Understanding the Angry Gamer

One thing I’ve noticed is that, within the gaming community, there are always the really angry gamers. Extremely vocal gamers who are vehemently angry with a developer about things. It is usually because of some design decision or implementation about the game that just rubbed some of the players the wrong way. And boy, do gamers love to hold grudges.

If you work on games, you too will probably see them at some point. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with them directly - that’s what community management is for. But it always helps to understand your player base, because it helps to translate the things they say into actual useful feedback.

The important thing to remember is that, first and foremost, angry gamers are, in actuality, deeply engaged fans of the game. They aren’t angry because they don’t care, they are angry because they love the game. They are deeply, deeply invested in it - to the point that they want to feel some measure of ownership of it. When they are not angry, they will happily try to engage with the developers and other fans of the game, they love the game so much that they will try to engage with it beyond the confines of the game itself - online message boards, chat rooms, blogs, streams, twitter, fan fiction, fan art, fan design, and so on. And when the developers solicit feedback, it’s like crack to an addict - they feel special, like they are part of something bigger than themselves.

It’s also why they feel so damn offended when things don’t go their way. It doesn’t matter what X is - it could be a design decision, it could be a plot decision, it could be bugs, it could be technology, it could be just about anything. But regardless of what X is, somebody is going to care very much about X and the decision the developers make regarding X will be the opposite of what this somebody wants. This is inevitable - some people will want X while others will abhor the very thought of X, and the developers will need to make a decision one way or the other, thereby causing anger from the disenfranchised. But it makes them feel terrible because they want what they think is best for the product, and it’s extremely frustrating when the developers are taking the clearly wrong choice.

When a player who is this invested in the game doesn’t get his or her way, it’s like a shock to the system. These players are now faced with an awful truth - they are not actually a part of the development process, no matter how many developer streams they watched or developer forum responses they got. They do not really have much ownership beyond being one customer among literally millions. They are not part of something larger than themselves, no matter how much they wish it were otherwise. And they may have to face the realization that there might not be the perfect game for them tailored to exactly their wants and desires, but someone else might get what they want instead.

That realization makes them suddenly feel very small, insecure, and, above all else, insignificant. Nobody likes feeling that way. It’s uncomfortable and shaming at the same time. But the intensity of the feelings haven’t gone anywhere. They’re still there - you can’t just shut that sort of thing off. All of the formerly positive, passionate feelings of engagement suddenly have nowhere positive to be channeled, and so they turn to the dark side.

That’s why their statements are often like this:

• Just because it’s popular (or makes money) doesn’t mean it’s good
• Developer X is abandoning their TRUE fans
• This is just a cash grab.
• They lied to me, I don’t trust them anymore.
• They’ve sold out to Y
• All they want is money, they don’t care about us
• They’ve lost sight of what their original vision was.
• They dumbed everything down for Z
• The MAJORITY of the fans actually want Y!

The common thread to these complaints is that they push a sense of superiority. The angry gamers construct a situation to place themselves in a position where they are morally/financially/whatever superior to the developers. They do this because their egos have been bruised by the actions/announcement of the developer, so they puff themselves up and attempt to rebuff the perceived attack.

It doesn’t even matter if what they are saying is true or not; they want to believe it because it makes them feel vindicated in their beliefs and opinions. Humans have a tendency to double down on their beliefs, even in the face of direct factual evidence to the contrary. 

So how do you deal with people like this? They won’t go away - they are still extremely invested in the game, but they will pour that investment into negativity. They’ll chase away new people asking for help, and they’ll prevent the forums from being a place where the players can help each other. So what can you do?

• Don’t make the mistake of engaging an angry gamer! Remember, the angry gamers want to rant, they don’t care for rationality and actual explanations (even if they claim they do - their minds are made up and anything that proves them wrong will only make them even angrier). Keep it controlled, and it should eventually smooth itself out. If you aren’t sure what to do, withdraw. Let the community managers handle it - it’s their wheelhouse. 
• If you’re a community manager and you don’t know what to do, treat them carefully. Be sympathetic, be honest, but don’t be confrontational. Being confrontational just gives their rage more fuel. Calmly suggest that, if they really dislike the changes or decisions that much, perhaps the game isn’t for them. It can’t be for everyone, after all.
• Whatever you do, don’t shame them even more. If you can look up their account behavior, posting history, or gaming history and use it to shame them, don’t. They’re human beings, and as satisfying as it might be to see someone who annoys you get some come-uppance, you really have to take the higher road. 
• Head off the unhelpful fanboys. It might give an ego boost to have the fans “on your side”, but don’t encourage them too much - they can easily incite the angry gamer response almost as easily as you can. If they are posting to taunt or further shame the angry gamers, start giving warnings or lock.
• If you really want to minimize the footprint of anger, you need to give them a safe, enclosed place where they can vent - like a complaints thread. Let them trash that thread; other complaints can be locked and directed to the complaints thread instead. Anyone who enters it will know exactly what they are getting into, and it keeps the negativity out of the other topics.

Most people tend to be rational human beings once they have properly vented. You’ll never really be able to fully cleanse the angry gamers, no matter who you are, but you can help control the effects they have. It’s important to realize what’s going on inside their heads. It’s definitely not easy (as anyone in customer service can attest), and it’s often extremely frustrating, but it is necessary.

Followup Reading!

• Obtaining Feedback - Who Should We Listen To?