Dealing with in-game abuse and harassment can be a very distressing experience. Although a certain level of competition can make the game more enjoyable – sometimes people do ‘cross the line’ and become abusive with personal attacks or threatening behavior. Below, you will find a breakdown of various techniques you can use to protect yourself from in-game abuse and keep your online gaming experiences positive and enjoyable. If you need further advice, our Global Support Service provides trained support wherever you are in the world.
Responding to abuse can be effective so long as you don’t mirror the behavior and end up retaliating with abuse of your own, as this usually ends up escalating the situation and it also makes it difficult to see who is at fault. If you are being threatened or don’t feel comfortable communicating with the person that is being abusive, don’t make contact at all.
Firstly, letting someone know that you feel they are being abusive may be enough for them to check their behavior. In a team environment it also lets other players know that there could be an issue.
If you do respond to someone who is abusive you should also keep a record of your communication. This could be a screenshot or recording of the conversation. This will help if you need to provide evidence of the abuse to the game or platform administrators if there is a dispute later.
You may wish to respond with a counter narrative – explaining to them what it is that has offended you, and what you intend to do about it. Try to be as objective as you can – you don’t want to be accused of being abusive yourself.
“I just say, ‘that’s not cool’ and leave it there. I draw my line and if it’s crossed I let them know, and if it carries on I just laugh at them and get on with my game, I’ve got no time for idiots!”
“Something I’ve found therapeutic is to type it out, wait a second and then just delete. It’s because in that pause I take a deep breath and remind myself that the only way the game plays out from there is either with more baiting because it got a response or an extended back and forth over which one of us is wrong – more typing, less time playing.”
“I just turn up my headset, which streams their audio from my TV and into the headset only… then I just put the headset in a drawer… I don’t have to listen to their cr*p then and can just enjoy the game without the smack.”
“Most games for me is usually just gl hf then gg or rage quit. Occasionally you’ll get someone trying to make friendly chat or some idiot BMing, but that’s when the block function comes in handy.”
“I mute and hook up to some tunes if things start to get out of hand. I’ve only left a couple of games, when the abuse took over the gameplay and then it just wasn’t worth staying.”
“If I think I need a break I take my dog for a walk. Gets me back to myself and I always get a big thank you from the dog!!”
“Life is too short to get all worked up over a game. Keep cool and block the morons, it’s the only way.”
“I don’t rage anymore, it’s just not healthy. If I really need to say something I will mute my mic and go for it big time. Letting it all out without anyone getting hurt is great, and I usually end up laughing at my own rant!”
One way of dealing with abuse when gaming is to avoid it – turning off or muting all communication and chat facilities. With some games it can be difficult to find this function so you may need to search around to find the player options for in-game chat and messaging.
Once you have found out how to manage your comms with other players it will be up to you to choose if you wish to openly communicate. Just listen in or block completely.
If you are feeling emotional, stressed, anxious or threatened because of abuse or bullying you are experiencing when gaming online then you will need time to regain control and gain perspective on the situation.
You will firstly need to remove the cause of the stress, which will mean taking action straight away. Depending on which game you are playing and what type of gaming environment you are in, this will determine which of the following you will need to do.
Once you have managed to take yourself away from the cause of the problem you will be able to begin to regain your perspective. This process will enable you to think far more clearly about the situation and assess it properly. If you decide you need further help with your situation, make use of our Global Support Service.
Why do people playing video games seem to totally lose control and start abusing each other? Here is a breakdown of what makes people go full tilt and what you can do to stop yourself from losing the plot!
Emotions are very powerful things that can make us feel all warm and happy or desperate and depressed. It is how we control or regulate our emotions that determines our behavior, and how others perceive us. Recognizing what triggers emotional feelings of anger, is the first step in being able to stay in control when you start to feel angry or threatened.
Everyone has them, and when playing video games there seems to be so many that can provoke an emotional reaction! Bad game play, rejection, loss, threats to status and ego are all perceived as threats that can trigger emotional responses – causing people to attack others or feel that they need to defend themselves in some way.
When people over react and start ranting or being abusive, this is a sure sign that the person feels threatened in some way, the initial emotional response has taken control and the person has literally lost control. The need to right the wrong or regain status takes over completely and all perspective is lost in a desperate fight for survival!
You might not know what will trigger someone else to totally lose it, but you can at least recognize loss of control in others and begin to regulate your own emotional responses – to try and keep composed when the red mist starts to roll in!
The term “fight or flight” is also known as the stress response. It’s what the body does as it prepares to confront or avoid perceived threats. It is this response we need to look at and begin to manage. The first step in regaining control is to calm the body down and one of the best ways to do this is deep breathing. Deep, controlled breaths allow oxygen to flow around the body, helping you to relax, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure.
You can do this for 5 or 10 minutes sitting comfortably at your computer or you can create a special relaxation spot where you can go and calm yourself.
You may not be able to control how your emotions react to certain situations but you can control how you respond to them. This is the key to gaining control of emotional urges, recognizing the triggers, being aware of emotional urges and finally, responding to them appropriately. You are in control of the last part of this process and this is how you will end up behaving. Don’t be a slave to your emotions, be the boss – let them do their job and you do yours!
Take the time to gain perspective on your situation and assess the threat appropriately. Will it matter in a month’s time? Will it mean anything at all in a year? Are you really at risk? Was it the point of feeling angry? Does one bad game mean everything? Do these people really know you?
Shifting your perspective can help you to create thoughts that dispel the belief that you are under threat. If you believe that you have done nothing wrong and that others are at fault then you can feel good about your situation despite what others believe. If you decide that you should take the threat seriously, contact the platform administrators or where you feel your personal safety is at risk – contact law enforcement.
Get your perspective back on track and then you can think about a more positive outcome from the experience. Each time you handle a situation differently, without losing control, you will gain more confidence in dealing with emotions.
One of the hardest realizations I’ve ever had to face was understanding that the bullying in my life will never stop. But after finding Cybersmile nearly a year ago, I also realized that while I cannot change the behaviours of the bullies in my life, I certainly can change the ways in which I allow others’ behaviour to affect me.…Kristin, New Hampshire, USA
