It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly resource where Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. So, we ask for your opinion.
This week we asked Kotaku: Have you ever raged and played a controller?
Fahey
Although I never played a controller, I was close to someone who did. In fact, I helped bring him into this world. My son, Seamus, now nine, broke two different TVs by throwing the Xbox One controls towards them. Although I didn’t see it happen – the TVs were in the kids ‘room – his twin brother Archer chattered about him on both occasions, which is bad from the brother’s point of view, but okay from the parents’ point of view . to view.
Interestingly, none of the controller releases were due to frustration with the game. I believe the first time was because the Xbox controller ran out of batteries. This incident was followed by a long discussion about how it was cheaper to replace some AA batteries than a $ 500 television. The second time was because the controller buttons were stuck with some kind of disgusting child goo. Melted chocolate, sticky juice, possibly a little mucus. All the reasons why I have my own controllers and I will no longer deal with theirs without antibacterial wipes.
Maybe it’s not so much about the controllers, but the catharsis of playing things that bothers you. I say this because Archer recently threw our Alexa off our second-floor balcony because I made her play “Cotton-Eye Joe” by the Rednecks several times. Maybe I just need to stop insulting the kids.
Alexandra
I never played a controller and, frankly, I would be scared if someone I was playing with suddenly got so angry that I started launching projectiles. I would also be very impressed. Like, control yourself, you’re making me feel like I’m a judge. (It is not difficult, I admit.)
But I certainly had my own little outbursts, I just called 3 or 4 instead of 11. In my youth, I occasionally exploded with a frustrated expletive while eating shit in some high stakes game situation. OK, maybe more recently too. In moments of particular frustration, I will go so far as to punch my right thigh with a modest level of strength. I don’t remember noticing bruises afterwards, but still, my leg doesn’t deserve it. Sorry, friend!
Sometimes, when a game pisses me off, and it’s not exactly on the level of abuse in the thigh, I tighten the grip quite hard and start twisting each side in opposite directions, as if trying to separate it. But as soon as the plastic starts to creak, I pull back immediately, because my mom raised me very well to break perfectly good gamepads. Things are expensive nowadays! Letting go of a little charged emotion before I pull myself together for another try is fine, however.
Zack
I gently tossed my controllers on a sofa or bed in frustration. I wasn’t trying to break them in those moments, just breaking free from the game. However, and I am going to put a family member to explode, my brother fired some controllers.
An incident that was etched in my mind happened when we were younger. He was playing something on the Xbox 360, possibly a Madden or one FIFA game, and he got angry. In a moment of anger, he threw his controller across the room. We had wooden floors and the controller left a large and noticeable mark on the wood. The controller, surprisingly, still worked. The claws were a little broken, but some tape fixed that. Another time, he hit the controller on the floor with such force that it bounced back into his hands, even though the battery flew.
In the past few years, he has calmed down a bit, which is good because controllers are not cheap. I tried to explain to him that breaking the controllers was not a good idea, but he didn’t care! The only rule I had was that he couldn’t play with my controllers. And he never did. Instead, he had a small collection of slightly broken gamepads that were more abused than GTA Online NPC.
Lisa Marie
I treat my controllers with the utmost respect. I clean them regularly and keep them neatly. I would never take my frustration out on them. You are wild.
Ian
I never went to play video game controls myself – especially at the prices they cost nowadays – but I’ve been around a lot … say, passionate rage of my time in fighting game tournaments.
It is not uncommon at events like the Evolution Championship Series to walk around the competitor’s area and hear a roar or shout when someone touches their butt. And while it hasn’t happened in my neighborhood, throw pads and arcade sticks do, although perhaps not as often as in the past. Smash community.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand perfectly. The frustration of losing something you love, combined with the fact that someone else may have just eliminated you from an important tournament, can bring out the rage monster in anyone. I prefer people to count to 10 and take a breath before they go crazy, but as long as you’re not hurting anyone, do what you have to do!
Is that you?
Kotakuit is heavy, but what is your opinion? Did you go into total anger mode or did a quiet life of meditation and contemplation dull your most basic impulses? Give your opinion! We will be back next Monday to deliberate and debate on another nerdy matter. See you in the comments!
.