this faggotry by simply not playing online.

sheppy @ Mar 21st 2007 9:43AM

If it's with a group of friends, you best believe some TKing will be going on. After all, most of my fun in BF2 comes directly from my stunt dune buggying. A fact that many a rocket remembers once I go airborn.

UpIrons @ Mar 21st 2007 9:46AM

I play a lot of BF2 (and all the BF games before it) and I cannot stand TKers but at the same time I sometimes do enjoy, every now and then, indulging them a bit by TKing them back and such. I will also admit that a little bit of trash talk, within reason, makes things more fun but not if it's racist crap - there is no need for that online or anywhere.

Also, I will openly admit that from time to time if I have had a bad night of gaming I might plan a really good TK like C4 on a helicopter full of teammates just prior to signing off the server for the night. Not sure why I get a kick out of that but every now and again it makes up for, a little, a frustrating night of gaming (meaning I got my ass handed to me most of the night).

Jack of No Trades @ Mar 21st 2007 9:49AM

@fake sheppy

"The gist of griefer existence boils down to rogue leaders looking for attention. They are either a "defiant leader" not knowing where to align their objectives, or a black sheep (also called a "scapegoat leader") looking to disrupt a game's cadence or simply annoy."

I thought they were talking about you.

Miles @ Mar 21st 2007 9:56AM

BTW, to all you guys who say that you TK only on small occasions , I hope you realize that a lot of people do the same thing. So those small occasions get multiplied thousands of times over on a service like Xbox Live or Counter-Strike servers. Jerk-offs.

billychaos @ Mar 21st 2007 10:00AM

That's the number one reason why I will never pay for xbox live. This is also why in my mind, the nintendo friend code system is like as it's the holy grail.

Yes technology wise, xbox live is superior, but people just ruin a good thing. Unfortunatly, the best solution is to shut everyone up. Nintendo's friend code handles this well. You can still chat with people on your freind code list but it shuts strangers up. Even with all this blocking, there are still asses. I got the 'privelage' to race against someone in mario kart with a swastika icon. Right then, I was very appreciative of the friend code system.

Almack64 @ Mar 21st 2007 10:02AM

I'm trying to figure out whether you guys are talking about "type-killing" or "teammate-killing" both are extremely anoying and are called "TK".

sheppy @ Mar 21st 2007 10:11AM

To quote Gabe on type-killing...

"Chatty bitch should be on ICQ"

Incidently, Miles, I say I only TK with friends. It's a common enough thing between frinds. For example, a friend and I scaled the headquarters in Crackdown. As I was readying a jump for the basejumping achievement, my friend gave my path a rocket induced diversion. As he came down, I crushed him with an SUV...

Neal @ Mar 21st 2007 10:15AM

@ Miles

Cry about it, baby. Get some real friends and you won't have to deal with people being idiots online. Or, setup your own online game with friends only. People you know wont fuck things up. Lets face it, being an asshole is sometimes fun, so people will do it.

Skwurl @ Mar 21st 2007 10:26AM

#29

You're an idiot.

If you think being an asshole is fun, perhaps YOU should setup your own online game. Lord knows there are enough you twats running around in BF2.

Grow up.

ForcedSterilizationForAll @ Mar 21st 2007 10:31AM

I think it's hilarious how other people react. They get so upset and angry over a game. Honestly, people getting upset only fuels it, meanwhile I sit back and laugh at everyone.

dbeech @ Mar 21st 2007 10:36AM

Wow. Calling up customer service to complain about someone 'st3aling muh killz' on an MMORPG has to be about the saddest choice that free will can afford us.

grant @ Mar 21st 2007 11:23AM

Easy fix...
Only play online with people you enjoy playing with. You can easily tell using forums or BB services who is mature and who is not. Send those people friend request. It took me a week to populate my friends list with cool folks, now I never have to play with the stupid masses.

Vidikron @ Mar 21st 2007 11:35AM

@26

You can block anyone you want on Live or you can simply set up a private chat with your friends only. The problem is you are going to run into idiots in public online games... no way around that really.

