Lessons From Yoda Applied to Gaming

"Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side" - Obi Wan

The other day my roommate and I were talking about how good our friend is at Halo Reach, but that he also rages like a madman while he plays it.

"Maybe that's where he gets his power" said my roommate sarcastically.

It hit me.

Who else gets their power from anger and hate?

Sith.

That's right, people who Gamer Rage are like the Sith.

I'm sure when they first started gaming they weren't filled with anger, but as time went on their skill with games grew. As their skill grew their pension for anger grew. Because they're so good they feel extra angry when they do bad or things don't go their way. Their skill and their rage are connected.

This is you when you rage.

Yes, if you suck at a game it might upset you, but not nearly as much if you cared about the game a lot and considered yourself a skilled player, as most Ragers. 

If gamers who suffer from Gamer Rage are like the Sith, then what are we, the Knights in the Army Against Rage?

Duh, we're the Jedi.

We can still kick ass, but we don't resort to anger and rage to fuel our gameplay. It is our duty to keep peace in the gaming community and do our best to quell any upsurges of rage that we encounter. We need to turn the Ragers back to the light side.

Let's apply some lessons from Yoda to our cause as Knights against Rage. 

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."―Yoda

Fear: 

What fear you say? Although it might not be the kind of fear you'd feel if a wampa was about to make you his lunch, fear is the path to Gamer Rage, to the Dark Side.

You fear losing. You fear not being the best. You fear screwing up. You fear making a fool of yourself. You fear coming in last. You fear failure. 

And like Yoda says, this fear leads to anger, anger at the game you're playing, at the situation you're in. 

Anger leads to hate, hate for the other players in the game, for the people who made the game, or the game itself. 

Hate leads to suffering. You suffer from a lack of happiness. Those around you suffer. The players you interact with suffer. 

You have gone to the Dark Side.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."―Yoda to Anakin Skywalker

I guess Anakin didn't take Yoda's advice. Look how he ended up. 

What do you fear to lose in your games? Success? Wins? A good K:D? If you let go of that, you've taken a step away from the Dark Side, away from raging, and towards being happy and enjoying your games and your life more. 


What happens to the Sith? They turn on each other. Their lust for power and their rage and hate always corrupt them and end them.

Don't let that happen to you.

Stay on the light side.

If you know someone who has gone to the dark side, or is teetering on the edge, reach out with the force (or just with friendship or something like that) and pull them back to the light side.

Games are one of the most powerful ways to attain true happiness*, and they're squandering that with their anger and rage.

"Destroy the Sith, we must."

―Yoda 

They must realize that the path they're on won't lead them anywhere but to destruction. In most cases this destruction is simply the loss of happiness and positive emotions, which are essential to having a fulfilling life.

So are you with me?

Are you a Jedi? A Knight against Rage?

Or are you a Sith? A Rager?


If you want to become a Knight in the Army Against Rage, follow the instructions here.

Enjoy you game.

Enjoy your life.

*I’ve been reading the amazing book Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal.