Gaming Behavior, Sportmanship and 40k raging.

Greetings gentlemen,

 today I would like to discuss a part of the game that plays a major role in the way people enjoy their gaming experience. And that is the attitude , sportmanship and behavior during a game , regardless if it is a tabletop game or an online one.

 First of all , perhaps I may not be the most suited person to talk about sportmanship.... because it is true that I often hear from people complaints about the way I behave during games. Some people say that I am over-competitive , quarrelsome or even obnoxious during the game. Even a friend of mine got offended recently after we had a game during a local tournament..

  Regardless of my behavior , I will state the obvious: that when you are playing a game , you ought to respect your opponent and make sure he enjoys the game as much as you do. When someone plays in a friendly environment , he will rarely come across someone who will play in an improper manner. However , when you step forward into more competitive gaming events and tournaments , it is almost certain that you will encounter someone who will cause frustration.  In such occasions , many people want to give their best to show their skill and claim a top place ( and prize ) that they will usually forget the whole "game " idea. It is not something nice or acceptable to do , but a tournament is a place where you could expect people to  demand strict precision during model movements and application of rules.

 Furthermore , there is another category of  " frustrating " people , those who are not only rule-nazis , but those who will shout and argue furiously during the game when a assault move can't be made or when a dice roll goes very bad.. 

   To begin with , not all people can be calm , and well , some of them are a little too excitable and perhaps more likely to shout or argue. Personally , I find it hard to restrain myself when a very bad dice roll occurs ( rolling 1,1 and 2 for a Ravener's assault move is not pretty when you have those str8 GK autocannons in your face ) and I believe that others share this weakness. Other people can be irritated when confronted by the rule-nazis mentioned above or when they realize that the opponent may cheat or otherwise attemt to "bend" the game rules.

 Also , several people get carried away when playing a game. 40k is  a game who has many thousand fans , most of which find the game not only attractive , but they have fervor and passion too! And if you consider that the game board is the place where 40k comes to life , I guess it makes sense to hear people shouting " For the Emperor!" or "Waaaagh! " when they play , or doing other silly things...

     Furthermore , many people spend several hours , weeks or even years to fully assemble and paint their army to the maximum quality they can achieve. When you spend so much of your time preparing your army with love and care for each model , this procedure creates some sort of bonding. For the artist , his works are much more than just a manifestation of painting skills , patient and talent. It is an exquisite expression of one's soul and feelings. Of course , the downside about being connected with the models is that you may get a grumpy face when that beautiful Voidraven that you converted and painted with full detail explodes before even touching the table!

  Also , the age of gamers does play an important role. In fact , it is more likely to encounter young frustrating players than old. I am not really sure how adolescence plays a role here , but I assume that all this accumulation of hormones do play their part. Furthermore , young players are usually more ambitious and energetic while lacking the patience of older players and are not familiar with the concept of  "losing a game ". These hothead individuals will react intensely to a situation that will perhaps , annoy them.

 And finally , there comes the part of personal rivalries and the social part of the game. It is true that most gaming communities number a rather small number of people , who are likely to know each other , more or less.  It is also common to have a friend or acquaintance with whom they play regularly and thus it is acceptable to develop some sort of rivalry ( for the fun of it , of course! ) to add a little flavor to these games. Other people may not find certain players to be endearing , for whatever reason they do. Playing a game against a player that you don't like can cause some sparkle and even cause troubles for both players and those around them.

  When  playing an online game, things become even more severe. The lack of personal contact allows people to express their anger or frustration in the most insulting and raw form , through the game chat or even pm’s and mails. Although this has little to do with 40k , it is an example of the way a game can affect people’s behavior. Thankfully , when insulting someone from the internet , it has little or no effect to their personal life.

All things considered , 40k is a game meant to be played purely for our personal enjoyment , and to  have some fun with friends when playing or painting. The competitive part of the game sometimes scares me , because a player can easily forget the way the game is  meant to be played , when he is struggling for victory. Regardless of the level of competition , our game is played by people , and people have their weaknesses. Some people may be mad about something irrelevant to the game that happened to them , others might get  upset when their dice rolls dont match the statistics and some people might get upset  just because they care about ranking and a gaming “status”. Regardless of the way each and every one of us plays this game , we should make sure to make it a pleasant experience for both players , and to suppress those innate feelings of wrath that we might feel. After playing competitively for a long time , after experiencing ETC , I can tell you for sure that I miss those old days when I would arrange a game with a friend from the school and we would bring some fun , mediocre lists made by models and equipment we found cool. No spamming , no rage. Those games where true , distilled fun!  Trying to outclass everyone else in a tabletop game is meaningless and tiring for those who attempt to do it. So please , play this game in the way you enjoy the most. Perhaps the “ Most Important Rule “ that many of us forget so often , is indeed the most important….

Thank you for your time. I know that some people will definitely be surprised to see an article for behavior written by me , but be assured , I also categorize myself in the examples mentioned above.  Please let me know what you think. Until next time , Guzzler , out.