Online gamers. There is a good kind and a bad kind, much like flavours of Kit-Kat (Mint for the lose). For anyone who’s ever played an online game, be it FPS, MMORPG or RTS, you have undoubtedly been called every name under the sun. Whether there be reason or not, i can guarantee you have been insulted.

These Mint Kit-Kat esque gamers give good, orange flavoured gamers like us a bad name. I don’t like it, and im sure you dont either. So why do they do this?

I was recently playing on a Counter Strike Source server i frequent whenever i can, in particular a Gungame server. Due to me using a wireless connection, for some reason, my ping had shot up to about 250,from the usual 20-60. This was of course, bad news for everybody, but there was nothing i could do about it. I was not running any bandwidth sucking programs, My wireless connection just hadnt caught up with the game for a minute. Give it about 30 seconds, and everythings fine. sorted. Or not. Within moments, these two players from the opposing team unleashed a flurry of verbal hatred directed at me. Fair enough, i had just caused some minor lag, but these guys went way to far. Even the admin (with which knew that this happened occasionally) was surprised at the ferocity of the attack.

The only thing that got tome about this was the fact that they thought it was somehow my fault, as if i had purposely set out to ruin everyones game. The best part of it all though, was the insults they came up with. “OMG FIX YOUR PING YOU FAG”, was the most hilarious, but no where close to the most profane.

Firstly, having a high ping does not make someone a homosexual.Secondly, Typing all in caps for attention only serves to provide me with amusement as you struggle to be threatening with only a keyboard at your disposal (as well proving your stupidity). Thirdly, what the hell am i meant to do, get out the spanner? Lastly though, Get over it, its just game.

This incident really set me off though, and got me thinking. This wasn’t the only time id seen stupid behaviour by a gamer minority.

A good friend of mine who has a sort of semi-gamer girlfriend, were all playing CSS once, and as soon as she got on the mic, she got absolutely ripped to shreds. For being a woman. I dont see why. She killed someone. Fair play. Well apparently not, because some people got really agitated about it. Really agitated. Me and my friend found out that we are now of an ethnic orgin, much to our suprise.

Why exactly do people behave like this? Ive seen many a fight in an online game, and usually its just an innocent gamer on the receiving end.

So whats with all the hate? are they just horribly incompetent that they feel copelled to insult people, or is there something im missing here?

Comment it with a theory or two, im interested.

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