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Top 10 Problems Every Gamer Has Faced

Can we play the game now or what?

By Kelly HawksPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
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Gaming is supposed to be fun, a means to relax, a great way to meet new people, even a great outlet for your aggression, right? So why the hell do we have to deal with so much shit just to be able to play a goddamn game!

Along the way, every gamer runs into some sort of problem that makes gaming seem more of a stressor than a de-stressor. Is it worth it in the end?

Here is a list of the top 10 problems every gamer has faced. I'm sure you'll agree...

Toxic Communities

Over the years, gaming has merged into the online world. Because of this, we’ve not only been able to play multiplayer games online, we’ve moved onto multiplayer competitive games. And, my friends, this is where the problems begin. Gaming online simply isn’t fun anymore because of the toxicity and other disgusting things that go on while playing games with other people you don’t know. It’s gotten to the point where if you’re not playing with friends, you might as well not bother playing. Because of anonymity, you end up dealing with people who think they can get away with murder and not have to suffer real-world consequences. You get those people who blame everyone else for everything, people who make irritating noises into the mic, the annoying camper, griefers and other plain old assholes who make it difficult to play. If you can’t enjoy the game you love, why bother playing?

Parents Just Don’t Understand

For many of us, as kids, parents just didn’t understand how important it was to get to that one checkpoint or finish the level you’ve been trying to for days. And of course, when you’re almost there, they tell you enough’s enough, time to turn off the game. There were the parents that didn’t approve of our gaming habits, those who didn’t approve of the subject matter, or those who flat out refused to buy the games you wanted. If you didn’t have parents like this, consider yourself lucky.

Got Bank?

Let’s face it, games are not cheap, especially these days. Consoles cost hundreds, and most games are around $50 or more. Being a PC gamer can be even more money grubbing, with upgrades reaching into the thousands in terms of a full on upgrade, just to get that sweet, sweet 4K and 60 frames per second.

Gamers are What?

As gaming has evolved and changed, the culture and communities have become quite diverse. So why are gamers still stereo-typically labeled? Other communities, even TV shows and movies, always depict gamers as being the stereotypical nerdy type. Being labeled as a “nerd” is quite insulting. There are teachers, businessmen, housewives, construction workers, even little old ladies who are part of the gaming community. If your grandmother was a gamer, would you label her as a nerd? Didn't think so.

Dying… and Having to Start Over

Nothing sucks like having to start all over, especially after you've worked so hard to get to a certain point in a game. Having to manually save your games is a nightmare! If you died, you'd have to start off where you last saved, and sometimes in the heat of the moment, we forget to do that. Losing all that progress is crushing. Thank goodness that some games auto-save or save your progress at certain checkpoints. But, just in case, make sure to save, save, save… It will at least save your sanity.

Troubleshooting

Isn't it fun to try everything you can to fix a problem and get NOWHERE? It's a constant battle - calling the company hotline, waiting on hold for an hour, listening to an automated system telling you to try this, and if this didn't resolve your problem, try that, just to end up being told to send it in to be repaired… or looking up troubleshooting on their website, same shit… Looking for help online from other people who've had the same issue, is hit or miss. You just never know if the advice is going to help, or make things worse.

Making the Time

When are you supposed to play when you have to work around your job, school or family, even sleep? This can be a major issue if you’re a serious gamer. Penciling in time on your schedule makes it feel like you're making an "appointment", not making plans to play a fun game. It's frustrating, but, that's life. We all have responsibilities which are, and rightfully should be, our first priority. However... all work and no play doesn't just make Jack a dull boy, it can also have negative effects on the mind and body. It's scientifically proven that engaging in activities outside of your day-to-day monotony, can help alleviate stress and anxiety, and improve your overall mental health. So, in other words, if you have a full schedule, make time to play, but without shirking your responsibities. If you have to make an "appointment", just do it. It's good for your health.

Game Freezing

In an ideal world, every game would run seamlessly on your PC. But, we know all too well, there’s no such thing as an "ideal" world. Freezing or game hanging is a common problem we face while playing games on the PC. It’s frustrating when your screen gets stuck or freezes for several seconds, interrupting your gameplay. When a frozen screen remains frozen for some time, many gamers, myself included, get impatient and restart the game. We know what’s going to happen, but it’s either restart the damn thing or sit there and wait, while trying to keep yourself from throwing your piece of shit PC out the window. Of course, after all your hard work, all of your unsaved progress is lost.

Online Lag

If you’re an online gamer, you understand the pain of online lag. Severe lagging is very frustrating, especially when playing online multiplayer games. For the best experience, a good internet connection and speed is ESSENTIAL while you’re playing. From your typical players teleporting and running in place, to your shots not hitting the enemy, it can make any online match practically unplayable. To make matters worse, you appear to everyone else as a bad player, which makes it less likely that you’ll be relied on in team efforts and you’ll just get bumped to the side.

Broken Console/Scratched Games

It’s disheartening when your system breaks down, or gets some sort of bug, or your game disks get scratched or cracked. Replacement really hits the wallet hard and sometimes repairing it can cost just as much as buying brand new. There are so many tricks in the book to get scratched games to work, and believe me, I’ve tried them all, from rubbing alcohol, to rubbing toothpaste or dish soap on the disc. Just when you get your hopes up, the disc still can’t be read. I suggest you not try any remedy or trick to get it to play. Your game discs may smell minty fresh, but getting toothpaste in your game console is not worth it. You’ll end up not only having to replace your game, but your console as well.

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About the Creator

Kelly Hawks

A sci-fi and anime geek at heart, I'm a writer with an eclectic personality by nature. I tend to lean towards humor, but cycle through phases of what inspires me.

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