Why the RAGE? It's pointless.

[Geekosaurus]

Because we all hate to be beaten at something we all think we're good at.

 

[WOPR]

alright in short-

Why do people rage about games or get mad and break things?
I mean seriously they're JUST GAMES, they have no value or impact on the real world (you know what I mean)and they're supposed to be fun... so why do some people get so mad over them that they act so poorly that 2 year olds say "grow up" I mean like, why do people get so mad about a GAAAAAAAAAAAAME that they'll break things for example.

anyone care to fill me in; because I'm starting to feel like the only mature gamer I know (...that I really KNOW; yeah I'm surrounded by ragers)

EDIT: People keep saying it's NOT immature to get frustrated; so allow me to reiterate.
It's not getting mad that I find horribly immature (although personally I find it a little childish; just a little) it's breaking things, letting loose and non-stop string of insults, yelling at the top of your lungs at the person RIGHT next to you, claiming the game sucks with no reason to say so (minus the fact that you lost at it) and just being a poor-sport over all; instead of saying like "Good game" and getting a handshake, I get "YOU CHEATED YOU DICK!" followed by one of my controllers being thrown out my window. (which for the record, I doubt killing someone in a racing game ABOUT KILLING OTHER RACERS is "cheating" ...it was F-Zero GX)

[wiki]Catharsis is a term in dramatic art that describes the "emotional cleansing" sometimes depicted in a play as occurring for one or more of its characters, as well as the same phenomenon as (an intended) part of the audience?s experience. It describes an extreme change in emotion, occurring as the result of experiencing strong feelings of sorrow, fear, pity, or even resulting from much laughter. It has been described as a "purification" or a "purging" of such emotions.[1] More recently, such terms as restoration, renewal, and revitalization have been used when referencing the effect on members of the audience.[citation needed]

The Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to use the term catharsis with reference to the emotions ? in his work Poetics. In that context, it refers to a sensation or literary effect that, ideally, would either be experienced by the characters in a play, or be wrought upon the audience at the conclusion of a tragedy; namely, the release of pent-up emotion or energy.[/wiki]

And why cry when reading a book? It's not real. Allow yourself to feel something once in a while, it's good for you.

I think you're missing the point...

I don't mind if they "feel" something; but acting like a child about it/breaking something that isn't yours about it

explain that other then "they need help" (as others have said)

 

[Leole]

I get SO FRUSTRATED and SOOO ANGRY (It was like, the hardest stunt, and I was missing JUST THAT one for the Stunt Trophy) that I use my PS3 Controller like a club, and smash my 26" Screen.

You need anger management, if you learned your lesson or no. That's hilarious and fucked up.

Sorry for the late response.

Yeah, sometimes I do think I should get anger management. I once got punched twice in the face, and didn't even get mad (I called his ass in front of everyone and he got expelled, Fuck yes).

Though, I must say, I've been much more "peaceful" if you may, when playing games. And that time I spent like 20 hours in a row playing the game, I was exhausted.

 

[lolnoobzor]

it was F-Zero GX

God that game was awesome - but I only ever had 1 person who I could play it with, everyone else just gave up after they died 5 times on each track. Sooo I kinda get how someone with poor anger management could rage in that situation: he probably was doing very well at dying before you helped him.

To everyone saying WOPR is being snooty - maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but F-Zero GX isn't considered one of the hardest games ever made for nothing ^^

As to the actual topic:
I've never been one to physically act on my RAEGGG but then I often was the best gamer in the group. The one time I've been genuinely dissapointed by a game was when I suddenly stopped beating my friends at SC4 - I had a lot of training in the 3, but not having the 4 at home I was surprised to discover one day that my friends suddenly could smash me to bits =)

It wasn't so much the fact that I lost than the fact that I was so used to winning, but it actually was quite frustrating for me. But breaking controllers and TVs? The only stupid thing it almost made me do was buying SC4 when I was already broke so I could 'train' at a video game when I had better stuff to do

Then of course, as a few people have mentioned, there's CoD. Once again no property damage on my side but I swear like a sailor when I play. I stopped playing it, but in hindsight the whole adrenaline-rush while playing to calming-down after playing cycle of a CoD session uncomfortably reminds me of how stimulant drugs work, albeit on a smaller scale of course.

