The Maturity of Online Gamers: A CS Kiddie Rhetoric

Having been a participant of online games since the 28.8kbps modem days, I have become rather intrigued by the way the online community in general has evolved. We’ve seen big leaps forward particularly in terms of how gaming is viewed by mainstream culture and the credibility of “professional” gamers and their choice of way to earn a living. Gamers are no longer solely end-users of software but are now an intrinsic element of the development of the “next big” online game, as seen through production houses’ encouragement of gamers to participate in open betas, as well as responding directly to feedback concerning future game updates and changes. Almost every western upper-middle-class family owns some sort of gaming system, from the stereotypically sporty “jocks” with their Xbox’s and football sims, to the “hardcore” gamers with their fantasy MMORPG’s and extremely comfortable chair, to the families with young children obsessed with their cutesy portable electronic entertainment, courtest of Nintendo (I used to be two of the above three. Try and guess the odd one out). However, whilst the online gaming “infrastructure” as a whole has strengthened and come into its own, the mindset of it’s participants seems to be at odds with the whole direction the movement is taking.

Let’s look at language, and how it has been shaped by the online gaming community. Back in my early online days of Starcraft, Unreal Tournament and even Worms, there was very little to no communication between you and your opponent. If there was, it was neither memorable nor poignant. Back in these days, there was no such thing as 1337 5p34k or the word “noob”, even your average “lol” was quite rare. Every RTS game still had its special series of lengthy and often bizzare acronyms for even the simplest task, but that’s another story. Voice communication was even rarer, as microphones were considered a peripheral about as useful as a Gamer Glove. A couple of gaming terms I find particularly cute, such as the recontextualising of the word “nerf” in regards to game updates. I’m not sure of the exact origins of this use, but I have a feeling it’s got something to do with Everquest. This IGN article contains info on a few more. Don’t even get me started on “kek”.

Now lets look at the stereotypical “CS Kiddie” gamer. Most of you will know what a CS Kiddie is, some of you will even be CS Kiddies yourselves, but are unwilling to admit it, or worse, do not even notice it. CS Kiddies are not restricted to Counter-Strike, no, you will find them in all but the most hardcore of turn-based WWII strategy sims. CS Kiddies are easily identifiable through three all-too-obvious linguistic traits:

Their in-game smack-talk;
Their blaming of their in-game deaths on “hax”;
Lastly, their inability to construct a cohesive forum post when complaining about game features that are the actual cause of their in-game death.

The question I seek an answer to is this: Are CS Kiddies and their ilk responsible for the breakdown of the average maturity of online gamers? Or, was there ever any maturity to begin with?

I’ll rewind some. Since kindergarten I have been fascinated with video games, their interactivity and the amazing and immersive worlds they have to offer. I found that I was particularly talented in manipulating these virtual characters to achieve their virtual goals, whilst concurrently discovering that I possess little to no co-ordination when it comes to real life physical activities, particularly sport. As a kid, this made me incredibly unwilling to participate as I would be inevitably ostracised due to lack of skill. The good kids, the ones who could play these sports well, would also compete in out of school competitions. More often than not, these kids would have parents who were extremely dedicated to seeing their son / daughter compete and win. It oftened seemed like encouragement bordering on zealotry.

Fast forward seven to eight years and it is these same kids who are now heavily into “pwning noobs” in whatever shooter may be popular. Does their strong desire for competing and winning stem from their early sporting days? Are parents responsible for the creation of the CS Kiddie through attempting to live out their frustrated hopes and dreams by pushing their child to succeed in areas they themselves have failed? The reason I make this conclusion is that my parents were far more passive in comparison when it came to success and failure, and though I still enjoy online competition, I do not feel the need to log on and profess my supposedly “1337 5k1llz” to everyone at the blammy end of my preferred weapon.

With regards to the verbal profession of skills, the common CS Kiddie often possesses an above-average desire to do so, both in-game and in regular social gatherings. Unfortunately, this urge is often combined with a below-average knowledge of their native language, particularly where adjectives and punctuation are concerned. This results in repetitive use of phrases such as “This game sucks” (with no coherent reason as to why) or “omg u noob”, as well as an overuse of swear words that results in them losing all impact whatsoever. For proof, just browse through any gaming forum and you’re bound to come across a horribly constructed post that attempts to communicate some sort of woe, but results in the reader squinting their eyes and procuring a headache.

This leads me to my next point, and one that is starting to drive me insane. I am referring, of course, to the use of the word “lol” in real life conversation. Five years ago you would be hard pressed to accidentally let slip a gaming-related acronym in actual speech, but with the advent of PC microphones, the popularity of TeamSpeak and games now shipping with VOIP support, I can understand how you might accidentally let slip a “lol” or two. However, when you are no longer able to laugh without butchering the word “lol” and slipping it’s elongated syllables in between your giggles, you have a serious problem. I have personally been on the recieving end of this annoying bastard child excuse for a laugh, and the culprit is, not suprisingly, a CS Kiddie.

I have mentioned the origin of the CS Kiddie as being an outsider, relatively “new” to videogame experiences (in relative terms) but this is not always true. CS Kiddies can be spawned from within the gaming community itself, regardless of social status. Again, I shall use myself as a comparison. I always feel that the history of game titles that one enjoys reflects their basic playing style throughout a majority of future titles. Through primary and high school, I was incredibly immersed by the Thief series: stealth gameplay that rewarded the avoidance of confrontation. This playing style has stuck with me through many subsequent games: Deus Ex, I was slow, calculating, and precise. Battlefield 2: I prefer playing Spec Ops, sneaking behind enemy lines and bypassing the large confrontations. Even in Oblivion I made what was basically a carbon copy of Garrett, all because this is how I enjoy playing. What constitutes as a CS Kiddie’s gaming history often runs as a common theme amongst their kind: hours and hours of Doom, Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, etc. There are even some CS Kiddies out there who have never heard of Deus Ex, and refuse to even play it due to it’s sub-par (nowadays) graphics. Personally I feel this is the gaming equivalent of sin, right next to prone-spamming.

I mention these “personal gaming histories” as I feel it relates to the topic at hand. Does playing a greater amount of immersive and engrossing single player adventures, with rich characters and epic storylines on par with great cinema and novella, heighten one’s personal maturity, awareness, and openness to other gaming and real-life literature and media? Is it possible for a CS Kiddie to enjoy sweeping saga style RPG’s, for them to immerse themselves in vast, unfamiliar locales, or will they simply take to beefing up their character and killing as many mobs as possible in order to reach their next level whilst shouting “Owned!” at the screen along the way? Will CS Kiddies ever learn to do away with their lame in-game obscenities and accept the fact that there are some people who can kill them without hacking? Will the CS Kiddies ever learn the proper use of punctuation?

I think only time will tell.