Complain Culture is Real in Video Gaming

I hate to say it but for some gamers, nothing will ever be good enough. Rather than really search for games that will lead to their enjoyment, they continually invest in games and products that lead to a strong sense of dissatisfaction. They will religiously peruse messages boards, comment sections and any platform they can find online to find an audience to voice their displeasure to. In too many cases, the complaining never stops and no solution is ever presented or discovered. It’s just days, months and years of complaining that never amounts to anything. Welcome to the complain culture.

Please understand that this post is not referencing gamers who have legitimate beefs against video game publishers that put out low quality and unacceptable products. Furthermore, I am a huge advocate for gamers having a voice and the freedom to relay their sentiments. For instance, Madden NFL 21 and WWE 2K20 received a large amount of criticism due to their games having bugs, glitches and programming flaws that no video game should have. In these cases, gamers have every right to vent their frustrations due to paying for a game that was released in such a poor state. That is why I support the gamers who have condemned Madden NFL 21 and YouTube creators like RyanMoody21 who show video evidence of just how bad the game is. On the contrary, I equally support the gamers who express favorable praise on the modern versions of Madden even if I don’t agree with their perspectives. Gamers having the opportunity to voice either their feelings and opinions on what is happening in the gaming industry is both healthy and vital. But can these opinions also become excessive, unproductive and destructive? I believe so.

Because I frequent messages boards, read comments attached to YouTube videos and visit so many different websites, I come across plenty of passionate views and perspectives related to all sorts of topics in video games. We gamers can be some of the most opinionated and argumentative people when it comes to our interest. Yet on too many occasions, forum posters become convinced that their perspective trumps all else, including the very harmony of the forum group. Instead of engaging in civil discourse, the thread then turns into a virtual verbal war zone with insults being hurled back and forth and continually escalating until a moderator steps in and diffuses the situation by either reprimanding the parties involved, closing down the thread or banning the culprits. This is an example of what happens when complaining goes too far. It creates division and the complainer feels the need to spread his or her misery to everyone else. This type of proselytizing is what I am against in gaming.

The “my way or the highway” approach that complainers exhibit does not bring unity. It does not endear others to their cause. In many ways, complainers alienate themselves constantly because they feel they have the right to disrupt the peace and contentment of others by any means necessary. They can not accept that something that they dislike can also be something that someone else either likes or does not mind. Nope, in their minds, the ignorant must be converted or shamed. If this means trolling websites, then so be it. To insult other people with personal attacks, necessary. The psychology of it reminds me of why people in the world at large have trouble getting along and being able to have respectful conversations on topics such as politics and religion. These type of complainers are not tolerant of anything other than what they believe. As a result, they then elevate situations to outrageous levels in order to make their points. They want to win and convert, not listen, understand and then respectfully disagree. Listening and understanding does not mean a person has to change their own beliefs or values. It simply means you are willing to respect someone even when their perspectives are different from your own.

Why can’t some gamers just accept that some games will not appeal to them? If something is causing so much frustration and discord in your heart, why keep engaging with it? It would be wiser to let it go and spend that extra time on something that does provide fulfillment and satisfaction. To be trapped in a perpetual state of misery is not healthy for the person or for the others that have to deal with that person. If you feel you’re not getting what you want out of video games, then accept it and move on. Don’t spend any more money or time on it because it isn’t worth it. There is much more to life beyond video games so why even spend time complaining about something that is nonessential and just entertainment at the end of the day? Trolling message boards and comment sections won’t change anything. It will only extend the life of the bitterness inside of you.

Recently, I read of Microsoft’s plan to end the beta of it’s Game Pass for PC and raise the price from $4.99 a month to $9.99 to match the price of the Xbox One version of Game Pass. Sure enough, I read complaints from people about how expensive Game Pass now was and how it wasn’t fair. Those who did not agree with them were insulted. Really? As many things as we waste far more than $10 a month on in general, I’m to believe that having access to more than 100 games including the upcoming EA collection in the near future for the price of two Starbucks drinks is expensive? When I read this, I came to the conclusion that unless some people are literally handed things to them for free, they won’t be happy. They’ll probably find some way to complain about that too. These types of people are the ones who would be willing to shut down and overthrow everything simply based on personal preference, not understanding that the freedom to make something you don’t like is part of the reason why something can be made that you do like.

If you are a gamer that encounters these type of fellow gamers, do not entertain them if you see right away they aren’t willing to be reasonable. They thrive off of attention, being able to change your mood and wasting your time. If you don’t let them affect you in those three areas then they have no power over you. Don’t let them take away your joy or happiness. This is not a matter of life and death, especially in a world of entertainment.

Anyway, I just wanted to spend some time highlighting what I believe is a problem in the gaming community. My advice if you don’t like something is to take action instead of spending all of your time complaining about it. If people are enjoying something you don’t prefer, leave them be and make the decision for yourself to no longer spend your money on those things. Let’s be bigger than complaints.

-TVGA