Keeping Your Cool in the Face of Adversity

Current Fighting Games Fighting Game Discussion
1

I’ve been playing Street Fighter (and the numerous variations and knockoffs thereof) for ages now, I should be at a point where nothing should get me emotionally frustrated.

However, I always end up wanting to scream or curse at the end of rounds that don’t go my way. It only lasts a second or two, but it’s enough to potentially create some tension during hookups or tournies when everyone really justs wants to keep it cool and have a good time.

I know I’m not the only one who has this problem, I’ve seen people turn red after matches, and been to a couple of casual sessions where the industrial strength tears flow like wine. I’m sure everyone here has come across the occasional ragequitter/hatemailer online as well…

What can I do (besides bring the rape every single time, simple in theory, hard to apply) to maintain my composure at public gatherings so I don’t get kicked out of a place or worse?

2

Everyone gets tight. I do as well. Sometimes, you just have to take it as what it is and realize that it’s just a game and that you’re still improving even if you lose because you can look at those mistakes and work on them.

I was getting pretty tight last night at CF because I just started losing out of nowhere and was just playing really sloppy in my matches. Everyone is entitled to get tight, but not to the point of going nuts.

3

I call bullshit. Handsome fighters never lose battles. (no homo)

Maybe I should keep some comfort food nearby, so I can have something to munch on when I inevitably get shoryu’d back to the end of the line…

4

Put on your reds and blues and emulate Spider-Man when it comes to this. Just say random funny shit while you’re fighting someone. It mixes it up with people watching you play and it masks whatever anger issues you may have. Make sure you talk the entire match too, don’t save it up for when you lose.

I’m pretty level headed when it comes to playing, so that’s really my best answer. I just have fun with whatever I’m doing so accomplishing the above is no problem. The only thing I can’t stop is sweating. For whatever reason I get single droplets of sweat that slam down on to my ribs when I play sometimes. Cold as fuck and it doesn’t make any sense. It’s almost as bad as when you take a dump and the turd hits the water splashing water back into your asshole. The worst backwash.

5

I get pretty pissed sometimes when I’m either completely overwhelmed, or stuck against someone who does cheap crap like using lag to hit you with the same attack combo over and over, then accuse you of “using the same attacks time and again” when you dare to mix up highs and lows.

Best recourse is to realize that in the end you’re doing your best, and will get better and figure them out a little more next time.

6

I’m pretty good at keeping my cool… on the front.

I get tense as hell inside when things go bad in tourneys. I’m a very streaky player. I either ride my wave of momentum, or perform way below my expectations.

7

In my case, I go apeshit if I lose online, but I don’t care if its tourney. Go figure.

This is the reason I don’t use a mic online- you guys don’t need to here me.

8

It’s PTW and competitive mindset on overdrive.

Don’t put your self worth or validity into a video game’s win or loss.

You’re not dead, your girlfriend has not broken up with you, nah man your dog did not run away, no… you don’t have AIDS, and your family is doing fine no one has been kidnapped cause you lost. You don’t fail at life cause you lost some matches.

Put that shit into perspective and realize that it’s just a game, and it’s fun. It’s also not your job, you’re not in jeopardy of not being able to put food on the table and a roof over your head. You aren’t at gunpoint. Yo man, you’re not fighting for your freedom, either.

Realize that you can not, and will not, win them all. You also won’t lose them all either.

Check this out, if you find yourself losing your cool and not enjoying yourself, either what you’re doing right now is not for you, or you’ve overdosed on it.

Take a break, reassess and all that.

9

hear*

10

Whenever I lose, I just go into deep thought mode thinking about why I’m getting owned by the things I get owned by. I’ve pretty much come to the realization that things my opponents do to beat me is the fault of me getting into that situation in the first place or me not knowing stuff I should know. So if I lose, instead of raging, I usually give my opponent props.

I do get tight though, like when I drop a match winning combo and then end up losing in a tourney, cuz that’s like the worst feeling ever. But I don’t let it get to me at all if it’s casuals cuz I treat casuals as me trying to learn stuff or get execution stuff down against a real person.

If anything, try to keep your cool cuz if you rage too much, then you become known by other players for raging.

11

I’m sure the majority of players have this same issue. To not get frustrated, even angry, would require a Zen-like level of calmness.

The suggestion about talking during the fights is a good suggestion. Though I’ve never played any tournaments, I do know that on Xbox Live I have a lot more fun, and I very rarely get angry after losses, even if I play like crap, when the other players in the room are talking. I chime in, chat with them, be friendly and just have fun with the game. On the flipside, if I join a game and get my ass handed to me by a player who doesn’t talk, or in rare cases does nothing but talk shit, I tend to get angry.

