Casualties of Gaming Rage

A few notable items that I’ve broken due to gaming-related anger: an office desk keyboard tray, numerous drinking glasses (one of which shattered under my brother’s spine when I bashed his chair backwards on top of it), various controllers, my bedroom wall, an external hard drive, half of a mouse, a GI Joe figure, and my hand (or at least it felt like it).

But does this mean that PC gaming causes this behavior? If my past destructive adventures in other hobbies are any indicator here, I’d put my money on inherent personal tendencies over the old fashioned gaming scapegoat. For utter simplicity, let me elaborate: when I get frustrated with anything I tend to throw stuff. Sometimes I throw fragile items, sometimes heavy items. The fact is, when Chris gets angry, shit gets thrown.

But does this dynamic totally pardon the vehicle of the device that the perpetrator’s behavior surrounds? It’s a sticky situation. The argument falls around the old adage: “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Well, yeah, in part that’s true. But any logical human being can quickly deduce that it’s easier to perforate people with an M-249 SAW then it is with a pair of brass knuckles. The instrument of the deed, while not a sentient practitioner of the act, is nevertheless designed for that act.

But subjects such as weapons have an obvious defined purpose. They have a singular use. And certainly, it’s beneficial to limit psychologically unstable persons from gaining access to them. So, along these lines of reasoning, should we do the same for gamers? Should a guy like me with a track record of incendiary projectile-propelling anger be prevented from partaking of PC games simply because the option exists that I might one day toss a hard-cover copy of Watchmen through my office window?

I’m not so sure. And if that circumstantial statute was enacted, wouldn’t it more or less encompass 99% of the known population? And while I’m sure that Gandhi, if he were still alive, would love to kick back and relax with some Demigod every now and then, I think it’s rather unfair to deny the rest of us the same opportunity for enjoyment simply because we “might” lose our tempers.

Sure, certain potent stimuli naturally motivate a more visceral response from those engaged. Getting myself splashed by cold dirty water from some jerk who rams his Hummer through a sidewalk puddle at 50mph will create a different response than some dude walking up and teeing off into my groin with a 5-iron. My instinctive human reaction from soaked clothing might be to extend a solitary middle finger aimed towards the perpetrator. My instinctive reaction from receiving a blow to the junk with a metal pole would be a bit more violent (after the recovery of course).

Consequently, based off an enormous variety of potential personality structures, a frustrating game of Braid will evoke contrasting physical expressions of rage compared to an unnerving gaming affair of Team Fortress 2. In my case, I’ll leave it up to you on which would result in more velocity-related property destruction than the other. (Hint: Team Fortress 2).

I’ve actually done this before. Clearly, it’s PC gaming’s fault.

So here’s the real question: based off observed results of a combined interaction between user and media, should we deem gaming “possibly harmful” as a whole? Or should we rather suggest that people like yours truly might profit from some rather intensive anger management classes? If you take away my PC gaming, it’s not going to magically remove my sometimes inherent berserk dispositions. Wanna see some real objects find their way into the ionosphere? You should play a game of golf with me; I think the shaft of my driver is still in orbit. Look: bottom line here? If it isn’t PC gaming that I’m going bat-crap insane over, it’ll just be something else.

So yes, gaming can often act as the catalyst in my enraged endeavors, but in the end, it’s my response that should be examined and analyzed, not the means by which the response was produced.

All that being said, I’m not sure even Gandhi could play through Bionic Commando Rearmed without smashing his head through a brick wall; that game is literally impossible.