Online games are great for multiplayer, forming a team, and achieving a goal as a collective. It’s a place where even though we might be thousands of miles apart, we can be one, work together, and all aim to achieve together. There are so many great social benefits of online gaming, but only when it’s played properly!
Coming back from school or work and slapping on a headset should be a great experience. It should be a place of common unity and acceptance. We are all coming from different backgrounds, cultures, and countries, and playing online is a great way to experience this firsthand.
That’s until someone ruins it for all of us. When they start to yell abuse or just seem to be purposely getting everything wrong. Sometimes it’s not intentional, it’s a gut reaction, but following some easy rules will help everyone enjoy their online gaming more.
Keep the volume safe
Sometimes, it’s not even what someone is trying to say that annoys everyone else in the chat, it’s just the sheer level of noise that is coming through our headsets.
We all sit and play with our headsets on at a level where we are comfortable, we can head all the conversation and still think about the game, then the yeller starts and we all have to turn down our headsets, but then we miss the normal chatter, we miss the key pieces of strategy.
Just don’t yell, there’s no need to try and deafen everyone playing the game.
Avoid abusive chat in online gaming
To start with, it’s just not cool. There isn’t a single one of us who goes online to game purely to get abused. We don’t want to be told we’re fat, smelly, ugly, or anything that just makes us feel bad. It doesn’t matter who or what you are, we all go online to game and enjoy ourselves.
Keep the chat positive and upbeat. Yes, we can all be annoyed when we lose and yes, we can be disappointed, but there’s no need to get abusive about it. The best form of retaliation is to go and win the next match. Nothing hurts more than losing.
Don’t be a hog
When we’re gaming and talking tactics, it’s natural for one person to take the lead of the team and head up a mission. That’s good teamwork, what isn’t good teamwork is hogging the chat. We all join chats to do just that. They’re called chats, not listens.
Make sure that everyone has their chance to talk and don’t constantly talk over people. If you want to see how it works on a professional level, you can find a rocket league tournament and watch any team. They have a leader, but they all talk to each other and work as a team.
Online gaming chat should be a place where everyone feels valued and listened to, where we can all go and chat away without the fear of abuse and anger. These three simple rules will help to keep our community a place where we all feel safe and valued.