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!
