News — Tips

One of the coolest things I love about video games, today, is it's ability to connect people from all over the world. I think its great to be able to play with my best friend, siblings and colleagues that all live in different states, cities and time zones. One thing I don't like about playing online is the amount of toxicity that people bring to the game.

We've all been there before. We hop in a game only to have Captain Rage queue up with us and he does nothing but complain, talk smack and feed the whole time. So much so that he makes you tilt. Unfortunately, you can't kick them from the game but here are some helpful tips to deal with them while you are in game.

1. Do Not Feed Their Fire
This should be pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many people get triggered by Captain Rage and then furiously type back responses. Only to egg Captain Rage on more. Theses people spend more time typing back responses than actually play. For whatever reason, Captain Rage feeds off of your comments with his only purpose is trying to make you rage quit. Just remember what Grandmomma always said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".

2. Mute Captain Rage
You'd think that this would be pretty obvious too, but again you'd be surprised at how many people either forget or don't know about the mute feature. Most online games that I have played offer a mute feature. It depends on the game, but the mute feature pevents Captain Rage from voice communication, text communication and in some games ping communication. By muting Captain Rage, you can follow the first tip easier. If you can't hear Captain Rage, you can't respond to Captain Rage.

3. Report Foul Play
I feel that this is one of the most effective ways to deal with Captain Rage, granted it can't happen until the game ends. So sadly, you will have to put up with Captain Rage for the duration of your game. Please report foul play, I know what you're thinking. "Reporting doesn't do anything", and that's where you're wrong. Sure it takes awhile, but foul play reporting systems do work. There are also some games that notify you that when a player you have reported get his "just desserts".

All in all, remember its just a game and there is a person on the other side of the screen and people tend to put up a front and tough-guy attitude when they can hide behind a monitor.

With the evolution of competitive video gaming and online play, LANs (Local Area Network), are rare to come across. Sure, you may get together with a few buddies every month and play a few games. But what about the huge LANs of 100+ people, where everyone just geeks out all day?  
 
Nowadays, most organized LANs that I see are for single/multi-day tournaments, or are put on by a university’s gaming club. In this article I want to briefly list some things that will help you feel confident attending your first LAN.  
 
1. The Essentials 

This tip can vary with the event or game being played. So I will speak about this generally. If you are attending a PC LAN, make sure you remember all your cables (power, HDMI, USB extenders, etc.), tower, monitor, peripherals (mouse, headset, keyboard), mousepad [I have forgotten mine many times], and Ethernet.  

For a console LAN, make sure to remember your controller, charging cable/unit, and headset. I would also include some small snacks, drinks and water into this essential category. You never know if you will be fed, and even if you are, you’ll have some reserves so you can continue gaming into the wee hours of the morning.

2. The Extras

I have this milk crate that I bring to every event. Inside it has extra cables for everything. Extra power cords, HDMI, DVI, HDMI, Webcam, mousepads, mice and yes an extra keyboard. This not only helps yourself, in the chance that you forgot something, but it also helps the guy that forgot something at his first LAN as well. BONUS: You’ve also made a new real life friend, which is one of the cool things about LANs. 

3. Mark your Stuff

Before you get to the event, got out and buy some stickers, or dots, or something that you can put on your stuff to mark it. That way if there is any confusion as to which controller is whose or whose headset it is, you can easily settle the dispute with the marking on your gear. 

4. Have Fun and Make Friends

Whether it’s a big out-of-state tournament LAN or a local college gaming club LAN, make sure you have fun. Don’t be the try-hard tool that everyone will hate at the end of the event. Know that there are plenty of other people at the event for the first time. Don’t be afraid to ask to hop in on the next game or ask about the game someone else is playing. So get out there and make some friends and have fun.  

[BONUS] 5. Thank the Organizers 

There is a lot of hard work and long hours that go into putting on a large-scale LAN, so if you happen to meet or run into one of the organizers, be sure you tell them thanks.