Poll: A Question For Fellow Competitive Gamers

[ImmortalDrifter]

So recently while playing Call of Duty with a friend, I vocalized my sorrow at repeatedly killing new players. This took him by surprise, and he questioned why I would feel bad when I can say with near certainty that those who I faced when I was new felt no such regret. I rebutted that argument by saying that I don't want new players to feel unwelcome, or feel like I was picking on them. He stated that it was often the new player's own fault for their deaths, and they should view it as a learning experience if they truly wish to become better at the game. He then stated that this is universal across any competitive space. I.E. If a competitor can't cope with loss and a learning curve then he doesn't belong in a competitive area in the first place. I then stated that the nature of random matchmaking could very well mean a new player is thrust into combat with those that outclass him to an extent that learning is impossible. E.G. Throwing a little leaguer into the world series. I felt that at my skill level, a fair fight between us is impossible; so I feel bad for inadvertently putting him in that situation. After a short back and forth we agreed to disagree on the subject.

TL;DR: The poll says it all.

Note: Please refrain from comments concerning things like vocal harassment, trolling, or anything like that. I know that saying hurtful things will make someone feel unwelcome. What I want to know if you have ever had pangs of guilt for killing a new player, and if you think that they feel unwelcome by default when they face an experienced player.

Note 2: I hope the story paragraph didn't imply that this thread was only about Call of Duty. I hear this is a real problem in MOBAs and fighting games as well.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

No. Because I was shit at one point, and I know for a fact nobody gave a fuck about repeatedly killing me. It probably made me a better player.

Alright then, thanks for the input.

 

[krazykidd]

I mostly play fighting games now ( i used to play FPS , then it got stale ). If i'm playing against a new player online in a fighting game and he's doing really poorly , i'll switch characters to give him a fighting chance , and for fun.

I won't just random the character though , i have a " fun" character i play . Like right now i'm ( still ) playing UMVC3 . My main team is x-23 / nova / strange . If that team blows up my opponent , i'll switch to my sub team , Tron / Virgil / Rocket racoon . If team blows them up ( and it's a pretty decent team actually) , i'll go with my fun team , Ryu , Ironman, Akuma .

Why is that my fun team ? Because of the team super. Nothing is more funny ( for me ) than seeing Ryu / Akuma/ Ironman jumping out and each throwing out a Giant beam decimating my opponent ( the team supper will do 400k CHIP damage if they are blocking and 700k damage on hit . In a combo it will outright kill you. If i catch an assist in it , it's instant death .

 

[tippy2k2]

It depends on the game.

In competitive team games (like Call of Duty or Battlefield), there will be no quarters given or received! To me, the fun in those games is my own records against the people that I play with and you being alive is you being in my way. Frankly, I have to rely on the match-making system to show mercy to the newbs by not sticking them against me for they shall receive none from me...

In sport games, if I am destroying my opponent, I will generally back off (unless they're being a dick of course like constant slide tackling or being an insulting twat, then there is no mercy) since the fun in sports games is the competition itself, not necessarily winning. My general rule of thumb is if I get 3 goals up on another player, I will lay off the gas pedal and take either low-chance shots or my favorite (and probably really insulting) trick is to get by their goalie, have an open shot, and then just not take it. I haven't decided if that's mercy or being a dick but that's my compromise

 

[Pink Gregory]

Really depends on what you ultimately enjoy more - winning, or playing.

Both are equally valid, but of course each carry different consequences.

 

[Savagezion]

I am not a real competitive gamer but sometimes I do. Most times I don't because the game IS kill or be killed. Not much to do in those games but kill one another. However, that said a buddy of mine used to stomp the shit out of me and about everyone else in our gaming circle in Halo. I have another friend who can stomp about everyone I have seen him play against in CoD. He was ranked around ~900 on PSN with Black Ops. At any rate, When I get my ass handed to me by these guys, It is hard to learn because death is nonstop. I am still trying to get used to my reaction times and such and they kill me before I even know the level or know I am suppose to react. When you are new and you die over and over again, you don't have time to learn anything.

Because of this I have let some people go. For instance if I keep seeing Panzer_65 and kill them like 3-4 times in a row, then see them again, I'll let them go blissfully unaware they were in my sights. I will still kill them later in the match but, I kind of let the match determine it. If we are destroying their team, (Which we probably are with him/her on their team) it isn't like we need that lame kill - plus someone else will probably kill them in like 10 seconds anyways. If they come at me, usually I will try knifing or something stupid to give them some time to "practice". But overall, I really don't like killing the same person over and over again if it isn't challenging.

Kinda rambled here.... gonna keep it in the post but separate.
There have been a few times where me and a member of the opposing team had our own deathmatches going on which is fun. For some reason at the beginning of the match we just keep finding each other, which turns into each of us hunting each other. Being in a grudge match with another player your skill level in a team deathmatch game is my favorite thing to stumble upon online. I find it funny when his teammate gets me when I am about to kill him knowing he got lucky - or when my teammates save my ass from him getting me. I also get so mad when my teammates kill him before I can get to him. That is the good stuff right there.

