One of the cornerstones of any team game is communication. Relaying your plan of action to other people on your team so they know what to expect from you and what you might expect them to do to set that up or follow up. This sounds simple right? Then why do so many people fail at conveying what they want to do to their team? I suspect everyone reading this has played a game where you have seen a teammate do something you thing is illogical maybe even irrational. Sometimes someone will call this person out usually following with an insult or a passive aggressive statement about not relying on them anymore. We as a community need to stop this immature and just plain bad approach to our teammates. If you hate this shit or you say to yourself why does this person keep doing this thing that’s wrong be the change that needs to happen be reasonable. Ask people why they do X so you can get their perspective on you may have missed something. If you need someone to peel for you or cover your back and that person keeps running off to do something dumb just ask them to do what you need them to do work out a game plan. A team with better communication and teamwork has nothing to lose, everyone will benefit.
Communication is a fundamental aspect of not just gameplay but human relations we can't even seem to relate to one another anymore everyone acts like a rage baby rather than reasoning things out. Some people with put their dank meme tinfoil hats on and claim this is because of “Chads” invading the gaming world and it’s the “Bros” ruining their once safe haven. Other people will say it is the basement dwellers who are trying to troll and are being dicks because muh autism. No it’s just this strange human paradox of inclusive exclusiveness that we all seem to have. It is this weird dichotomy of human nature where we all want to be included and exclude other people at the same time. Everyone wants to succeed but they don’t want other people to even those people we are paired with. Like I said we should be the difference that needs to be made you don’t have to be friends with someone to be a good teammate. No one is asking you to be a great social butterfly and love everyone you are on the internet. Just out of necessity sometimes put your ego aside and be less of a shitbag to someone who is new and needs help or isn't doing what your team needs them to do to secure a win.
Team morale is directly tied to your reaction to your teammates and while it may not seem like morale is a big deal it is one of the things that causes teams to lose the most. Not feeling like you are contributing or that you are carrying people who are terrible affect your mental state. Sometimes making you do better but more often than not build resentment towards others and alter your gameplay for the negative. When you focus on the negative so much you end up not seeing the positives the small chances that you could take towards victory. When someone say you are the worst at something think for a second objectively and be honest with yourself are you doing as well as you should? Ask how you can improve or what someone would do different, obviously you're going to be met with answers along the likes of “Kill yourself” but don't flip out just press the question really if I am doing something wrong what would you do different to turn this game around? Also when someone is going ape shit on a teammate don’t join in the pecking party try to explain the situation to both sides. Just take a stance that you want to win your current game and want to figure out the best course the team can take to win and that petty bullshit won't do anything but sink your chances of winning. Be supportive without being patronizing, when you single out one person as doing a good job it is almost like calling someone out for doing something terrible. Not seeing who contributed what could lead to jealousy, bring up those negative feeling again. Just saying “GJ team” or “nice” can be a good enough boost to shed some of those negative tensions.
Some game designers are actually hindering team communication out of some vague idea that everyone is “toxic”. Not adding any sort of voice communication to a game in 2015 is simply inexcusable. All you are doing is hindering quick reliable communication in the middle of something that could easily be a frantic fight. I've been on the internet for a long time and I understand the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory and it does not apply as heavily to VOIP communications. Simply because the use of your own voice to insult someone can result in someone immediately judging you for your tone, pitch, a crack in your voice or even something like you stuttering when you say something. Tables are so easily turned that people just don’t act as dickish. Sure you have people that play annoying sounds or music over their microphones but hey that’s what mute buttons are for because you know its 20 fucking 15 and we have that kind of technology right? Remember kids Richard William Wheaton the 3rd says “Don't be a dick”
-Get fucked internets, I'm out
Z
Communication is a fundamental aspect of not just gameplay but human relations we can't even seem to relate to one another anymore everyone acts like a rage baby rather than reasoning things out. Some people with put their dank meme tinfoil hats on and claim this is because of “Chads” invading the gaming world and it’s the “Bros” ruining their once safe haven. Other people will say it is the basement dwellers who are trying to troll and are being dicks because muh autism. No it’s just this strange human paradox of inclusive exclusiveness that we all seem to have. It is this weird dichotomy of human nature where we all want to be included and exclude other people at the same time. Everyone wants to succeed but they don’t want other people to even those people we are paired with. Like I said we should be the difference that needs to be made you don’t have to be friends with someone to be a good teammate. No one is asking you to be a great social butterfly and love everyone you are on the internet. Just out of necessity sometimes put your ego aside and be less of a shitbag to someone who is new and needs help or isn't doing what your team needs them to do to secure a win.
Team morale is directly tied to your reaction to your teammates and while it may not seem like morale is a big deal it is one of the things that causes teams to lose the most. Not feeling like you are contributing or that you are carrying people who are terrible affect your mental state. Sometimes making you do better but more often than not build resentment towards others and alter your gameplay for the negative. When you focus on the negative so much you end up not seeing the positives the small chances that you could take towards victory. When someone say you are the worst at something think for a second objectively and be honest with yourself are you doing as well as you should? Ask how you can improve or what someone would do different, obviously you're going to be met with answers along the likes of “Kill yourself” but don't flip out just press the question really if I am doing something wrong what would you do different to turn this game around? Also when someone is going ape shit on a teammate don’t join in the pecking party try to explain the situation to both sides. Just take a stance that you want to win your current game and want to figure out the best course the team can take to win and that petty bullshit won't do anything but sink your chances of winning. Be supportive without being patronizing, when you single out one person as doing a good job it is almost like calling someone out for doing something terrible. Not seeing who contributed what could lead to jealousy, bring up those negative feeling again. Just saying “GJ team” or “nice” can be a good enough boost to shed some of those negative tensions.
Some game designers are actually hindering team communication out of some vague idea that everyone is “toxic”. Not adding any sort of voice communication to a game in 2015 is simply inexcusable. All you are doing is hindering quick reliable communication in the middle of something that could easily be a frantic fight. I've been on the internet for a long time and I understand the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory and it does not apply as heavily to VOIP communications. Simply because the use of your own voice to insult someone can result in someone immediately judging you for your tone, pitch, a crack in your voice or even something like you stuttering when you say something. Tables are so easily turned that people just don’t act as dickish. Sure you have people that play annoying sounds or music over their microphones but hey that’s what mute buttons are for because you know its 20 fucking 15 and we have that kind of technology right? Remember kids Richard William Wheaton the 3rd says “Don't be a dick”
-Get fucked internets, I'm out
Z