Are you annoyed when you try to relax by playing an online game, only to be confronted with profanity from both sides? It can create a toxic environment, don’t you think? Let’s discuss the ten most toxic gaming communities.
1. League of Legends
League of Legends is an online battle arena game where players join with unique characters and powers. The chat in this game often becomes toxic. Many players enter matches already frustrated due to long queues, and if they lose, the toxicity escalates in the next game. They often blame other players for losing instead of considering strategy flaws or acknowledging the other team might be better. When the opposing team is slightly better, players start calling their own team trash.
2. Rocket League
Rocket League is unparalleled in its genre and presents a significant challenge. Just like traditional sports such as football or cricket, the in-game actions can provoke a lot of player aggression. In addition to genuine frustration, some players purposefully exhibit toxic behavior. It’s common for players to insult the opposing team and their own teammates by calling them “noobs” or using profanity in the chat. Toxic behavior also encompasses playing poorly while disparaging opponents, trolling, or rage quitting.
3. PUBG / BGMI
In both PUBG PC and BGMI, encountering toxic players is common.
The toxicity starts right from the beginning on the plane, with players challenging each other and calling out locations. During random matchmaking, you often come across teammates who are fixated on winning and start swearing at their teammates when the score drops, calling them as “noobs” and dictating how to play. This kind of behavior lowers team morale.
In both battle royale and team deathmatch modes, winning requires healthy coordination. Even if you don’t win, losing calmly is far better than losing in anger.
Additionally, some players engage in trolling others with their gameplay. They knock someone down and then beat them with their hands or carry them to a group to be beaten. While this may be fun for some, others find it embarrassing and toxic.
4. Free Fire
Free Fire played a significant role in popularizing battle royale games on mobile. Although similar games existed before its release, they were large in size, and PUBG came to mobile a bit late.
Free Fire offered a similar experience in a smaller package, attracting many players who invited their friends, and boosting its popularity. Even after PUBG Mobile was introduced, Free Fire remained relevant, but its community became quite toxic. The typical rage during matches when kills aren’t achieved or when someone gets knocked down from a distance is common.
Many players consider Free Fire superior to PUBG because it was the first to come to mobile and offers decent graphics despite its light size. Some players refuse to switch to PUBG, choosing instead to troll PUBG and its players.
Both games are popular in e-sports and are direct competitors, making rivalry inevitable.
5. Clash of Clans
I remember when Clash of Clans was extremely popular. Nearly everyone had the game on their mobile phones. When I was in school, my friends and I would create groups to discuss our clan wars, sharing strategies such as deploying warriors, coordinating attacks, and strengthening defenses.
However, the game also had its downsides. There was a lot of toxicity, with people swearing within the clan and discrimination against lower-level players during clan wars or based on town hall levels. This was my experience with the game. I’m sure others have their own experiences, especially those who have spent many more hours playing.
6. Fortnite
Fortnite is acclaimed for its distinctive battle royale experience. In this game, players not only scavenge for weapons but also gather resources and have the ability to build, introducing a sandbox element. This style of gameplay promotes a feeling of superiority among its players, as the fast-paced nature of the game rewards quick reflexes.
Furthermore, it frequently collaborates with prominent celebrities such as Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, as well as major movies like Transformers and Spider-Man, with the recent addition of Peter Griffin. These high-profile collaborations attract a predominantly young player base, mostly children between the ages of ten and fifteen, who may become overly confident.
These young players think that being skilled at Fortnite makes them better than other gamers, leading to toxic behavior. They may use offensive language during matches and criticize other games.
The variety of skins in Fortnite, such as characters from God of War, Marvel, Lara Croft, and Call of Duty, adds to this sense of superiority. Some players mistakenly believe that these characters were first introduced in this game, which can be frustrating for fans of the original games and movies.
7. GTA Online
Over the past ten years, Grand Theft Auto Online has maintained a strong player base. However, it’s common to encounter toxic behavior in public lobbies. Some players disrupt the game by indiscriminately killing others, while some resort to sniping or using missiles to ruin missions. They can also target and continuously kill individual players, making it difficult to progress. In certain game modes, players exhibit toxic behavior by pushing others off the track in races.
Additionally, some modders purposefully disrupt lobbies. It’s frustrating to encounter these behaviors, and it’s important to encourage fair play. Have you ever encountered toxic behavior in GTA V? I remember joining GTA Online after a long break and being repeatedly killed as soon as I spawned, which led me to join a private lobby with friends.
8. Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike has a 20-year history of providing gamers with one of the best multiplayer experiences. However, its toxic community is also a significant part of that legacy.
Some hardcore Counter-Strike players can be very insensitive towards new players. Skilled players can deliver headshots with a single bullet, while those with in-game skins may display a certain level of status. If a player without skins manages to defeat them, it can provoke jealousy, as many believe that skins confer superiority.
It’s normal for players to feel frustrated after regular match losses or being defeated, as is common in any player-versus-player (PvP) game.
9. Valorant
Valorant has quickly established itself as a unique game in the gaming industry. It features first-person PvP gameplay similar to Counter-Strike but with the addition of character-specific powers. What’s special about the game is the ability to connect with the characters, such as Sova, a marksman, and Sage, a healer, among others.
However, the community can be quite toxic, with many new players receiving criticism and swearing from teammates as they learn the game and understand the powers of each character. Players who are focused on winning may resort to swearing and trolling the opposing team in chat when they are at a disadvantage.
Additionally, players using powerful weapons like machine guns may be criticized as “noobs” for making the game difficult for others.
10. Call of Duty
When it comes to Call of Duty, multiplayer games often feel incomplete without the presence of swearing. The multiplayer component of every game in the COD franchise is known for being aggressive and fast-paced. Players move quickly, and the fire rate is high, resulting in a constant barrage of bullets on enemies. For the player on the receiving end of this firepower, it can be stressful and embarrassing to continuously take hits and die before being able to fight back. Naturally, this leads to feelings of frustration and anger. Melee kills and campers also contribute to the overall frustration experienced by many players.
Conclusion: Gaming Should Be Fun
I have played all of these games, and in my opinion, they have the most toxic gaming communities.
It’s common to encounter toxic players in most online games, but there are also supportive and wholesome individuals that you may have come across.
Ultimately, games should be for fun and stress relief, not for causing more stress.
Let’s try to keep the toxicity to a minimum.
