>

Shit talking is fine when not taken too far. When people are doing it knowing they're both joking it can be really fun but most shit talk now is either genuine threats or bigotry.
Lol 😂 I do miss the old Xbox lobby chats, straight shit talking for hours >

The latest cod release has brought it back in all its glory >

Call of Duty and Halo started off the toxic gamer movement. I found my old 360, I started smiling thinking about all the ungodly names I was called in the lobbies. If only my mom knew how many people they said fucked her. >

When I was 12 a drunk 40 year old told me he'd cut my head off and shit down my neck. Glorious, online gaming was just glorious. >

Lol you can’t recreate these memories >

The MW 2 call of duty lobbies were hilarious ngl. When someone would be using noob tubes or the overpowered duel 1887 shotguns. Good times. >

This is exactly what I thought of. I’m not a big mic user but I’ll toss it on for some COD grind and trash talk >

Trash talking was one thing that I didn't mind. 
But toxic gaming communities have gone way beyond that. 
I've got like 3000 hours on Dota 2 and matchmaking is literally a roll of the dice to see which team has less griefers on their side. 
It's dogshit and a waste of everyone's time. A little shit talk back and forth back in the day raised the stakes of the game but now most of the shit talk is your own team. It's not just that way for Dota either, all MOBAs are the same. >

Shit-talking for a few seconds in between lobbies is okay, but completely tearing down teammates or harassing someone specifically is never a good look. >

It's especially painful in games like Dota where communication is key to winning, games are long, and you get punished if you leave. 
Sometimes its literal BS from minute 1 and it can go on for an hour. >

Trash talk on the other team can be fun but it's usually just so bitter and spiteful that it makes me uncomfortable. Like I dont wanna hear 2 kids yell at each other over a USB mic for an entire match >

Nobody likes actual toxicity
Edit: Other than really shitty people who as this guy says like seeing people rage quit >

Because of the inevitable toxic person in every lobby I just 'mute all' at the beginning of each match. 
Yeah, I could mute that one person in the lobby, but..
1) I don't wanna be faffing about mid-game to mute a specific person
2) The context of other chat is lost when you can't hear part of the 'conversation"
I'd love to have chat on, it would be cool if people could talk about the game or discuss tactics, give callouts etc. But I'm not into hearing kids losing their shit and insulting people and their moms. >

Try Squad. Good comms there usually. >

I played Squad for a bit, maybe it's just my bad luck, but I always ended up with keyboard warriors who acted like it was real life and not just a game. Other than that it was fun, but for fucks sake, I already lived a warzone once or twice, I don't wanna do it in a damn game as well... >

aaaalot of vets play >

I know that, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not real life, and that too many people treat it like it is >

Halo 2 lobbies back in the day were a different breed >

I enjoy trash talking, but only when playing with people I know. Insulting strangers is bad, insulting your homies can be fun. >

insulting the homies is my favorite past time but i’m so nice to strangers lmao >

Lmao “i’m the nicest person you’ll meet until you get on my gaming side” >

Especially squeakers w/ cheap mic or headset >

Toxic gamers enjoy toxicity? Who knew? >

It's part of the reason single player games have made a comeback, so good. Fuck online games. >

I'm so glad campaign style and open world games are making a come back over battle Royale bullshit. >

I find both to be fun. BR’s for adrenaline and competition. Single players for relaxation >

I just played through resident evil 7. That is not a relaxing game. >

So you like having a 10 year old kid (who sounds like Fred) scream through his dollar store mic and blow out your speakers/headphones? OK… >

If you generalize it like that, no, but if you contextualize it to like where the kid is bitching and to the point of absolute feral cries because he keeps getting spawn-killed, then yes. It's like in a game of monopoly where you have three properties in two corners and your friend keeps landing on them. >

schadenfreude
That's the word you're looking for. >

Didn't even know there was a word for this, appreciate it. >

I think this is half of reddit. People just come here and enjoy being insufferable assholes to anyone about anything. >

