I was going to post this article that I wrote years ago in the Creator Crew section, but it doesn't specifically pertain to Sea of Thieves, and is also not a video, so I ultimately decided to post it here instead. Please read, enjoy, and share your thoughts. Please do not steal. Thanks!
When it comes to competitive video games, you will lose – it is a simple fact. As they say, there is always somebody better than you. Despite this fact, it is important to remember that even if you lose, you can lose with an advantage.
Many gamers today are by and large emotional beings and will lash out in some way or even try and avoid losing altogether. This unfortunately has the side effect of players often quitting early and/or rage quitting. Quitting early, as the name implies, is simply quitting the game before it is over. Rage quitting, on the other hand, is a bit more serious and complicated because it is the act of not only quitting early, but doing so in a fit of anger.
Both quitting early and rage-quitting are frowned upon by most gamers. Doing either interrupts the flow of the game for all players involved. It might be a quick, simple, and easy solution for the person who decides to leave the game, but the ramifications are significant. If the video game in question is a team game, it leaves 1 team short-handed and at a disadvantage, which in turn affects the fun the other players on that team may be having.
Another form of quitting early is literally walking away from the game (but not leaving the virtual game itself). This has the unfortunate circumstance of not only leaving the team short-handed as above, but depending on the type of game, may even prevent other players from joining the game and otherwise taking the vacant player’s spot. While the opponents may appreciate the gesture, most players will not.
Rage quitting is very serious. Although it is a quick solution, it is only a temporary one, and will never permanently fix the problem. When it happens, it can create a domino effect. If you rage quit, it becomes a habit, and not a good one. If you lose constantly, you will start to rage quit more often and start to become angry every time you start to lose, even before the game is over. This will affect your concentration and become a self-fulfilling prophecy and turn losing into a constant reality. If you let this happen, you may find yourself never having fun with playing video games and eventually giving up the hobby altogether.
As mentioned before, everyone loses. There is no avoiding it – it will happen. So how can you go about making the experience better for yourself? Thankfully, there are two solutions: (1) stay calm and (2) use the loss as a learning experience.
Video games are designed to be fun. If it starts to affect your emotions negatively, then it will cease to be fun. For this reason it is important to remember to keep your emotions in check. It is incredibly important to remember that, in the end, it is just a game – not the end of the world as we know it. If you lose and are not happy with the outcome, do not lash out at other players or quit early – doing so will only ruin the other players’ fun. If you have to, become a Vulcan and shut down your emotions entirely. Of course, taking a deep breath will also probably help.
Once you have kept your emotions in check, you can think rationally (like a Vulcan!). This is where you can take the negativity of a loss and turn it into a benefit. Rather than ruminating on how bad the game was, or how much you dislike the other player(s), think instead about why you lost. Think back on the events that took place and start asking yourself questions by analyzing the situation: What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently or better? Even if you honestly think you did your best, you can still ask yourself questions: What did my opponent do that worked for them? How can I use that to my advantage? In taking the time to ask and eventually answer these questions, you will start a domino effect, like with rage quitting, but this domino effect is all positive. If you take the time to rationalize and work your way around the problems that are presented from losing, you will become a better player. If you become a better player, you lose less. If you lose less, you have more fun.
So the next time you lose, take a deep breath and instead of saying, “ah man! I can’t believe I lost!” say, “well, I suppose that could’ve gone better - but how?” If you can remember to do that, you are likely to find that your whole (virtual gaming) world will change for the better.
