Anger Management in Video Games

 Everybody's been there. You're in the middle of a competitive match in a video game and then one of your teammates berates you and the rest of the team, hurling insults and cuss words, sometimes even slurs. 


It's not a good look on the individual that performs this action, but nonetheless, it is forever constant no matter what rank you are and no matter what competitive game you play. Here are some tips and tricks on how to control your anger in competitive video games. 

1) Don't react 

No matter what you do don't give that person who is toxic and angry the power of a reaction. It's always better to ignore that person and move on. If you're the angry person, realize that you overreacted and stepped out of bounds, and come to the conclusion that you have to control your emotions and the way you react to the game. 

2) Keep calm

Always keep calm. When you're winning, keep calm, when you're losing, keep calm. Don't raise your voice if you use voice communication in the game, rather, always speak with a cool and even level and tone. The calmer you are the more effective you can be in the game and improve. This is the most effective way to use voice coms in competitive games too. 

3) Get used to losing

Get used to losing. No matter how good you are at a game, all these team-based games that I play have many variables based on what my teammates and enemy team players are doing. So technically speaking, no matter how good I am as an individual player, I can still lose if my teammates are just a little derpy. Get used to it. It will happen and you will lose as a result of it. It's a part of life. 

4) Get mad, then get over it

Sometimes you have to just lay someone out on the pavement, and watch the gore from behind the scenes afterward. You will get angry at people and will inevitably tell them off. That's normal. What you must accept is that it was wrong to do so, apologize if you like or have the willpower to do so, and then simply move on. 

5) Keep playing

When most 'nerd rage' gamers get mad in a game they get so worked up emotionally that they stop playing the game. While this might be a good way to take a time out like a toddler, I actually think that if you're angry at the game, you should continue to play, and learn to calm down while continuing to play. Instead of smashing the TV screen, just keep playing and learn to enjoy the solace of gaming again. After all, the reason why we play video games is so that we can have fun. The longer you keep playing, the higher your chances are of having fun while doing so. So remember, have fun. 

Good luck and have fun!     

How magic the gathering improved my social life and gaming skills

I just got back from a great night of gaming (card gaming) and hanging out with friends. I've been participating in Magic the Gathering tournaments at Fire and Dice, a hobby shop nearby. I used to go to Fire and Dice for Smash 4 tournaments quite a bit last year but now I participate more in their Magic tournaments. Magic has improved my social life and improved my gaming skills in many ways. I'd like to explain how.

I work five out of seven days so I don't get much time to hang out with friends or even interact with too many people outside of my work environment. Monday night mtg (magic the gathering) tournaments has given me refuge and I've met many new friends. Most of them are fellow nerds but they are all unique individuals. I usually organize our group and text everyone and tell them to come through to Fire and Dice when I go there. My group consists of about eight people. And counting in the future probably. They're all great mtg players and they've helped me out a lot with my decks and strategies. In a way I feel like I've anchored the group to show up when I'm there. And they usually all do show up surprisingly. I like the environment at Fire and Dice because its relaxing, fun, entertaining, and jokey. Perfect really. Its a great place to hang out. I always meet new people there every time I go and some of them become friends, others just casual acquaintances. Either way its great social interaction. Something I don't get to do often because of work.

Magic has also made me a better gamer. I usually play edh commander league tournaments. It's this game mode where you play with 100 card decks and you only have 1 of each card in it. You have a commander you can cast anytime you have the mana for it and this game mode is not easy. It also free for all. In tournament it can be 4 player free for all of 3 player free for all. Every match is fun, intense, and challenging. I've learned a lot more gaming skills from playing in these tournaments because I've learned to think a lot more before I act upon anything I do. This carries over to other forms of gaming-even competitive fps and moba gaming. I think a lot more about every action I take rather than just "going for it", which is better suited to a jazz guitar solo.

All in all, mtg is a great social gaming experience. I'm definitely going to keep playing the game and continuing to participate in tournaments. I'm also down to go to Fire and Dice for Smash 4 tournaments but it seems like I never get Thursdays off (that's the only day they do those there). It's great that I've gained strong friendships there through the card game. I have another inner circle of friends that I hang out with and even work with but its nice to have an entirely different sort of circle that is still just as awesome.

Magic rules! Btw, that's my commander in my mono green edh deck. This old woman rocks!