Whatever happened to manners?

[J T]

I played my first game of the new Aliens VS Predator today. After the first round I was greeted with "You guys are all retarded!" as soon as the lobby opened to voice chat. The same person later called people "faggots" and "niggers".

I would like to just think it was this one person that was a problem, but anyone who's played games online for more than 10 minutes has experienced some anonymous internet asshole that is just miserable to play with because they spew forth non-stop vulgarity, bigotry, and general idiocy.

Whatever happened to manners?

Despite how awesome they believe they are, these types of people seriously ruin a lot of online gaming. What do you do to avoid these types of people? What solutions do you think services like Steam, PSN, or X-box Live could implement to keep areas of the online world somewhat pleasant. I don't think they should be banned for good, but would it be possible to have some sort of "internet hell" portion of the internet that they can be banished to? It's not even that I'm all that easily offended. I'm not. It's just that I play games to have fun and I don't consider it fun to have some poorly-parented pre-pubescent make crude and poorly crafted insults at me.


*EDIT: So, I decided instead of just getting annoyed with people online, I would do something about it. For those of you on Steam, I have created a group for people that can behave themselves more-or-less like civilized human beings. If you would like to join, just let me know and I'll send you an invite.

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/paragonofsportsmanship

[classicgamer5]

[quote="J T"]The same person later called people "niggers". /quote]
I really hate that word and people who yell it on PSN and XBL. I never talk crap on there unless its with friends, I'm just not a jerk to people online.

[(-_-)]

Beat them in the game. It's the most satisfying feeling ever. I hate playing online because of ill mannered people. Beating them is simply the most satisfying solution. Even better, is beating them with a headset on and not replying. They curse swear and spew out all sorts of crap and it infuriates them when you don't play their game.

[J T]

I hate when people use all of the words I mentioned. My wife works with the mentally retarded, so knowing something about people that are, you know, actually retarded, I find it offensive that it gets thrown around so casually as an insult.

I hate when people say "faggot" because I don't think sexual orientation should be considered an insult, and I'm against the ubiquitous use of the word "gay" to mean anything bad. I don't care if you claim to have a gay friend that is cool with you using that word.

And "nigger". Come on. There's history behind that word. You just don't say that. Especially when you're some whimpy little white kid in the suburbs who has the good fortune of not being face-to-face with the person you're talking with.

[J T]

Beat them in the game. It's the most satisfying feeling ever. I hate playing online because of ill mannered people. Beating them is simply the most satisfying solution. Even better, is beating them with a headset on and not replying. They curse swear and spew out all sorts of crap and it infuriates them when you don't play their game.

When I can, it is somewhat fun to beat them. However, many of these kids play games all the time and have become quite good while the rest of us have been busy doing things like building a vocabulary. I'd rather just be able to find a friendly corner of the net with some sportsmanship where I don't have to deal with them.

[latenitevacancy]

Its for this reason I don't play games online frequently, unless its with people I know. I hate having to put up with kids who spew garbage out of their mouths and have no idea what they're talking about

[joehero]

Hidden behind a microphone and no accountability. I cant stand it, and cant stand the fact that my 13 year old son has to listen and maybe pick up some of it.

[Ack]

Beat them in the game. It's the most satisfying feeling ever. I hate playing online because of ill mannered people. Beating them is simply the most satisfying solution. Even better, is beating them with a headset on and not replying. They curse swear and spew out all sorts of crap and it infuriates them when you don't play their game.

When I can, it is somewhat fun to beat them. However, many of these kids play games all the time and have become quite good while the rest of us have been busy doing things like building a vocabulary. I'd rather just be able to find a friendly corner of the net with some sportsmanship where I don't have to deal with them.

No, no, you don't just beat them. What you do is you find something they will never expect, and you use it to CRUSH them. Some of the guys I know have reduced folks to tears in multiplayer games because we did something they never thought would work, and we hammered it. Then, at the end of the match, you tell them if they had been more polite you wouldn't have crushed them so. Or you make fun of them, and watch how they don't come back to that server ever again. Or better yet, that club. We had guys come in like that in our gaming club. One night, having gotten fed up with a single guy's trash talk from the last few weeks, I spent an evening hunting him in COD4 with nothing but the knife. He never came back. Wouldn't have happened if he hadn't talked like that.

Also, I try to be friendly with players who don't do it, and you can meet some good folks like that.

[GamerMON]

The reason they continue to use these kinds of slurs is because there is no negative consequences for them. The only thing you can do is mute them (did this all the time in COD4). Problem is you have to do this in the lobby.

[ieatramen]

I just mute'em. On the flip side, it's a pretty cool feeling to get thrown into a game with random people who you actually click with.