Gaming can be such a pain sometimes. With the right people, it can be the perfect therapy. With the wrong people... it can either give you a dose of depression or at least three brain aneurysms in a single day.
Games are meant to be fun, they're meant to be instruments for us to kill time with. I'm sure everyone can abide by that consensus. And they can be great stress relievers, provided you know the right people to play with and the right games to play. That's only an if, though. Not all games can be as therapeutic as... oh, I don't know, Guess Who, or something.
The reason I say that isn't necessarily because of the games themselves (Well, sometimes it's about the game itself too. I honestly find it hard to believe that anyone would subject themselves to horror games to relieve stress. It seems like it would just elevate their stress even more), it's actually based more on the people that you play them with.
So, what are the various zones in the war of gaming?
Safe Zone: Alone in Offline/Singleplayer Games
This is a quite obvious one if you think about it: You can't get hurt if there's no-one to hurt you. It's a pretty common go-to for stress relief (Unless it's a horror game, in which case, I admire your guts), and you don't even have to worry about external toxicity coming after you.
Probably the only thing that can hurt you in this zone is loneliness, but hey, that's why you hang out with friends in the real world, right?
... Right?
Risk Zone: IRL Friends and Acquaintances in Offline Multiplayer Games/Board Games
Quite self-explanatory: Your friends and close acquaintances are among the safest people you can play games with. With friends, any game you play is almost guaranteed to be a stress reliever, and you won't have to worry about toxicity.
I mean, sure, there's the occasional competitiveness, but what's a game without some competitiveness, am I right?
Honestly, nothing much to watch out for in this zone, just make sure you don't get too competitive and start trash-talking your friends too much (Case in point, Monopoly). That's almost a surefire way to lose friends.
Don't do that. Unless you're a masochist, then in which case... do whatever you want.
Caution Zone: IRL Friends and Acquaintances in Online Multiplayer Games
Yeah, online games tend to be a tad bit more dangerous than board games, but what can you expect with complete strangers? Your only salvation in this situation is the fact that you are playing with friends who are willing to support you in case the opposing players decide to start insulting you out of nowhere.
Obviously, the same can be said about teammates, especially when you aren't playing with enough friends to fill every spot in the team. Randomly being matched up with teammates around the world can lead to a little bit of toxicity, but otherwise, you should still be relatively safe here.
At least, that is the hope.
Danger Zone: Online Friends in Online Multiplayer Games
I honestly don't think I really need to elaborate on this one, online friends tend to be a lot shadier than IRL friends, simply due to the fact that you don't really know what they look like, and perhaps it would be better if it stayed that way. After all, many people think that a part of their real self may be a huge deal-breaker for them.
I mean, it's probably not true anyway, but considering how much your personality can change depending on whether you're online or offline, it could definitely be a breath of fresh air.
Also, I'm fairly certain online friends are less likely to defend you from toxicity since they aren't as obligated to you as real-life friends are (Unless you defended them from toxicity in the past, in which case, they should definitely defend you right back), but I dunno, that might just be my personal experience.
GTFO Zone: Alone in Online Multiplayer Games
Need I say more? You're never more vulnerable online than when you're by yourself. I mean, sure, you have most of the gaming community who are usually wholesome and supportive, and nothing wrong with them.
But then you have the more... unsavory bunch.
"You're so good, have my children." Said at least half of all males to another male in first-person shooters.
And of course, there's the more... aggressive players.
"Shut the f*** up, you uncoordinated little abortion." Said at least a quarter of all gamers to someone who literally took a breath into their microphone.
So yeah, honestly, if you're going to play Online Multiplayer Games, at least retreat into the Danger Zone, because that honestly seems better than this.
So there you have it, know your safety zones in gaming, and remember to adjust according to your mental state.
And hey, I'm not saying you gotta do this, I'm just giving you some advice based off of my personal experience. Toxicity can be a massive factor in self-esteem issues and depression, but rally yourself with your friends, and you should be fine.
This is The Founder, signing out.
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