I think there's a difference between trash talking and toxicity.
trash talking or light taunting to make your competitor lose focus is a little bit of a lost art and can be done in a funny and clever way without toxicity, racism, or bigotry. 
unfortunately these days a lot of people confuse trash talk with being straight up toxic and shouting racial slurs or trying to make your opponents so upset on a personal level that they quit playing. you're not even a gamer if you do that because you're not there to play games at that point, you're just a bully. >

Fr there’s a difference between saying “gg ez” and “KYS N-word” lol. Some people don’t know the difference.
I’ve been told the most disgusting nasty horrible things by some guys in games bc I’m a girl. It feels very different being personally targeted as opposed to some idiot just saying “y’all trash” or whatever haha.
(For the record, I don’t endorse either but I do think they’re very different things) >

10000% agree with this 
Trash talking someone for their skill/poor performance is one thing 
resorting to sexism, homophobia, racism, etc and other such personal attacks should always be condemned >

There's a difference between trash talking or teabagging and throwing around slurs in chat. A vast majority of people wouldn't consider a little trash talk toxic, it's toxic when you blame your team for everything and tell them to kill themselves, it's toxic when you call someone on the enemy team the hard R. >

The hard R? Rigger? >

Hacker >

What a save!
What a save!
What a save!
[chat disabled for 5 seconds] >

And you're the reason they got rid of proximity chat and teamspeak in all games and everybody uses party chat now. >

Trash talking is different than toxicity. Trash talking is an art and when done correctly it is a tool to get into an enemy's head. Toxicity is just unclever and gross, usually racist, and just isn't fun. When you trash talk and get talked back to there is a rhythm and comradery that makes the game more fun. Toxicity is just name calling and usually doesn't have any cleverness or thought you it, it's aimed to emotionally attack the other person rather than be a strategic attack to get in their head and throw off their game. >

Trash talking can be great for shutting down some toxic assholes.
Get in a good jab and a lot of them just shut up.
Those that don't, or those that play music over the chat, etc, then it's time for a block/mute.
Unfortunately, there is a fragile portion of the populace that thinks it is all "toxic".  Even worse, a lot of them are Johnny-come-latelies with an outsized ego and think the world should conform to their sensibilities, which makes them toxic in their own right.  They're often just as bad or even worse than your typical random insulting trolls because they do it with clarity of conscience.
I call it "the bully loophole".  When you're so "anti-bully" that you allow yourself to be nasty and vitriolic without any sort of limitation, especially not accurate judgement of others.  Anyone who crosses their path is a potential target to be hounded. >

You like being toxic online because it has zero recourse, just an outlet for you to be an asshole. >

Pretty much yes. >

I'm the guy who will mute voice chat immediately upon playing an online game for the first time, but this is a pretty popular opinion. At the very least, it's very popular for people who use voice chat to be trashtalking douchebags >

I’m sure it’s fun for you but it’s just annoying to listen to and we all mute you.  Like calm down it’s literally just cod. we’re all playing the same game and you’re the only one that’s screaming the same recycled jokes over and over and over again. it just makes you look stupid tbh. do it if you want but it’s not making you look as cool as you feel lol >

it's just a game brother >

I know!  I'm so smart! Where's my cookie? >

I don’t mind it but I don’t get to hear it cause of those idiots blasting music in their shitty mics. Why is that so popular? >

For ps5 a lot of mfs just forget to mute the controller >

the toxicity is why i avoid the cesspool of high school teenagers that play trending games. miss me with that waste of energy >

Eh, I used to like it too when I was somewhat competitive. Now I'm not and it just makes me roll my eyes hearing people take something so silly, so seriously. >

Valorant and league suck. The toxic community is the game. >

Yeah yeah, it's great
cries in Apex Legends >

its not even that bad. In plat rank when people actually use game chat I have a good time. Id rather have everyone use gamechat and rarely get a asshole then 90% of poeple having it off. Plus you can just mute assholes or do the arguable better thing and mess with them. >

Gaming. The worlds largest waste of time and energy. >

Bad take. >

I like it and I don't care when it happens to me because cyber bullying isn't real just close your eyes lol. I miss the days of playing fighting games on Xbox live and getting hate mail after absolutely smoking someone, it was like winning twice >

Just a few weeks ago, I was playing injustice 2 and I was in a match against this guy who kept spamming a certain move as red hood to keep me stun-locked and try and get a cheap win. I somehow managed to get a lucky hit in and beat him and I was so upset, I trash talked for the first time in like 6 years and said “get fucked, you move-spamming scrub”. Felt good lol >

You like it because you like the sense of superiority. You're not fighting your opponent, you're battling your insecurities. >

Or...it's just fun to get inside people's heads. Have you heard about how Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq trashtalked opponents? It's part of any competitive game. 
People trashtalk because it's fun being the best. >

These people never played sports >

Trash talk is okay. Toxic being an asshole is exactly that. >

And it’s people like you who are the reason certain video game communities don’t grow. >

Most of reddit is just as toxic >

Trash talking is one thing, but I just got harassed when I was gaming as a child. >

how so? >

That sounds more like a community / server issue rather than a game issue. If you just play matchmaking you wouldn't come against the same people regularly enough for them to 'care' about hurting you. I never met the same person twice personally in any game that don't have dedicated servers (so like, most shooters) >

Kinda, but it goes along with gaming. >

I mean you can shit talk without being a garbage person. >

I agree honestly. A little trash talk is fun. Makes you feel like you’re really interacting with other people instead of playing against robots. In CS:GO, voice chat is an enormous part of the game for a reason. >

Bring back half time voice chat !! >

i'm sensitive as fuck. in solos i don't mind it but i hate possibly ruining the game for others when i'm in a team game >

i agree, it's like having a funny show just for you >

Same here. It heightens the experience. I am the most toxic player of all time. According to league only the worst 0.0002% get banned for verbal abuse. And I have been banned 5 times. >

i like it when everyone is on the same wavelength and everyone is bagging on each other, but often it’s one person that ruins it. >

I sort of agree up to a point. But if you’re in your 30’s and you’re trash talking 14 year olds over Xbox live…ehhh…kinda cringe. >

This really tells a lot about your personality and morals. That's another person, a human being, at the other end of your game. How are you ok with making someone feel like shit? Sure the game is fun for you but you've just made it a terrible experience for someone else. You know who does that? Narcissistic abusers. >

Genuinely, most people don't take offense to trash talk over video games. >

Banter trash talk? Sure. Purposely provoking someone to rage quit? Psychotic. >

It depends on the degree of toxicity and how it's handled in terms of the game. Take GTA Online for example. It is amusing if done right. Where an entire lobby can turn against one griefer. And Griefers are fun to fuck with on that game too. >

There’s nothing wrong with trash talking if it’s all in good fun. It’s when it goes to racist, sexist bigoted garbage that it becomes a true problem. >

Wait until the racist 12 year old boots your internet for 5 minutes with a free ip stresser >

i like it too. and for mostly one reason. i'm sick of everyone trying to be nice to everyone all the time. half of the shit people say like this is just passive aggressive...which is worse than actual aggression. i fucking love the ability to just talk shit...cuz...it doesn't fucking matter. >

Gamers are one of the biggest reasons I don’t like video games lol >

Translation: " it's the only thing I'm good at in life and it's all I have. Just let me have this please!" >

It's definitely an unpopular opinion. Can't we just be nice to one another :p >

OP - "I like being mean to people, I like environments where i am socially allowed to br mean to people. It sucks when it happens to you but whatcha gonna do, i extract pleasure from other pain. It makes me feel good when other people get upset. Why dont people like hanging out with me?" >

Usually though everyone is shit talking each other so you're not really "extracting pleasure from others pain" in that case. The peak of the shit talking can only occur if both parties are participating, since then you need to ramp up the insults. >

I agree, there is nothing more fun than someone swearing at you after you’ve beat them.  Even if you lose their taunts are hilarious >

same guy that cries and bitches when he loses >

Yeah it’s music to my ears. I find those moments to be some of the most memorable >

People are too soft. There is a mute button, but instead, everyone rather be a victim. >

Some games dont have lol >

Then you're part of the problem. Toxicity means hurting other at some point. It's just bad.
Toxic players have no reason to throw a game and flame teammates. Most of them are/were being bullied, they're depressive, they have mental issues, etc. 
I used to be a lil toxic younger. Never went to insulting others for no reason, but I've quit and afk'ed in many LoL games. I grew up. If you' over 20 years old and act toxic in game, you really gotta be immature and disconnected from the world to get mad and act toxic over such small things. >

I personally don't really shit talk apart from the occasional "get fucked". Some of my friends do though and it can be funny at times.  But what brings me the most joy is when you beat/kill someone and they start to rage or become toxic. >

Mute >

Damn, this is straight fire. Bring it on, hell or high water. Bring me the CHAOS, BABYYYYY.  I take it as a personal challenge to craft, postulate, and formulate the most heinous shit possible to say in my online lobbies once the mud slinging begins. No amount of moral grandstanding is gonna stop this absolute shit tornado of a lobby. We bout pull out the Necronomicon to summon the most evil shit to say. >

Must be a guy here. As a girl, it fucking sucks >

Sucks for guys too, at least some of us. >

Best part of gaming, people are to bloody soft. >

I mean, if you enjoy it then I guess no one can actually force you to not be toxic in games. I don't care for it tbh. I am a lot older now but I do think it's incredibly immature to be toxic in games since it rubs people off the wrong way and makes them dislike the game. Obviously, those people should grow a thicker skin but there is something really immature and weird about an adult person trash-talking kids online and making them lose their shit. If that's enjoyable to u, sure, but it just shows you're a bit immature and should grow up a bit. (not you personally OP) there are different degrees of being toxic. No clue which degree you are in. >

You can gruesomely murder people in a video game but you can't say no no words. >

I agree.  Trash talk is a large part of the fun.
The problem os there is that 1 ahole in every game who takes it too far.
If the community was better at reporting and policing itself then maybe we could still enjoy. >

Douche bag behavior >

Honestly, that's the spirit. Lets have a good, clean/honest, fun game, but when it comes to trash talking, i wanna see shots fired. >

I'm the same way, I would still be gaming in the competitive circuit but sadly I'm an adult now so I don't have as much time to commit to these games anymore but anyone who thinks toxicity shouldn't be part of online gaming are fucking SOFT as fuck and those are the people I would ban from my own team.
People play for fun. I play to win. Losing is NOT fun. >

And thats why women hate gaming
Edit: okay so I've seen a lot of replies like "there are women gamers too" and stuff like that
Sorry i didn't mean to sound like "Woman don't like this and that bc of this and that"
I really didn't mean it like that I and I didn't think people would take it like that considering the post. I meant that when I stop muting myself and say hello in a group, usually they'll roast the shit out of me the second they know I'm a woman. They say disgusting things because it's funny and "trash talk" and that's why I and a lot of other people don't like gaming like that anymore. I'll just mute because otherwise I get 4 people screaming and cussing at me
I didn't mean woman don't like gaming at all or that everyone is the same and feels just like that, I mean lol I still do that myself. Didn't mean to sound like an ass >

No, we don’t, there are plenty of us women gamers out there.
I just use the mute button.  Rare that I have to, but good to have it. >

is it really that bad like people being sexiest all the time. Usally randoms that are girls seem okay >

I never said it was bad I said women don’t hate gaming.   In all my years of gaming, I personally only needed the mute function three or four times. >

