“Hate” within the Gaming Community

Hate is a very strong word. However, it is an accurate word when describing some of the experiences found within the online gaming community. From my personal experience, the simple fact that gamers are taking videogames a bit to serious is completely true. I remember when I first started playing online, the experience was very pleasant. Gamers from around the world would have friendly conversations about what they liked about the game. It was a great way to make and meet some great friends from around the world. After many years of playing online, especially through Halo and Call of Duty, I have noticed a shift in the attitude of many gamers. I wish I could say it is a positive shift, but that would be a lie. It is safe to say that the attitude of gamers has gone from friendly to completely sour. Some of the things gamers say is absolutely mind blowing and abusive to the human ears. There is one main theory that I have derived from deep thinking of why people are the way they are online. One theory involves the competitive scene. With E-sports becoming a big scene in today’s gaming society, more and more players are becoming more competitive. There is a classy way to be competitive, but there is an arrogant way. I’m afraid to say that the majority of people fall under the arrogant competitive type. For example, one of the big competitive markets is within the Call of Duty scene. Whenever I play Call of Duty online, I can’t help but notice that every lobby has a big  mouth who never stops talking about how he/she is better than everyone else, and the result is always a big fight within the lobby. I have never had a Call of Duty experience online where everyone would get along with each other. My best friend when playing online is the mute button. It has become a habit to just enter the lobby and mute everyone I see. Sometimes, people argue about the dumbest things and I wonder how some of these people function in society. I hate seeing how the gaming community has shifted to such an abusive environment in which so many people hate each other. My wishes for the future is a shift back to what it used to be. To go online and have a friendly experience instead of getting yelled at for having a funny gamertag. A place where people are not so judgmental of one another. I think this issue should be brought to light and to have the reality exposed to the public is important. Do you feel the same way about the gaming community with the games you play? Have you been exposed to abuse online? I would love to hear from you and to see if you agree with this shift. With your help, one gamer at a time, we can all create a friendly online experience for all gamers around the world, and to bring it to what it used to be.