To Game or Not to Game

Nowadays you don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy a video game, and to be honest it’s so much freaking fun, especially if you have a group of friends on a party chat to have a more gratifying experience but not everything is peaches n cream in the Massive Multiplayer Online gaming world (MMO), as you will witness things and shocking behaviors that can make you question if it’s worth it, to game? Or not to game, but more on that later. First, I will share with you my experience in the matter.  

Let’s talk about Call Of Duty Modern Warfare (COD), yes, I play it and so do millions of other people according to Game Stat. The realism is uncanny and graphics are awesome as you play through the campaign, but online multiplayer mode is where the real fun is at. Everyday after my work is done, I shower, eat dinner and when I get online I become DavianCrow until two in the morning, but I never play without my posse. 

Our clan name is 77IKO (IKO stands for “Let’s go” in Japanese), I know I know, I chose it  frankly because everything else was taken. Everytime we go online we text each other through the WhatsApp group chat, and meet up at the COD lobby as everyone else arrives to join the ingame party chat.

We are over 10 players as of now but the ones who are always there, starts with Katara_Girl29 . She has mad skills and is a talented player that always likes telling you what to do. In Warzone she is always 100 meters away from the squad and gets killed constantly due to her stubbornness but she will always blame her team. G3OVA is a tactical player that can take a squad down on his own while in crouch mode. He likes silence especially when he’s the last man standing in Cyber (He’ll Shhh-ush you as rudely as possible).

Mafutero is the sharpshooter, his quick scoping skills are sick. Always in first place while smoking and singing as he’s taking others down. Astro boy YZ, this dude is a ninja, he runs with a shield and melee weapons, or just whatever his fancy. He makes killing look easy and you won’t see him coming. TrEsLeCHE, is a player with trash talking skills that enemies fail to provide a comeback. He uses the biggest scope in the world while killing them in the most clueless fashion (He won’t even know he’s killed you until he sees the score boards). A_I_GOD likes to rush and destroy, making him the perfect weapon/guinea pig. He’s fast and an aggressive player, camping is not in his vocabulary. I as DavianCrow (A.K.A Teammate killer) have the nerves of a chihuahua and I accidentally kill all my friends, and I deserve what I get. Kirita4 is the newest member, she’s fresh out of bootcamp and her passive style gameplay is not to be underestimated.

We’re a band of misfits that get along easily as we play against other teams in Cyber Attack, Domination, Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed but mostly Cyber. We work as a team by communicating, strategic planning etc. and it’s lots of fun and of course it wouldn’t be COD without some trash talk. It goes hand in hand with each game as it makes it more engaging because naturally, you are motivated to shut that shit down by kicking their ass, and when we do it is glorious, like some sort of “Gamer’s High”.

Gaming in COD’s MMO can get intense and not everyone takes it lightly. In our party chat we speak to each other in both the English and Spanish language, and for some reason that seems to set some people off. In between game rounds everybody can talk to each other beyond the party chat, and all is cool but when they listen to us speak Spanish some of them turn hostile with racial slurs, insults and telling us to get out of their country, or “This is America..we speak English here”. Other times they just start to leave the game lobby when they find out we speak Spanish. It’s not just the language, sometimes it’s just people being toxic. Trash talk is ok but offensive talk is not.   

Stereotyping and hardcore prejudice is always there in between every game, especially if their team loses, oh man don’t even get me started. There’s also a huge amount of sexism and misogynistic remarks made by some players against female gamers. They focus on saying hurtful things to us and especially to female gamers in our team. 

Katara_Girl29 Instagram

“They say stuff like women shouldn’t play only cook, call us demeaning names, and others go straight to strong sexual remarks. While I know how to deal with ignorant people, I believe that we are all equal and should be respected. The sooner they learn that, both the real world and the gaming world would be a better place.” – Katara_Girl29

COD has a way to mute, block and report such people but it doesn’t solve the issue. Good thing is that we are a group that ignores such behavior and focuses on having a good time. Luckily not everyone online is toxic, and we got lots of decent people who take interest in other languages and can appreciate different cultures, they work well with us and even some of then have joined our clan. 

Now, let’s talk about drama. As some of you may already know, when you’re married, things between the spouse and the game can get heated. Finding time to split between the two can be daunting. When an adequate balance hasn’t been met, is when shit gets real.

Consoles, PC’s, or TV can get disconnected or smashed amidst playing online, or arguments during a party chat in which you can sometimes overhear in the background (That’s why I always have popcorn ready at my side), or if your teammate suddenly doesn’t respond and their character is just standing there while they are muted it usually means two things. He/She has a potty emergency or spouses are fighting. It is more common than you think and some people decide NOT to game to solve the issue but honestly that’s just a bandaid for the time being. 

Gaming shouldn’t be removed from your life to avoid drama, gaming shouldn’t be racist, sexist or demeaning. Gaming should and always be about having fun, being entertained, and exploring other worlds or realities. The truth to the matter is, that not everything gets to be the way we want it to be, it’s an imperfect world but it is up to you to make the best of it and manage how you feel about things.

 Those of us who have experienced the ups and downs of the online gaming world know what I’m talking about, and it’s up to us to choose to game or not to game, as it all depends if you can handle it. If you’re in the wrong can you change? Have you managed your time adequately for it? After all my shit is done for the day I can safely say yeah, I earned it and I, DavianCrow of 77IKO.. Choose To Game.