Yeah i know you didn't. I meant like other people on the internet say that its "bad" But thanks for the response >

I kinda like it too, as long as there's a control to turn off the voice chat for people who don't want to deal with it. >

Based. What's even the point of playing a competitive game if you can't make some random 9yo punch out his monitor in a fit of rage? >

Just goes to show we as humans are innately toxic, and some of us never mature to more civil approaches >

Kids are wayyy too soft theses days. Even if you just try to win they say you’re being toxic. >

Recently I won a game against some sexists pigs while breastfeeding. I let them know how embarrassed they should be. Its all in good fun. >

Make sure you tell your kid that story when he’s older lol >

That's what made overwatch 1 fun honestly. I want to be able to trashtalk without having to fear getting banned >

People like you make me really hate multiplayer games and retreat back to my single player cozy games. I miss playing with people but I’m a casual player in a world where everyone aspires to be the next pro gamer and it’s just exhausting. >

There’s a difference between punching up, and punching down. Trash talk and being competitive is one thing, but a lot of toxic gameplay is about actually ruining a players game rather than winning…especially when it means beating up on less skilled players. >

people are too soft nowadays >

Down vote for starting your explanation with "bro". >

If this was unpopular , then toxicity in games wouldn't exist lol >

I don't think that's how popularity works >

Agreed, most people aren't toxic when playing. It's mainly the vocal minority >

Well I'm a League of Legends player , can't relate lol >

You and me both, the second i get an aggressive message sent either PM or in chat i grin like an idiot. I get angry myself and have broken a few keyboards and controllers over the years, but trashtalk BELONGS in a PvP focused game, buuuut in the world we live in today you get banned for being angry lol >

I don’t know if I would be publicly admitting to having destructive rages like a toddler lol >

Heheh nah its okay, looking back its just another thing to laugh at imo >

OP is definitely a male. >

I agree, that shits hilarious af.  Once had a teammate tell someone to give their controller to their cat you could hear in the background so they wouldn't die the moment they landed. It socks when it's you but hilarious when it's someone else. >

If ur not being racist homophobic incel it’s fun! >

Same. People are just too sensitive these days and take everything personally. As a matter of fact, some of my best gaming buddies in competitive were people I played against and trashtalked with. Not sure why trashtalking is such a big deal, there is a mute button in every game 🫠 >

I think most are fine with your standard trash talk..it's when people go too far that it's bad. If you trash talk with "fun" in mind..whatevs. but when you trash talk with "hate" in mind, that's when I dislike it. >

Same, if we brought back that toxicity this generation wouldn't be so sensitive >

“if we shoot everyone in the foot they won’t run” >

I never understood how gaming community are "toxic" people are so soft (at least those on the internet).
People bust your balls a bit and you take it as a personal attack instead of some good-natured shit taking. Also it's a video game who gives a shit if your sucking ass in a match it literally means nothing.
If someone is being obnoxious and screaming into the mic or yelling racial slurs there is a mute button is not hard to use. >

2009 MW2 lobbies are just as toxic as they've always been.
Never change COD, never change. >

I think that we wouldnt have as many issues with rage irl if we allow people to just release their inner demons in public lobbies. 🤷‍♂️ >

People are too soft now a days. They get their feelings hurt. >

I remember Modern Warfare and being smoked by some teenager over and over and being fucking FURIOUS so mad, he laughed and laughed. "Whatever kid! At least my daddy didn't buy my Xbox for me! I got my own, and a Porsche and I own my own house and a hot wife.You ain't got shit on me. Fuck off. I've got sperm older than you!" Kid says; "Sounds like a medical problem". I rage quit. My beautiful wife practically wet her pants laughing so hard. >

The amount of ppl in here who just dont get it is hilarious. 
keep talkin shit, my guy. I'm right there with ya, and I got a Tbag comin your way! >

