A Quick Guide to Gamer Etiquette & Communication
In our society, there are a certain set of unspoken rules that one has to abide by in our everyday interactions. Some are highly recommended, while others are insinuated or encouraged. Within the gaming world, these same principles still apply. In order to explain my rules on gamer etiquette, I am going to use Destiny 2 as my gaming example; this has elements of both a PVE (player versus everyone) and PVP (player versus player) that would be essential to highlight.
General Rules of Gamer for Communication:
1) Respect: In my personal opinion, this is the most important rule to follow. I have been in several situations where the respect of people has crossed a line between indecent and downright rude. To me, even in 2023, female gamers get the brunt of this lack of respect, as the generalized stereotype of “girls don’t game” still seems to flow through the gaming community’s veins. No matter who you, what circles you come from, always show respect to your gaming peers.
2) No Cheating: No bots, no cheat codes, no hacking. Cheating is just frowned upon by the entire gaming community, no matter what form it takes.
3) No Trolling: The act of trolling is defined as players going out of their way to annoy and make people rage in video games. These actions can vary from constantly telling gamers they suck, to teabagging and other small seemingly childlike acts. For example, in GTA V, a random player who constantly harasses and kills you non-stop with firearms or runs you over with their car might be considered a troll. All genders of gamers are tested by the trolls, both the fantastical and realistic, so in those situations, be the bigger person. Don’t engage with a troll, sometimes it’s best to disconnect rather than stoop to their level.
4) Spawn Camping: Also simply called “Camping”, this is defined as a tactic where a player obtains an advantageous static position, which may be a discreet place that is unlikely to be searched. In my specific example of Destiny 2, more specifically catered to their PVP content, this action refers to players who stay near a revive zone and constantly kill off other players just for spite Don’t do this, ever.
5) Teabagginng: This term is commonly defined as where players stand over an opponent’s dead body and repeatedly crouch their character over the corpse. It’s meant to mimic a crude sexual act, and it comes off as crass and disrespectful. Interestingly enough, a similar act of teabagging (not over someone’s corpse) can actually be a good communicator. This sometimes falls into the same category as trolling, so be the bigger person and do not engage in teabagging.
6) Cursing: Cursing is normally discouraged, but it solely depends on how well you know the people you are gaming with. Whether your gaming buddies are your lifelong best friend or just a stranger that you stumbled upon with an LFG [looking for group] post, it is highly recommended to not curse, or at least to direct your cursing at your fellow players. Derogatory curse words are an automatic no; the mere mention of those words in gaming conversation makes my ears twinge in discomfort. I am not saying that we have to keep our cursing under our belt, but rather, controlled.
7) Tardiness: As the same goes for the real world, being late for any gaming session, specifically with a team activity such as a raid, is usually discouraged. Granted, if you communicate beforehand any conflicts which would prevent you from arriving on time, that is more acceptable than showing up late without a reasonable excuse. It wastes your friend’s time and it could prompt them to give you a cold shoulder.
8) Rage Quitting: This is the action of abandoning a game mid-session when things are not working in our favor. Several examples of when gamers rage quite include getting killed quickly and constantly, falling victim to a glitch in the game, or if gamers are getting constantly harassed by trolls among other things. Rage quitting when your friends are relying on you is a no-no; this could affect the overall outcome and statistics of the game session. If you don’t save before a rage quit, you could also lose some hard-earned progression data. The next time that you feel that you are about to rage quit, be sure to know your emotional cues, and have some calming techniques on standby, like a stress ball, to relieve the built-up stress and anger.
Gender in Gamers
The rules above apply to all gamers, regardless of gender and sexual identity. As a female gamer, I have witnessed firsthand some of the blatant disrespect from other gamers showed. It can be something as simply blunt as a message from a random player saying “Don’t Play” or “Uninstall” after you stumble through a round of a PVP shooter. It can also be something deeply insinuated like someone triggering and targeted such an unwelcome sexual advance, whether through a message, voice chat or game emote. Everyone should feel safe and welcomed into the gaming community, so before you send this type of message to any fellow player, please be sure that you keep the golden rule of etiquette in playing in the virtual world; treat others the way you want to be treated. Fair and simple.
Communication is important in all aspects of life, with gaming being no exception. In today's world, we also have to be aware of those that are either not able to hear, see or speak, and we have to be mindful in regard to communicating in the virtual world. We have the rules to abide by, now we can take a look at some tips for communicating with all types of players.
Verbal Communication
In most multiplayer games, we have to solely rely on speaking and our voices to communicate. As you speak over your microphone, be sure to keep a calm, but friendly tone. If something or someone starts to aggravate you, excuse yourself from your party or mute yourself for a few moments to collect your thoughts before speaking again. If you are utilizing comms/mics for communication, refrain from transmitting loud background noise such as music that may diminish other players' ability to communicate. Other than those two tips, the same rules stated above apply.
Non Verbal Communication
Not all video game communication can be done verbally. If you are dealing with hard-of-hearing individuals, it will depend on your setting. If you have a camera active, then American Sign Language, if you know it, will be your go-to for communication. If you do not have a camera active, then you can still communicate through the game chat feature. Be mindful of what you type though; avoid using all caps, as this insinuates that you are shouting/yelling at the other gamers. If none of those are available to you, you can still communicate within the game itself, but it would take a shared level of understanding for the message to get across. Sometimes, you can use character emotes to communicate messages to other players.
Remember when we spoke about teabagging earlier? Teabagging, if used in the non-confrontational context, is not necessarily a bad thing. In some games, players use this to say hi or attempt to gain the friendship of another by crouching back and forth while across from one another. This crosses into unfriendly territory when a player teabags over your dead corpse, as this insinuates more of a taunt and comes off as troll behavior.
Conclusion
Video games have been described as the great equalizer, as everyone who participates in playing video games shares the same common ground, whether you just picked up a controller or you have been a veteran since the first consoles. This is the same mindset one should have when communicating with their fellow gamer friends. The one main point for communication within video games is that everyone has to be on the same page. In the end, all gamers have the same objective; to have fun and have shared experiences over what they love together.