I think the same process happens with most action-based games, where the adrenaline high and/or it's withdrawal could impair a player's judgement. Which is just a fancy way of trollin' y'all by saying games are crack

Well, I'm actually rephrasing what's already been said in the thread, since I'm just trying to start an F-Zero bragging contest XD

 

[Nouw]

Because they have no self-control and maybe adrenaline as the second poster said (including OP).

I never get angry at all during games, just a bit down.

 

[lapan]

I can get mad at games sometimes, but i never break things, especially not if they belong to others.

 

[M Rotter]

I say carry around a controller at all times and next time you guys go out together, whenever they do something that's minorly in opposition to you yell "YOU CHEATING DICK" and throw it at them.

 

[badgersprite]

If I ever get really frustrated while playing a game, I simply turn it off for a while. Nothing broken. No RAGE.

OH MY GOD I'M A FREAK! I KNOW!

 

[Wieke]

Let's get some science in this thread:

Does Venting Anger Feed or Extinguish the Flame? - Brad J. Bushma [https://illinois.edu/lb/files/2009/03/26/9293.pdf]

Catharsis theory predicts that venting anger should get rid of it and should therefore reduce subsequent aggression. The present findings, as well as previous findings, directly contradict catharsis theory (e.g., Bushman et al., 1999; Geen & Quanty, 1977). For reducing anger and aggression, the worst possible advice to give people is to tell them to imagine their provocateur?s face on a pillow or punching bag as they wallop it, yet this is precisely what many pop psychologists advise people to do. If followed, such advice will only make people angrier and more aggressive.

So don't rage out, it wont help you get rid of your anger and you'll just end up with broken stuff.

Yeah, ok, well, decades of studies contradicting this and several personal experiences regarding bottling up anger in both myself, my friends and even just acquaintances call bullshit on this. One study does not make fact. Anyone who's not a moron knows that bottling up rage is bad. And I never said imagining another as one beats up a pillow is good, I simply said that bottling up rage is unnatural and unhealthy.

It would be nice if you provided some kind of link to papers of the studies you mentioned.

Best thing to do (imho) is simply to try to calm yourself down. If you're not feeling angry, you aren't angry anymore, it won't "bottle up" somewhere in your brain.

Another study i found:
Catharsis, Agression, and Persuasive Influence: Self-Fulfilling or Self-Defeating Prohecies? [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bbushman/bbs99.pdf] (This one actually claims that all you'll end up doing is maintaining your anger.)

Most of the studies aren't online, they're in books and similar written records. I agree that taking a deep breath or whatever and calming yourself down is better if it's possible, but are you really saying that bottling anger up is ok? Really? I just don't understand, it's not even up for debate, anybody who's ever bottled anything up has had it come back on them negatively in some way. If not, then it simply hasn't happened yet. I've experienced it myself, I've seen plenty of others experience it. Even if there were absolutely no studies on it, it's just ridiculous to say that one can bottle up rage and suffer no negative effects, whether it's on their mental health, physical health or even if it just ends in them flipping out at someone later.

I guess I'm not saying its okay to "bottle up", just that there are other (better) ways of dealing with it. Putting distance (physical or mental) between you and whatever caused the anger, letting it subside and then put it in the proper perspective. Going from feeling angry to not feeling angry doesn't require some sort of "cathartic release" in order to be healty now does it?

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

Well... If I pay $60 for a game and it either sucks or breaks before I can get my full use out of it, you can bet your sweet fucking ass I'm gonna be pissed. I'm not going to go and break everything I own over the matter mind you, but I might go into a swearing fit if it breaks, or if it sucks I'll say "Fuck this" and either return it or trade it in for another game. Isn't this what any sensible person would do?

