Things are done a bit differently here at It's Just a Game. I want you to be happy. That's pretty much the whole point of this blog.
So i'm trying something new. I'll keep doing it if these work out.
I don't do game reviews here at It's Just a Game. There are enough of those out there to choke a thresher maw.
I'm going to start writing up Happiness Guides for games.
Think of Happiness Guides like a strategy guide, but rather than showing you all of the game's secrets and tips, you'll be getting tips and tricks on how to get the most out of games when it comes to happiness and really enjoying yourself.
I want you to be happy, and I'm pretty sure that you want you to be happy too. Always keep that in mind when playing games, or doing anything for that matter. you're playing them for your enjoyment, not to fuel frustration.
What games would you like to see happiness guides for? Are there any games that really get to you that you wish you could be happier playing? I need your input so I can pick which game to write a guide for first.
Please tell me in the comments.
Is the name Happiness Guide too cheesy? If it is do you have any other suggestions?
Stay tuned for the future of Happiness Guides.
You could be like these people!
Senior man happy winning computer game, raising arms, laughing, looking at camera.
Ok this kid's a little creepy. What is he playing?...
Haha ok. I was just having fun with cheesy stock images of people faking being happy playing games. Note the watermarks... That caption under the old guy was what it was described as on the site.
But seriously. I want you to be REAL happy. Not fake stock photo happy.
The other day I was cuddled up with my girlfriend while she was playing the debatably incredible game L.A Noire.
I had beaten the game already and now she wanted to give it a shot.
As she wrapped up questioning the last suspect, something happened.
'Bleep bloop'
That cocaine of an audio snippet that so many gamers crave.
She got an achievement!
I always get excited for her when she unlocks an achievement. Unlocking achievements, as inconsequential as they may be, is always exciting, so much so, that it's even exciting for me when other people get them.
But what's this?
She unlocked an achievement that I never got in my time with the game!
Preposterous!
Ever get that feeling?
You ever see someone who has an achievement or a trophy in a game that you don't have?
These feelings work great for getting you to spend more time with a game working to match your buddies' achievements, but you shouldn't let it get to you.
Just because someone has something you don't shouldn't mean that you spend your time fixating on getting that thing for yourself as well.
You have better ways to spend your energy than on jealousy.
Be happy for them.
This applies to achievements, trophies, in game items, and, get this, real life!
Not too long ago a friend of mine managed to get his hands on 4 unique Boba Fett miniatures pieces for the Star Wars miniatures game.
I am a HUGE Boba Fett fanboy. (Just look through the IJAG store and see how many Boba Fett items I own. I have even more that aren't listed.)
So when my friend got those awesome figures for super cheap, I was naturally pretty jealous.
But I let it go.
You too need to learn to let go of things when you get jealous.
Jealousy is just as beneficial to you as anger. It's not beneficial at all.
Learn to be happy for others who have things rather than wishing you had them for yourself. Jealousy can only lead to broken relationships and contempt.
Being happy is always the best way to go about life.
Someone else get an achievement or a trophy that you don't have?
Cool. Good for them.
You might get it eventually, or you might not. Either way it doesn't matter.
Welcome, Knights in the Army Against Rage, to your first Objective in The Quest, a cause to rid gaming of Gamer Rage.
Not a Knight yet? No problem! Joining is as simple as emailing me that you want in! joe.lutovsky@gmail.com Visit THIS PAGE for more info on The Quest and the Army Against Rage. You should become a Knight. It would mean a lot to have you in our army.
If we want to eliminate Gamer Rage from the world of gaming we first need to make sure we've eliminated it from ourselves. Just as the Jedi must do their best to keep the dark side out of themselves, so must we do our best to keep from raging at games.
Gamer Rage can sneak up on all of us, so we need to always be aware of Gamer Rage in ourselves. If you feel like you are getting annoyed or frustrated by a game, just relax, and breathe.
The first, and best step to flushing that rage away is breathing.
Something as simple as breathing can do wonders in every aspect of your life, not just gaming.
If you're getting stressed or frustrated at a game, just breathe. Be aware of your breathing. It'll calm you down.
Remind yourself that It's Just a Game, and that there is really no reason to be bothered by what's happening.
You got pwned by someone.
So what.
Breathe.
Something unfair happened.
So what.
Breathe.
Someone is trying to get at you.
So what.
Breathe.
Enjoy your game.
We play games for lots of reasons, most importantly to be happy. I don't think anyone plays games, or does anything, to frustrate or irritate themselves.
Being angry will never get you anywhere or do you any good. Ever. So be happy instead, it'll do you a lot more good.
Remember that when you start feeling the rage building up inside you.
You should always be conscious of how you're feeling. If you are aware of harmful negative feelings rising up, you'll be more equipped to get rid of them or shrug them off, and continue being happy.
You're in control of your emotions. Don't let them consume you. That leads to the Dark Side. To Gamer Rage.
Breathe.
Remember to have fun.
Learn to laugh at what's happening rather than yelling at it.
Someone greased you in an online game.
So what.
It happens to everyone.
YOU ARE NOT THE BEST PLAYER EVER. YOU WILL LOSE NOW AND THEN.
Don't be mad about it, laugh at how you got smoked, respawn, and hop back in the fray.
"Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side" - Obi Wan
The other day my roommate and I were talking about how good our friend is at Halo Reach, but that he also rages like a madman while he plays it.
"Maybe that's where he gets his power" said my roommate sarcastically.
It hit me.
Who else gets their power from anger and hate?
Sith.
That's right, people who Gamer Rage are like the Sith.
I'm sure when they first started gaming they weren't filled with anger, but as time went on their skill with games grew. As their skill grew their pension for anger grew. Because they're so good they feel extra angry when they do bad or things don't go their way. Their skill and their rage are connected.