Anyway, what I find amusing is the Live web cam. I'm sure anyone who has played a few rounds of Uno on Live knows what I'm talking about. I've seen come crazy shit on there.

Neal @ Mar 21st 2007 11:55AM

@ Skwurl

lol, cry about it pansy. I hardly play online at all, and if I do, its maybe a couple games of madden with my friends. If I were to set up an online game, I would make sure its with people I know so I don't have to deal with assholes like myself trying to dick around cause Im bored. They why you can make private rooms because there wil always people who don't want to play seriously, no matter what.

Find some online friends, or maybe find some real friends, or even go outside too, don't complain when 12 year olds are h@ckin ur l33t ski11z.

n00b

Cru @ Mar 21st 2007 12:05PM

Noo, is not that they act like punks, it is that most of the americans are very "Angry" people....

Matt Wagner @ Mar 21st 2007 12:11PM

maybe you should all just become better players. that way, when someone is talking shit or giving you a hard time you can just beat their ass in the game.

getting 30 more kills then someone who claims they are "the shit" and are "untouchable" shuts someone up faster then the mute button.

Matt Wagner @ Mar 21st 2007 12:12PM

@ 36

please don't stereotype Americans. i'm not an angry person, i don't like the president, i don't have an accent, i don't like Nascar, etc. etc.

Jack of No Trades @ Mar 21st 2007 12:17PM

@CRU

Im a angry American an I say all other countries are pussies.

Don't stereotype. Its not cool when it done to you.

Cru @ Mar 21st 2007 12:27PM

I don`t stereotype but it`s a fact and a reality, i said most of the americans not all of the americans.....

Jack of No Trades @ Mar 21st 2007 12:43PM

I understand Cru. When 90% of people act a certain way, its hard not to assume. But its still unfair to the other 10% of people that dont. Your right Americans can be very angry, but if you compare other countries (Iran,Iraq) to the USA, there is a huge difference.

I can say everybody in China is brainwashed American Hating Ingnorant Fools because of the Communistic Government, but I don't. Because its unfair to the ones that are intelligent people and know that there are some bad people in the world and there are some good.

anonymous @ Mar 21st 2007 12:51PM

@4 It isn't any sort of hazing to join a circle when almost every time the griefer is unknown to anybody they are griefing.

Shmil @ Mar 21st 2007 1:06PM

basically its human nature, we must all try and claim dominance by displaying our mighty E-penises

Anonymous @ Mar 21st 2007 1:06PM

@sheppy

Crackdown shenanigans are light-hearted and fun though.
Other games' shenanigans are sad and tragic... which doesn't really make them shenanigans at all...

Myke @ Mar 21st 2007 1:11PM

I'm going to pistol whip the next person that says shenanigans...

Shmil @ Mar 21st 2007 1:19PM

@ anonymous

...evil shenanigans

GCNH87 @ Mar 21st 2007 1:25PM

lol @ 43

I'd have to agree msot with #4 (Meowfaceman) and most of what "Neal" said.

Intentless @ Mar 21st 2007 1:37PM

I think the "punks" should stay in private matches so those of us that don't ruin eachothers experience can enjoy the full potential of service. The Jerks shouldn't be the "priveleged" ones...

32_Footsteps @ Mar 21st 2007 1:51PM

Boys and girls, can you say "schadenfreude"? Oh, others than the ones who study psychology and the ones who speak German, you can't? Well it's pronounced roughly like this - SHAH-den-froy-duh.

The short definition is taking joy is the misfortune of others. Everyone partakes of it to some extent - don't deny it. For an example that would please most (if not all) here, imagine if Jack Thompson got disbarred. It would be a misfortune for him, but I challenge you to find the gamer that wouldn't be pleased about it.

It's just that the people who get addicted to it become griefers. They hew to the German proverb "Schadenfreude is the best kind of joy, because it comes straight from the heart."