Teabagging a corpse is a really special feeling. >

Only lefties prohibit people from being offensive.
It was actually people inventing the block button, which gave them a tool to reinforce their moronic ideology, remember people cant block people IRL.
We've created one of the most feeble mentally inbred generations in history >


Only lefties prohibit people from being offensive

Oh come on. Right wingers are the most fragile fucking snowflakes the world has ever seen, and they're just projecting hard when they say shit like this.
Trump sucks. Get over it. >

This toxicity was best when lobby’s didn’t disjoin at the end of COD matches
My favorite days of playing BO2 involved having a nemisis on the enemy team in the lobby, and consistently playing against them >

I agree with you and this is why Insurgency: Sandstorm is fire. It's harder than COD or BF so there is less kids and that combined with the fact it's mostly a team game means it's much more skill based so the trash talking is much better. >

I miss the voice chat in Rocket League. It was rarely used but and if it was used then mainly to throw insults at each other. It was glorious >

I totally understand
I mean i don't usually trash talk, sometimes i express my frustration to teammates or friends; sometimes I'll push some buttons at teammates or enemies for fun if the match is stale. As for enemies trash talking it really doesn't matter it always motivates me to be better and hopefully demolish them that match lol. 
Honestly for people exclaiming about toxic communities, i know its easier said than done but you're not forced to be on mic with anyone and you're sure as hell not forced to read messages when i would be practicing and didnt want to hear shit from teammates i always just muted them straight from the get-go so i wouldn't even have it on my mind. I know when I'm doing bad and if I'm doing bad then I'm totally chill with getting absolutely flamed by everyone, its all the fun in the game loll
But i also respect everyone else's opinion, some games you need to communicate with teammates and muting teammates wont save you from those who decide to feed; full blown toxic communities are such a downer. >

i feel free there tbh, if you don't like it just mute >

I also like it because there’s nothing more funny then having someone write entire paragraphs roasting you just because you killed them with a cheap strat >

I hate the competitiveness of modern games. Felt so peaceful to get shit on by elden ring bosses rather than some dude who’s spend 8x more time on a multiplayer game than me. >

Fuck yeah, I also like that runescape still has scammers too. 
Getting scammed as a kid taught me how to deal with that stuff as an adult... plus it was fun scamming people. >

Trash talking without insulting is fun >

If the trash talk would be actually good and not some pathetic bullshit that sounds like 12 years old kids losing their shits. >

There is trash talk, then there is toxic, and then there is just evil bigotry. The line between these seems to have been blurred to the point that there is no longer a distinction. >

I agree with this opinion, my favorite thing they added in COD was the open mic in proximity. It really makes comp games so fun. I miss the days of open mics at the beginning and halves or counter strike. It was so easy to get in the other teams head and make weak minded boys rage quit. Good times. >

Same here. I mostly play full loot PVP MMOs and the guild politics & drama that games like that produce are so entertaining.
Session based games like COD are too low stakes for me >

I absolutely love it. I've been playing a lot of the Forest lately. Highly suggest if you enjoy assholes. >

I used to but then I grew up >

As a League of Legends player of 10 years myself I agree. If you are serious about playing the game you will get emotional and if you get emotional you will get toxic. When people aren't raging in chat and going mental it feels like playing with bots and is disingenuine to me. Also some of the funniest shit ever gets typed then and I wish the companies just let people type whatever the fuck they want, because people will find way to be toxic/annoying anyways (such as the question mark/bait pings in LoL) >

Here's an unpopular opinion >

Especially in old COD games and Rainbow Six Siege, you could trash talk the guy so much that he'll team kill you >

Same. I can't take it but I sure as hell love to dish it. >

I loved it in Modern Warfare 2 back in the day when me and my mates (all English) would end up playing against a team full of Americans, it was the funniest shit ever going sick at each other. >

I love a good story game, but multiplayer is something I absolutely cherish because I know I'm ruining someone's experience. Call me a psycho, but I love that shit.