Yes, if you suck at a game it might upset you, but not nearly as much if you cared about the game a lot and considered yourself a skilled player, as most Ragers.
If gamers who suffer from Gamer Rage are like the Sith, then what are we, the Knights in the Army Against Rage?
Duh, we're the Jedi.
We can still kick ass, but we don't resort to anger and rage to fuel our gameplay. It is our duty to keep peace in the gaming community and do our best to quell any upsurges of rage that we encounter. We need to turn the Ragers back to the light side.
Let's apply some lessons from Yoda to our cause as Knights against Rage.
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."―Yoda
Fear:
What fear you say? Although it might not be the kind of fear you'd feel if a wampa was about to make you his lunch, fear is the path to Gamer Rage, to the Dark Side.
You fear losing. You fear not being the best. You fear screwing up. You fear making a fool of yourself. You fear coming in last. You fear failure.
And like Yoda says, this fear leads to anger, anger at the game you're playing, at the situation you're in.
Anger leads to hate, hate for the other players in the game, for the people who made the game, or the game itself.
Hate leads to suffering. You suffer from a lack of happiness. Those around you suffer. The players you interact with suffer.
You have gone to the Dark Side.
"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."―Yoda to Anakin Skywalker
I guess Anakin didn't take Yoda's advice. Look how he ended up.
What do you fear to lose in your games? Success? Wins? A good K:D? If you let go of that, you've taken a step away from the Dark Side, away from raging, and towards being happy and enjoying your games and your life more.
What happens to the Sith? They turn on each other. Their lust for power and their rage and hate always corrupt them and end them.
Don't let that happen to you.
Stay on the light side.
If you know someone who has gone to the dark side, or is teetering on the edge, reach out with the force (or just with friendship or something like that) and pull them back to the light side.
Games are one of the most powerful ways to attain true happiness*, and they're squandering that with their anger and rage.
"Destroy the Sith, we must."
―Yoda
They must realize that the path they're on won't lead them anywhere but to destruction. In most cases this destruction is simply the loss of happiness and positive emotions, which are essential to having a fulfilling life.
A very close friend of mine has a serious condition. I grow more concerned every time I see this condition flare up.
He has been living with it for a very long time. With your support, we can cure him and the multitude of others who share his terrible condition.
It's Just a Game is dedicating itself to completely eliminating this awful affliction.
I'm going to need your help.
This condition is called Ira Feras* which is Latin for: the wrath of wild beasts, or more simply, Gamer Rage.
Although many are oblivious to it's terrible effects, in reality it is very serious. It affects one of the most vital aspects of a person's life and well-being; their happiness.
This affliction blinds a player to the fun aspects of a game, drawing the afflicted's focus only to things that they can get frustrated at, complain about, insult, or rage at. This makes it nearly impossible for them to enjoy themselves, which defeats the point of playing video games.
Through my research and experiences (I used to be a victim of GR myself) I have discovered some things to look out for.
Symptoms of Gamer Rage include, but are not limited to:
Yelling at the game
Yelling at other players
Yelling at the developers of the game for making a bad game
Sarcastically thanking either the game itself or the developers for something unfortunate that just happened
Squeezing the controller in frustration
Quitting the game in rage and or fury (both in unison can be a very harmful combination)
Throwing the controller any amount of distance
Angry or exasperated sighs
Team killing other players in the game if possible because they are "Not doing good enough" or some other excuse
Assumptions that everyone else in the game must just be terrible, and the player (the gamer rager) is really the only skilled player in the game. "I must be the only person who knows how to play this." "Why are you even playing this game?!"
Profuse swearing
Cranial combustion*
If you see a friend exhibiting any of the symptoms of GR, or you suspect they might have contracted GR, talk to them right away.
Tell them they need to stop. Raging does no one any good.
It is very important that you help them to realize how they've been acting towards video games. Let them know that it isn't healthy to be so angry at something so trivial. They play games for the joy of it, and raging gets in the way of that.
The effects of Gamer Rage are far reaching.
Gamer Rage can affect those in close proximity to the rager. It is difficult to be around someone demonstrating effects of Gamer Rage. It is hard for people to see friends and loved ones, people who can be so kind, overcome by the terrible effects GR.
Gamer Rage can also potentially affect people from any corner of the world. With online gaming (the main cause of Gamer Rage) allowing players all over the world to interact, Gamer Rage can affect virtually anyone, anywhere, making it all the more contagious.
Gamer Rage has gone unchallenged for far too long.
We must take it upon ourselves to combat this terrible affliction that ails so many of our fellow gamers, our friends.
We must let those who perpetuate Gamer Rage to realize the error of their ways and to make the world gaming a better, happier place.
We must show by example that games are nothing to rage about, rather that we should always do our best to enjoy them no matter the circumstances.
A life full of happiness and enjoyment far outweighs a life full of rage and frustration.
Recruit your friends to this cause, send them here if you don't feel like trying to convince them yourself. Let them know that we're out here, and we care. We want a world without Gamer Rage. A world where you can sit down and be happy with a game.
Spread the IJAG cause. Spread GR awareness.
We want to enjoy our games.
We want to enjoy our lives.
We want everyone to.
If you want to join the Quest for a Cure get in contact with me. I'm going to set up a roster of everyone who joins the Quest. We can build an army against the forces of Rage.
This is a very serious quest with potentially drastic outcomes if we can succeed.
Just in case you were wondering: I did try to make this article a bit funny, if not even slightly satirical, but I am also very serious about all of this.
I want to eliminate Gamer Rage.
This Quest is for real and I'm embarking on it. I'd be an honor if you'd join me.
*Ok I made up that latin stuff.
*This symptom has not yet been observed, but it is theorized that if one's gamer rage is left unchecked and unstopped, cranial combustion could occur.
