Playstationtrophies.org surveyed 243 gamers. Out of 243 participants, 162 Voted For video game rage “sooner or later” which means every gamer now and then has experienced some sort of game rage.
According to rochester.edu study conducted on 300 video gamers, participants reported video game rage was experienced due to the inability to control the outcome.
It shows you had or will face some type of game rage sooner or later so preparing beforehand is fruitful.
Things to keep video game rage in control for good:
1) Cheer up, play by yourself, and win at a game:
In university time, participating in gaming competitions was a stroke of bad luck for me. I was constantly hitting a losing streak in CS ( counter-strike)
Every member of the team was blaming me for the
loss, or if not I was not feeling good for becoming the source of winning.
My Solution:
Instant reverse:
You can say it snapping out of negative losing cycle or instant reverse whenever you feel bad about a video game and emotions of game rage boils up towards a pressure point,
Just play an easy game and win at it.
It can be as simple as an android game or a task that needs to be finished. Tasks could be anything from doing chores to cleaning your room.
The winning feeling
release dopamine canceling the negative cyclic effect and hence game rage.
In my losing CS I
left my team and started to play NFS with my other friend which made me motivated instead of going in a game rage.
Natural Instinct:
According to WebMD winning is in
human instinct it's in our ancestral urge to win because winning increases our
survival and losing does the opposite.
So, accomplishing an
easy task that you are sure of winning will keep the mood high and help to
look at a broader picture enabling you to recognize the mistakes you did.
2) Maybe you need to change your team:
Teams and working in
groups are a good thing but they will not always be in your favor. Sometimes
working in a group can have consequences as mentioned in PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY .
Consequences you
could face like a change of opinions or start to have a blame game within the
team. Team members can blame you for the fall and all you will feel is guilt
and a Video Game rage.
The best advice is
to just change your team or go solo just like I did. Not always a team can make
you a better player sometimes other players just don't like you for whatever
reason best is to leave and move on.
3) Focus on strengths, not weaknesses:
We have learned in
schools teachers and parents always told us to improve on bad grades but ignore
the good ones, this goes on in life too.
Focusing on weaknesses and mistakes can create a negative cycle, what you should do instead is focus on good things like skills you may be good at.
It could be
shooting, stealth, or completing hard storylines within the game.
Even though you lost you had accomplished some levels in past, won a lot of games that were too challenging but you did it anyway.
When the thought of winning goes
and losing doesn't matter "Video Game Rage" becomes meaningless.
It's all about changing your perception what you focus on will get more of. So, by constantly focusing your mind on the loss will eventually fall into "Video Game Rage".
Remind yourself that you were successful in the past and in many things at
present, keep your focus on that rather than losing.
4) Give a break:
Giving a break
to gaming helps in getting a new perspective. Sometimes game rage is a sign of
exhaustion.
Inadequate resting
is linked to a lot of problems, here is a sleep checker to see how
much rest you are getting.
Sometimes when we
are too involved with gaming especially when there is a tournament we
become less focused on ourselves and cause exhaustion to our mental energy.
Taking a break will keep you off the edge and game rage but also with a fresh mind you will be able to identify new strategies and start winning again.
Better new solutions to hard problems can be found while getting good sleep as mentioned in this study by MARK BEEMAN (M.A., Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of Oregon)
5 ) Acceptance:
Accepting is a part
of growth by accepting a loss, makes room for growth. In life, everything is a
stepping stone but if we resist we eventually face mental exhaustion and hence
a Video Game Rage.
The battle between
mind and reality can make us tired instead of doing war with ourselves Accepting
what it is. The key to "CALMNESS" and mental freedom.
AS it is said :
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”
~ Red Dead Redemption
Acceptance is the first key to stop going on a destructive roller coaster; a rabbit hole towards a game rage.
These anger emotions are signs that you are mentally full, accept
the defeat and live to fight another day is the best option instead of burring
all bridges by going on a game rage.
“Failure doesn’t mean game over, It means try again with experience."
~ Unknown
Summarize:
5 ways to keep "Video Game-Rage" Controlled:
- Cheer up, play by yourself, and win at a game
- Maybe you need to change your team
- Focus on strengths, not weaknesses
- Give a break
- Acceptance