 

[shadow741]

I am referred to as a "gaming GOD"

Sorta makes sense when you're name is WOPR, the thing that only loses to an unbeatable game.
OT: If the enemy beats me fair and square than I'll be fine, but if they be a prick about it (0MG 1M 50 B3@57 LOL, cheating, etc) I'll be a bit mad, not the extent of breaking things though.

 

[Whitenail]

Why the rage, WHY THE RAGE *smashes keyboard FPS Doug style*! Just kidding, but in all seriousness unless you're a cold emotionless robot nobody, I repeat, NOBODY goes through a career in gaming without experiencing the slightest iota of anger, even when they'd like to think that they're beyond that. I wih, I truly wish that I could say most games are just games and meant for fun, but that ain't the case. Most people complain that big RPG's and multiplayer shooters are the new thing which has killed what has always been a blemishless beacon of calm, serenity and fun, these people need to get their head out of their backside and face up to the fact that this industry was built upon the blood, tears and aggravation of gamers of all ages, admittedly it varies from person to person (i.e you don't want to see me when I'm on my game at a pinball machine) but when you're there, faced with that challenge, points, princesses...paddle extensions on the line no matter how virtual it may seem no-one short of a Buddhist monk is going to truly keep their cool when faced with what is essentially a goal which needs completing lest you never get the high score or see the ending or just make a waste of your dosh.

I'm sure it would be marvellous being able to sit around in circles playig eufloria and beading each others hair but where's the real fun when there's no sense of danger or challenge to lift a game from just another aspect of life to experiencing another life? From what I've seen of your posts your either some star-child of the gaming world forged from the blood of the mightiest Scandinavian basement-dwelling game-hardliners or you mostly stick to games that are specifically designed not to ellicit any real sense of objective, nothing wrong with that, try playing this without giving it up, without stopping to read walkthroughs and you'll see what I'm trying to get at. And pleae, for the love of God don't say "They're just games", if that's the case then films are just silent little two-minute amusements they play in the twon's hall from time to time and books are glorified fortune cookie paper.

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

I don't exactly rage. People piss me off, sure, but THEY'RE NOT WORTH IT!

I kinda just groan and think to myself "So, you're why god invented cancer? Fair enough.".

 

[ApeShapeDeity]

Well... If I pay $60 for a game and it either sucks or breaks before I can get my full use out of it, you can bet your sweet fucking ass I'm gonna be pissed. I'm not going to go and break everything I own over the matter mind you, but I might go into a swearing fit if it breaks, or if it sucks I'll say "Fuck this" and either return it or trade it in for another game. Isn't this what any sensible person would do?

Don't suppose you'd like to buy a copy of Naughty Bear? That was a solid hour of my life I'll never have back.

 

[Danceofmasks]

1) I only rage when the other guy deserves it
2) I intend to play SSF4: Arcade Edition a fair bit
3) People may end up getting punched in the throat

 

[Danish rage]

Speakers, keybord, mouse, joypad, screen, the only thing im yet to destroy is the laptop or the 360. I once impaled a 360 joypad with a screwdriver in pure wrath. Im in no way proud of my behaviour, and i would NEVER do it to other people`s stuff. And i don´t bother them with my issues either. I rage in silence.

 

[WOPR]

I am referred to as a "gaming GOD"

Sorta makes sense when you're name is WOPR, the thing that only loses to an unbeatable game.
OT: If the enemy beats me fair and square than I'll be fine, but if they be a prick about it (0MG 1M 50 B3@57 LOL, cheating, etc) I'll be a bit mad, not the extent of breaking things though.

Yeah I'm not a poor sport by any means...
well...
not unless having countless rematches with scorpion or cory in fighting games counts because they're on a winning streak lol

-oh and the only time I laugh when a person dies in a game where you have 1 life, is if it was really stupid and did it to yourself (example, turning around in kirby air ride to ram other drivers then driving off the stage in the process)