“Act without expectation.” – Lao Tzu
Do you still get frustrated at games? Do little things still tip you over the edge and send you into a lapse of Gamer Rage? Even if you’re a Knight in the Army Against Rage these lapses may still occur. It’s ok.
Nobody’s perfect.
But we keep trying.
So far we’ve learned to be aware of our own rage and decided to become enlightened gamers. Even Yoda has given us wisdom on how to avoid The Dark Side, Gamer Rage.
But these feelings of irritation, frustration, and rage will still pop up from time to time. These feeling could be triggered by anything from a difficult boss fight, or as small as getting defeated in online multiplayer.
Do little things get to you?
How much of your stress, frustration, disappointment, anger, irritation, pissed-offedness comes from little trivial things that happen to you while gaming?
It pretty much all comes from your expectations. Things will almost never turn out as we expect. We’ll always wish things were somehow different or had gone differently. This is where the negative feelings seep in.
As gamers we often are put in the position of thinking ahead, of forming tactics on the fly. We construct scenarios in our heads of what might happen.
What do I do if that Locust goes over there?
Where should I go if that mech starts coming this way?
What gun will best deal with this threat?
We’re constantly assessing the situation and adjusting how we play accordingly. We’re always planning ahead.
But what happens when those plans don’t work out?
That guy is over there. I’m going to pop out and shoot him. What?! I’m dead?!
When things don’t play out the way we pictured in our heads we wish things went differently. We get disappointed that our expectations didn’t live up to reality. And this is when the negative feelings come in.
Solution:
Take your expectations and frag them. Take a chainsaw bayonet to your expectations. Give ‘em the ol’ 360 no scope. Use some cloaking and sneak up behind those expectations and finish them off. Hog tie your expectations and leave them on the railroad tracks. Whatever you like.
I’m not suggesting you stop thinking tactically; doing so would only net you a horrendous kill death ratio. I’m merely suggesting not to form expectations on how things will turn out for you. You truly have no idea how things will play out no matter how good you are. You need to roll with it rather than resisting what is happening and responding negatively to what has happened.
Continue acting as you see fit, but don’t form expectations about how others will act, or how things will, or should turn out for you.
So now that your expectations are lying in bloody chunks at your feet, what happens now? They’ll probably just disappear after a short while depending on what engine your life runs on. Your expectations are vanquished. Just let them disappear.
Now try gaming without them.
Live without them.
What’s it like? You accept things as they are. You accept people as they are. You accept games as they are.
You got owned. Accept it. It happened. Move on.
No expectations. No frustration. No anger. No Gamer Rage. If these feelings show up, accept it, and move on. Negative feelings are a waste of your time.
If an expectation shows up, don’t worry. Just find it, and assassinate it. Then dispose of it however you see fit.
Just accept what is.
Enjoy your game.
Enjoy your life.
Live without expectations.
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