At tournaments or even in the arcade, before each match, try greeting your opponent, shake their hand, and wish them a good game. Be friendly and open, but of course don’t always expect the same from your foe. Then, give the game the best you’ve got. If you win, cool. If you lose, just realize you were bested by another player who’s a real person and plays & enjoys the game just as much as you. No need to get angry over losses.

12

I always wonder why people ragequit. If I’m getting beat, I generally laughingly talk about the stuff owning me and keep trying new things.

13

I’ll swear and scream whether I win or lose. I’m hard like that.

14

I do the opposite, unless I lose due to equipment failure, cause then I know it wasn’t really me.

If I am losing and feel pissed, I just calm down. Like I don’t look mad, I just look like I’m gonna fall asleep. Then I start concentrating on what’s pissing me off so much, and how to fix it. Not easy at times, but it helps.

At tourneys though, it’s always me joking around. If you can keep the jokes up, nobody cares if you suck ass at the game, they have fun all around :tup:

15

Rationalizing it away somehow during the time you feel this way doesn’t help much since it is an emotion/feeling… one thing to control your behavior, but another thing entirely to just simply “stop feeling” it. These games we play are competitive, and have very basic results- you either win or lose; the less you let any “feelings” interfere with your game, the better (easier said than done, I know).

Also, there are times, even when it is a casual/friendly atmosphere, where you just want to concentrate and people should respect that. Often we forget or miss the signs entirely when someone’s trying to do this, either reflecting on his last game or considering what beats a certain attack he lost to. I try to be a lot more observant of that these days. The light joking around and chatting whatever can still be done (later/before), but there ought to be times when you should be allowed to concentrate on getting into the zone.

These acts are not really about showing how good you really are or how much you “should have won” that last round etc. Acting out gets you a certain kind of attention.

You might be feeling like “But I just don’t GIVE a fuck!” but for whatever reason, whether you are having an off day, or the other guy really is better that day, that is your chance to learn and improve (if that’s what you want, it’s the reason I play basically). You can still be mad but it can give you some focus. Also here’s some incentive- tell yourself not to do anything that could possibly be construed as “violent behavior” lest they think video games are the influence. And they would have a point because playing chess or go can cause every bit of the exact same type of frustration you’re talking about, but social standards bare an influence on acting out in those games.

Also you can try to be thankful for the competition of other players that aren’t letting you stagnate or challenge you to improve- since not everyone has competition to even play against in the first place. If you are frustrated “because you lose”, the competition is just keeping you honest. Even if you win you will still either be frustrated, or, somehow falsely convinced that you had some unbeatable strategy that you had the chance to unleash your fury while doing it (which never happens, it takes focus and concentration, not raging out).

One thing that can really annoy me is when the people watching a match (whether yours or anyone else’s) prematurely cheer or comment before the round is over. I don’t mean, the round has one guy with 1 pixel of life, I don’t mean, the round only has 2 seconds left on it, I mean, OVER, as in, the win symbol is ALREADY displaying on the screen. Even in tournaments, I’d prefer to play with tennis spectators or in a sound-proof booth. Especially when the guy commenting isn’t even a top player. (Live comments are too slow for fighting games anyway, they don’t really offer anything of value do they?)

Also, if you use Execution Aid, you will never ever again get mad while playing fighting games. Ok that’s probably not true, but you should really give it try anyways: [media=youtube]xi_BYZM1LsA[/media]

-XSPR

16

I have that problem sometimes, but it’s usually only when I’m playing the computer. For some reason I have trouble with Gill. I don’t know why, I’ve fought him a thousand times, but I still have a hard time with him. When I’m playing other people, if they’re outplaying me, it’s usually frustration at myself for my poor performance. Try to think of something funny or something to distract you momentarily; I know it’s easier said than done but it can work.

When i lived at home, my brother and I cut out a piece of a magazine ad that said “Prozac Can Help” and taped it to the top of the tv cabinet. When one of us would get frustrated, the other would point to it and we’d have a laugh.

17

Try taking a shot before tournaments.

I love high pressure matches and actually become calmer.

18

What about those people who actually play better mad?

19

That kinda happens to me, I’m too passive and keep shit cool most of the time and get beaten a lot while trying to figure out what’s making me loose, then suddenly something strikes me and I get mad for no reason and whenever this happens I’m able to do stuff on reaction.

It seems my problem is I think way too much about everything and somewhat waste time while doing so, and my mind somehow clears up everytime I get mad.

So I’m now trying to learn how to act on reaction without the need to get mad.

20

The only thing that really gets me mad these days are tick throws in HDR and that Deejay crossup garbage if I don’t have an uppercut.

Oh hey Natskuga I am going to post about you in the GG thread for HDR!