Gamer Annoyances

Anger leads to hate, and a sense of frustration can lead to some busted veins, blown gaskets, and damaged hardware. Having your e-behind handed to you by that final boss, or getting sniped by some random 11-year-old can be aggravating enough. But add some real-world frustrations into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for damage. Next thing you know, you’re standing over the smoking remnants of your CPU with a hammer in one hand and a user manual in the other. But fear not, fellow rage-aholics. Simply follow these steps to reduce real-world nuisances that pull you out of the game and shove you back into hard reality.

The dreaded “Tab Out” is almost as potent as a jaw-shattering knockout when it comes to thoroughly wrecking your online and offline PC gaming experience. Whether it be during the final cutscene or a crucial in-game moment, being tabbed out of your favorite game just to see your friend IM you with “dood wht u doon/” can make you wish for the ability to punch people in the face over the internet. The easiest way to end the dreaded “tab out” would simply be to close out the IM program. Getting into the habit of closing all your programs before you game can save you countless hours of pent-up rage at missed opportunities or spoiled chances. Or, find yourself a useful in-game client that won’t cause slowdown.

Whether it be a family member wasting valuable bandwidth by watching the latest YouTube fad or just the regular screwy service that is the bane of most ISPs, lagging is another crux that leads to shouts of anger and fists pounding in rage. The latter is a bit easier to deal with than the former. While there are all kinds of solutions for optimizing bandwidth and dealing with bandwidth errors and everything else techno-savvy workaholics do to put their ISPs into tip-top shape, I find that “when in doubt, reboot” may not save time but definitely saves frustration. Sometimes a computer just feels like making your day miserable, and a little reboot is all it takes to get it working again.

In regards to family members hogging up the bandwidth, the irate gamer in me suggests the iron fist but the realist in me knows that the key to unlocking that bandwidth is the velvet glove. If your significant other, relative, or family member is hogging up bandwidth because he/she is bored, why not invite them to join you in a game? Even if the person isn’t a gamer, there are still several very polite ways to say “get off the computer now.” Try phrases like “it’s very important,” “it’s just for a little while,” “I know you’re busy, but I was wondering…” and things of that nature. Even if you don’t mean it (and be honest, you probably don’t), a kind word or two can go a long way towards freeing up that bandwidth as opposed to the standard way of shouting “get the **** off!” as loud as possible and then storming out of the room.

While there are many other frustrations that send you from the heights of gaming bliss to the depths of gaming hell, these are two of the most prevalent and two of the most easily rectified. So save that rage for another day.