 

[Username Redacted]

I voted 'Sometimes' but probably not because of why you'd think. Firstly let me clarify that I'm referring to fighting games in here (most recently Injustice: Gods Among Us and Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate). I sometimes feel bad when I get matched up against new players in that I feel bad for myself because I'm probably going to be wasting my time. What I mean by this is that while there are things to be gained from playing lesser players there is a point of diminishing returns on this if the player truly has no clue how to play the game. If the person is never blocking, isn't taking advantage of whatever character they're playing's best move(s), etc. then I gain basically nothing but a free win and that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for matchup experience.

I view playing online as an extension of training mode. I get to play against a greater variety of characters than I could ever hope to properly program setups for in training mode and that is invaluable for when I play against people IRL. Again if the player is completely unfamiliar with how the game actually works then I'm not getting much out of this. This has been especially annoying in Injustice where the game seems to insist of matching me (of several thousand online matches) up against a lot of 0-0 people (that's two zeros). At least DoA5U for all of its other matchmaking issues lets me filter out the true novices.

 

[sextus the crazy]

No. Because I was shit at one point, and I know for a fact nobody gave a fuck about repeatedly killing me. It probably made me a better player.

/thread

Yeah, not being coddled is essential to learning competitive. You should be indifferent to the other players, but not rude. That said, intentionally killing someone repeatedly to piss them off is a big no-no.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I've played numerous MMOs but I don't recall slaughtering newbies any time. So I guess if I didn't it's because I'd feel bad. Or maybe I never got the chance? My morality or lack thereof is tucked in a box with Schrodinger's cat.

 

[LAGG]

Yes. Sometimes if I'm playing CS, Quake or UT and I see the other player(s) can't keep up I'll try some handicap, like downgrade my weapons a give them more time before attacking, go without armor or do some self damage before the fight. But really the first thing I'll try to do is swap/scramble teams. I'll also give advice and tell them what they did wrong and suggest different techniques/weapons.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Used to play Gow3 competitively and was very very good even just in public matches.
Now I did feel for the newer players that had no idea how to do things, that wouldn't know how to react to a decent push or weapon steal etc. Gears was always a notoriously difficult game to get into, the community always seemed actively hostile to new players and the learning curve for multi was reasonably steep, so me wrecking anyone that wasn't on top of their game made me think that I was just contributing to the player base dying off.

Doesn't matter now though, GowJ killed the series anyway.

 

[Harlemura]

Man, I'm glad it's not just me that feels bad on the few occasions I'm better than someone.
But yeah, referring to fighting games since it's the only game I'm ever better than someone else at, I do feel kinda bad when fighting new or clearly struggling players. I generally try to go a little easier on them by going for combos with really tough timing or trying out moves I don't use very often, or just switching away from my main.
I don't agree with going all out on people who clearly don't know the game that well because, even though it may be a learning experience and does make you a better player in the long run, not everyone's looking to be the best player. Some people might have just come home from work and want to play a bit of something online to let off some steam. They don't need someone who knows the game inside-out wiping the floor with them every time they play.

[sub]I assume everyone I beat has had a horrible day and all I'm doing is making it worse and then feel terrible.[/sub]

 

[Eve Charm]

Eh usually like a lot of times I won't come out with my best first or cheap tactics that work. I like having the " ok if your gonna piss me off, this"

That said pub stomping is the lowest of the low in a team moba.

 

[Yopaz]

No, I am constantly being killed by players more skilled than myself. It's simply how things go. I also can't really tell if someone is new at the game.

I rarely play online multiplayer so I guess my answer is uninteresting in this.

 

[hawkeye52]

If I am playing league of legends on one of my friends accounts and I got 34/0 then I sometimes feel bad. Otherwise meh

 

[GoaThief]

I used to sometimes go a bit easy but usually engaged the newb in conversation instead and explain what I/they were doing and expanding upon situations and how they could improve or do different things. Guess I'm just an old school FPS community player, if said newb called me a hacker or was a racist twat or similar the gloves were off and I'd punish them so hard I'm sure a few even quit the game for good.

 

[miketehmage]

Depends on the game and the level of communication I have with the player I'm stomping.

For example in WoW if I crush an enemy arena team, I don't care how new or low rated they are, that shit is funny.

 

[MysticSlayer]

No.

I didn't see anyone coming to my defense when I was the new guy, and I don't feel like showing mercy to new people either. I know that sounds like a nasty thing to say, but if they truly enjoy the game, then they'll enjoy it when doing bad and will be willing to put in the effort to get good. If having a bad game turns them off, then sorry, but they should be doing something else. No matter how good you are, you will have a bad day, and if you can't enjoy yourself during that bad day, then maybe you should be doing something you do enjoy. I'm a naturally competitive person who gets a lot of joy from winning and gets rather frustrated at losing, but even I can have fun while doing bad in games, and I enjoy the challenge of getting better.

I have seen people do the whole "mercy play" ordeal in different games, and part of me just wants to leave the room in disgust. If you're winning badly, it is because the other person is bad and/or they completely screwed up, and if we don't emphasize the fact that they made a huge mistake, then we're robbing them the opportunity to learn and get better. As a result, the sympathy does them a greater disservice than momentarily destroying their self-esteem. Be a good sport when beating them badly, but letting up is not the way to do that.